'ETHNIC/SHMETHNIC' – MEL, MEL & JULIAN
Not polysyllabic, introspective, social-issue driven modern folk, but classic, traditional-sounding folk with Mel, Mel & Julian's own arrangments, and is more fun than much modern folk. 'Ethnic/Shmethnic' flows through still pools and over jumping rapids, carrying one along nicely.
This album is a balanced mix of vigorous folk and melancholy ballad, all delivered in tight harmony. Folks who don't care for folk music don't think of it as high-energy, but three guitars and two rollicking voices can generate energy as well as they produce emotion. The singing on 'Ethnic/Shmethnic' is mostly strong male voice duets, but Julian Laxton fans will want to hear him play, and, on one track, sing!
My favorite songs are those with the active guitars, the "Wild Geese" sort of uptempo numbers, but the mournful and tragic numbers are, like the blues, songs about feeling bad that make one feel good to hear. Here's a quick tour through the album's various tempos and lovely melodies that take one's feelings from soaring to melancholy. Take a deep breath and begin.
'Katy Kline', uptempo and jumping; 'The Water is Wide', slow and thoughtful, 'Little Beggar Man', uptempo and lively; 'Ox Driver's Song', soaring and free, manly; 'Ramble Away', slow, a rambling rogue falls in love with pretty Nancy; 'Gypsy Rover', happy-go-lucky, luvverly, nice whistling; 'Mary Anne', I'm leaving on a ship, fare-thee-well; 'Irish Rover', delightful nonsense, rich, rioting, and rollicking; 'Sinner Man', "Where you gonna run to all along that day?", 'Van Diemans Land', don't get caught poaching, ye slowly rambling boys of Liverpool; 'Hangman', a really old favorite; 'Let Me Fly', spiritual folk; 'Banks of the Ohio', a mournful murder tragedy.
'Hangman', Just as many American kids learned of the blues from the British Invasion bands, I learned of this ancient folk song from Led Zeppelin. Folk or rock it's a favorite.
The CD liner notes provide a concise history of folk in the Fifties and Sixties up to Dylan plugging in - all in a handful of paragraphs!
If you're a long time Mel, Mel and Julian fan, you will be excited (and I don't use the word lightly) to hear that two studio CDs are being remastered. I'm not a long time fan, but a new fan of the work of Mel, Mel, and Julian.
Kurt Shoemaker, Blanco, Texas
This CD ("Ethnic/Shmethnic") is a re-issue of one of my favourite LP's of all time.
Mel Mel and Julian are right up there with the likes of Steeleye Span for sheer musicianship and entertainment value. Whether they are belting out Katie Kline or weaving the tight and intricate harmonies which are their trademark, they are icons of the folk rock era.
Most people my age will remember (Big)) Mel Miller from ‘Biltong and Potroast’, that early SABC TV program that now has legendary status. They will also know Julian Laxton as a hard rocking axe hero... but they may, or may not remember (Little) Mel Green...
Between the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and when ‘Biltong And Potroast’ ruled the airwaves, these three formed a formidable trio that ranked highly on SA's folk scene, at times apparently pulling bigger crowds than Des Lindberg and other notables at Johannesburg's Troubadour Coffeehouse.
Until recently most of this trio's recordings have only been available to connoisseurs of vinyl (well those that could find copies), however, Mel Green, who now lives in the States, has put together ‘Ethnic/Shmethnic’ a collection of traditional songs from their early albums. These songs have been re-mastered from the original vinyl and thus a few crackles appear on the CD, (the master tapes were unavailable) but the overall sound will not distract the listener.
And so to the music. The first thing that strikes you is the great vocals and vocal harmonies that the two Mels put together. At times there's a twangy American-styled vocal such as on the opener, ‘Katy Cline’, Then there are some quite beautiful harmonies like on 'Gypsy Rover' and 'Mary Anne' where they take on a softer, more gentle tone. Also Mel Green's solo vocals on ‘The Water Is Wide’ (previously on their "Miscellanea" LP) is pure joy to listen to.
Underpinning this is some magical guitar plucking. Quite different to what Laxton fans would be accustomed to as it's acoustic for a start and secondly... well it's folk, not rock. But this is top quality folk and one can only admire the guitar skills on show. The songs are all traditional folk tunes that are given the MM&J treatment to good effect. Tracks like‘Irish Rover’, ‘Banks Of The Ohio’ and ‘Sinner Man’ will probably be familiar to most while some others may only be immediately recognised by folk aficionados.
This is a laid back album that gently flows from your sound system and cascades over your senses for a soothing 40 minutes or so. It (and two others CDs) are now available direct from the group's website along with a detailed history of the group.
“I had fun tonight listening to your CD. Wow! You should’a been a contender – you guys are up there with Peter Paul & Mary, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention (sans electricity), Jan and Dean, definitely the Irish Rovers, and Simon and Garfunkel!
My favorites tend towards the traditional spare Irish and English style — e.g. Ramble Away, Mary Ann, and Van Diemensland. I also like the close harmony on Banks of Ohio, (Little Mel’s) tenor lead on Water is Wide with that hint of a sustained tremolo, and the shared harmony Irish style (with that Nashville picked guitar!) as on Beggarman. The combination of shared harmony and the simple mandolin (mandola? ... no 12-wstring capoed high!) the chorus on Ramble Away, with its English feel and familiar melody, makes it probably my favorite of the album. But I also like a lot the western “Bonanza” feel of Ox Driver’s with your tenor drone and the galloping guitar, the fun you seemed to have with Let Me Fly, the “Old Timey” guitar and vocal on Katy Cline, the 60’s feel of Gypsy Rover, and the wailing tenor on Sinner Man. And I imagine that your live stuff took off from there. It must have been a fun time!”