Walter The Penniless - Paul Wadden

  1.   Walter the Penniless (3:58)
  2.   Humours of Rabbittown (3:34)
  3.   Kellswater (3:22)
  4.   White Bay 1958 (2:42)
  5.   Sister's Tune (3:01)
  6.   One for Thomas (2:39)
  7.   Horse Islands (4:01)
  8.   Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (4:30)
  9.   Stackof Barley / Lyndy's Favourite (3:53)
10.    Sally Gardens (3:42)
11.   Carolan's Draught (4:10)
12.   IYoung Westcott / Aunty Mary(3:00)
13.   Mrs. Witty (2:44)
14.   The Eighth of December (4:12)
15.   No More Dreams From Heaven(3:01)
16.   Walsh's (2:32)

All Paul Wadden tunes copyright Š1995
Produced by Don Walsh
Recorded at Dadyeen Studios, St.John's, Newfoundland Engineered by Don Walsh and Shane Kelly;
except tracks 1& 6 recorded at Soundworks
London, Ontario; engineer Paul Steenhuis

Mixed by Shane Kelly and Don Walsh
Guitars made by J.D. Mackenzie and Marc Beneteau
Photography and design by Shane Kelly
Layout by DigiScan

Thanks to Sheila Lynch, Don Walsh,
Shane Kelly, Francesca Swann;
thanks also to Marc Beneteau for a fine guitar and some life saving repairs to my Mackenzie.

For Lynda, Caitlin, Deirdra

Walter the Penniless (Paul Wadden). An enthusiastic participant in the First Crusade and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem in the eleventh century. The pecuniary title suggests a vow of poverty or an enduring cash flow problem.

Humours of Rabbittown (Paul Wadden). I grew up on the cusp of Rabbittown, a hilly pastiche of clapboard houses, dogberry trees and picket fences in the harbour city of St. John's.

Kellswater (trad.). From the singing of Andy Irvine on the Planxty album The Woman I Loved So Well.

White Bay 1958 (trad.). A tune for the lost age of natural abundance; an amalgam of several traditional themes to form a guitar arrangement.

Sister's Tune (Paul Wadden). A tune for my daughters.

One for Thomas (Paul Wadden). A tune for the fisherman uncle who gave me some seminal advice on playing the guitar.

Horse Islands (Paul Wadden). A group of islands off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. My uncles told me the story of some fishermen who took refuge on these islands during a storm.

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Charles Mingus/ Jazz Workshop). Mingus' elegant tribute to tenor saxophonist Lester Young. I used a heavy gauge sixth string tuned to low Bb to suggest a standup bass accompaniment.

Stack of Barley (trad.) / Lyndy's Favourite (Paul Wadden). I heard fiddle Kevin Burke play the first tune on the album Up Close; the second is a tune for my wife.

Sally Gardens (trad.)

Carolan's Draught (Turlough O'Carolan). Irish master guitarist Artie McGlynn recorded a fine flat pick version of this tune. I incorporated some of his ideas into this finger-picked arrangement.

Young Westcott (Paul Wadden) / Aunty Mary (trad.) A latent desire to play the bouzouki.

Mrs. Whitty (Paul Wadden). A tune that came together after attending a DeDannan concert. I was much taken with Alec Finn's bouzouki playing.

The Eighth of December (Paul Wadden). A tune for John Lennon.

No More Dreams From Heaven (Paul Wadden). I was sitting around one day trying to play Joseph Spence's Great Dreams From Heaven in an open E tuning (a departure from his idiosyncratic dropped D) and came up with a completely different tune.

Walsh's (Paul Wadden). A jig to finish, ably assisted by Don Walsh on second guitar.

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