Eric Bogle   •   The Dreamer

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  • The Dreamer
    • 2009 - Greentrax CDTRAX 337 CD (UK)
  • Track List
    1. Bringing Buddy Home
    2. Standing in the Light
    3. Nothing Worth Saving
    4. Snowdrop (John Munro)
    5. The Dreamer
    6. Flying Away
    7. Canadian Christmas Song (Eric Bogle, John Munro)
    8. Someone Else's Problem
    9. Lost Soul
    10. An Australian Prayer for Rain
    11. The Last Note

  • Musicians
    • Eric Bogle: Lead Vocals
    • John Munro: Lead Vocals (Track: 4), Acoustic Guitars (6 & 12 String), Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, Banjo, Backing Vocals
    • Emma Luker: Fiddle, Cello, Chorus Girl
    • Phil Cuneen: Piano, Synthesiser
    • Pete Titchener: Acoustic Guitar
    • Trev Warner: Dobro
    • Damian Steele-Scott: Electric Bass
  • Credits
    • Produced by John Munro
    • Recorded at Mixmasters Studios, Hawthorndene, Adelaide, South Australia
    • Engineered & Mastered by Mick Wordley
    • Front Sleeve Design: This is from a pen and ink drawing entitled "The Dreamer" by an American artist, Martin Wilke, who kindly gave me permission to use this image, and moreover, gifted me with the original drawing, an act of generosity for which I am extremely grateful. He also created the unique design of Australia called "Homeland" that is included inside the CD sleeve. Martin's artworks are, in my opinion, beautifully executed, unique, and multilayered. I'd urge you to check them out. His web site is: www.martinwilke.com
    • Design & Layout: Brett Taylor (Pilgrim Arts)
    • All songs written by Eric Bogle, unless otherwise noted
    • As usual, to all those who gave of their considerable talents in the making of this CD, my heartfelt, if totally inadequate, thanks. It was a privilege working with you.

Notes On Songs

Bringing Buddy Home — written after seeing a photo of the cargo hold of a C17 aeoplane full of coffins of young American soldiers being shipped back to the USA from Iraq. All the coffins, of course, were draped in the Stars and Stripes …

Standing In the Light — For my mother, Nancy. Originally recorded on my CD "The Emigrant and The Exile". Re-recorded here because I wanted to.

Nothing Worth Saving — A tribute to a friend of mine, Coral Bennett, who has lived in the beautiful Wandiligong Valiev in Victoria for most of her life, and whose character and beauty she has fought hard to protect from developers, the mining industry, and venal or indifferent Shire councillors. The title is taken from a quote from one such councillor in Bright Town Council who, when argueing against an objection to a proposed development, came out with the classic statement that "there was nothing worth saving" in the Wandiligong Valley anyway. So for Coral, and all those who are willing to stand up and be counted for what they believe in, this song is dedicated.

Snowdrop — A song by John Munro. He says about this song "This is a song about homelessness. When Russia embraced capitalism it inherited some of the more negative aspects of that social system. There are about 100,000 homeless people in Moscow at any one time. This is the story of Alex, a real person, who went to sleep on the streets of Moscow in Winter, and was not found until Spring thawed the snows. In Moscow, these grim discoveries are called "Snowdrops", as they're one of the first signs of Spring …

The Dreamer — Most of my life I've been called a dreamer by my teachers, sundry past employers, and frustrated music industry moguls, as well as by my family and friends. Some say it kindly, some with impatience, some with malice, some with scorn. I admit it, I'll stick my hand up, I'm a dreamer, and quite happy about it …

Flying Away — In an age where the modern offspring seem extremely reluctant to leave the family home to fend for themselves, and stick to their often long-suffering parents like kangaroo poo to the fur of a rabbit, this is a song about a rare girl indeed, one who actually wants to leave the nest to go and experience the world for herself.

Canadian Christmas Song — John Munro and I were in Canada in December 2008. We were a long way from home, it was cold, it was snowing, it was nearly Christmas, so this wee song was jointly penned by us in a series of backstage dressing rooms in theatres scattered all over Ontario.

Someone Else's Problem — The Murray River is Australia's greatest river, and it's slowly dying. Usual problems, pollution, excessive irrigation demands, rising salt levels, etc., all exacerbated by global climate changes. The Murray is not Robinson Crusoe in this, most of the great rivers of the world are suffering the same fate. Problem is, we'll slowly die along with them …

Lost Soul — Written for the Ngarrindjeri people of South Australia. For thousands of years they have been the custodians of the Coorong, a stunning World Heritage area of freshwater lagoons bounded by golden sand dunes that separate them from the southern Ocean. In 1916, from the Point McLeay mission station in the Coorong, 21 young Ngarrindjeri men volunteered to go and fight overseas for King and Country in WW1. Before they could be accepted, they had to be made temporary Australian citizens, as only Australian citizens could fight for their country overseas, and of course at that time, and indeed in some states of Australia up until the late 1960's, Australian aborigines were not classed as Australian citizens. Once the war was over of course, this temporary citizenship was revoked. Of the 21 young Ngarrindjeri men who went overseas, five of them were killed, and only one of them, Rufus Rigney, has a Known grave. In 2006 a group of school children from the Birdwood and Woodside schools in South Australia made a trip to the WW1 battlefields in France and Belgium to track down the graves of some of the local men who had died in WW1. Amongst this group was Rufus's great-great nephew, Victor Koolmatrie, who performed a traditional Ngarrindjeri dance before Rufus's grave in Harlebeke Military Cemetery in Belgium. Then sand from the Coorong was scattered over the grave, and some earth was taken from it and brought back to Australia where it was then, in a moving ceremony, cast upon the blue waters of the Coorong. In that way, Rufus's spirit, lost and wandering for so many years, was re-connected to his Dreamtime land and could finally come home. Sorry to bash your ears about this, but it's a story that should be told.

Australian Prayer for Rain — self-explanatory really. I live in the driest state in the driest continent in the world, and have learned to value, even love, rain. As a Scot, I never thought I'd ever say that. And if you're wondering who Hughie is, Scots (irreverently perhaps, but usually with a measure of affection) sometimes refer to God as "Big Hughie", don't ask me why …

The Last Note — Indeed it is.