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Sleeve Notes
I am really pleased to be writing this sleeve-note, praising Iain Mackintosh, because I can do it sincerely. I have heard Iain in various groups for over many years. They have always been good groups, although I did not at first understand why. Iain was always in the background, introspective, and the audience would not notice him playing really sensitive music, on banjo, whistle, concertina and other instruments. As soon as I realised what was making the groups, I was not long in asking Iain to join me, and he has played with me on my last Long Players. When he started singing and playing himself, I was first amazed, then jealous, and then sat back and enjoyed listening. Listen to this record several times — you will enjoy it more each time.
JOHN McLEAN'S MARCH: Written by Hamish Henderson. John Mclean, who died in 1923 aged 44, was a Socialist Republican in Glasgow. Jailed twice for sedition — and twice released because of the public outcry. It is a fact that 200.000 people turned out to meet him on his return from prison. Almost forgotten but now, 50 years after his death becoming something of a folk hero.
ANNIE'S SONG: Written by Tom Paxton — if you have ever had a fight with your wife or girl friend, this is your song. My favourite 'moody'.
BANTAM COCK: Written by Jake Thackeray. No comment I think.
MRS. CANATELLI: Written by Benny Gallagher & Graham Lyle. Benny told me they wrote this song about the landlady of their lodgings when they were in London with "McGuinness Flint".
OLD MAN'S SONG: Written by Ian Campbell — traces the major happenings in Britain over the past seventy years or so. One of my favourite 'message songs', Ian Campbell is the leader of his well-known and long established "Ian Campbell Folk Group",
CHICKENS: (Is a trad) folksong arranged by myself, recorded live at the Glasgow City Hall on 11th October 1973.
JIMMY CLAY: A fine and very telling anti-war song by the much under-rated singer-songwriter Patrick Sky, who lives in America.
THE TERROR TIME: A song I learned from Archie Fisher, the great Scottish folksinger. Ewan McColl's song tells the difficult life led by tinkers (or 'travelling people') during the long hard winter in Scotland.
WHO KILLED DAVEY MOORE?: …is of course from Bob Dylan. A powerful song protesting about the exploitations and violence of the fight game.
INTERNATIONAL: Another song of Benny Gallagher & Graham Lyle. And probably my most requested.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Another Paxton-Song. Go into any bar in any city on any Saturday night, and you'll meet the people and situations on Tom's classic song.
THE GLASGOW I USED TO KNOW: Written by Adam McNaughton, the Glasgow schoolteacher, more famous as a songwriter. The song tells of his childhood memories of the City. The best glaswegian song I ever heard...
WILDWOOD FLOWER: Not the original folk standard but of Cheech & Chong's clever and amusing parodies!
THREE MEN FROM CARNTYNE: Folksinger and friend John Watt taught me part of this song, and I added the rest. Carntyne is the part of Glasgow where I was born, the 'Parish' is now called the Social Security, and the line about the greyhound refers to the local dog-racing track
Notes by Iain MacKintosh
Iain Mackintosh's background — his father's family are from the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, and his mother's side are from Ireland — is explanation enough for his love of folk music. Raised in Glasgow, he began his formal musical education at the age of seven, by learning to play the bagpipes. Nowadays, he also plays banjo, concertina, and occasionally tin whistle, although he admits that the big love of his life is his long-neck 5-string banjo.
After nine years of singing and playing with folk groups, he made his "go-solo" decision in 1970, and as he gained in experience, so he also gained respect, and earned his reputation as "The Quiet Man of Scottish Folk."
His varied repertoire includes Scottish, English, Irish and American songs. One of Scotland's busiest and most-travelled solo folksingers, he tours each year in Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland and — Bermuda. A Canadian tour is currently projected.
Iain's aim, in each club or concert, is to "get the audience listening tonight — and thinking tomorrow . . ." He achieves this by his calm presentation, his dry Scottish humour, and his talent for choosing unusual and interesting material, plus an ability to (quoting Archie Fisher) "coax a chorus out of a lockjaw ward."
There are two solo albums of Iain available, and a new album in duo with his friend Hamish Imlach. His instrumental talents as a session musician can be heard on a dozen other LPs.
In the TV world, apart from the usual magazine programmes, Iain was resident in both of Archie Fisher's highly rated "Once Upon a Song" series, and his versatility was noted by Dominic Behan, who invited him to take part in all eighteen of his " Better Class of Folk" programmes.
Folk festivals are one of Iain's great joys, providing him with the opportunity and the time to meet and mingle with the audience and other performers alike.
Listen, and it will be your pleasure to get to know a man of humour and compassion, talent and taste.