Thousands Are Sailing

by **roadhouse** Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:10 pm

Phillip Chevron

Have I mentioned I learned the guitar part on the Fabs tune from Mary Hopkin, \who learned it from Paul? I'm pretty sure I have. Fabs rool!

Mary Hopkin this Mary Hopkin?
Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label.

Now that's a Cool Story

I was 10 when it came on the radio here ; that song was Very Popularbtw another one of their 1st apple signings was a relatively unknown singer songwriter from our area James Taylor.
He spent 2 weeks w/ the Beatles I asked his son Ben what that was like,does he talk about it .. Nope

Lastly on Point>>> Thousands
This is My Favorite Pogues Song as others here ; My Blood came over from Ireland/Scotland turn of Last Century and My Wife Sent a Postcard in
to Draw a Ticket in the Lottery// Thanks for the insight Mr. C.

by **dsweeney** Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:01 pm

Suits me just fine that It isn't the mop tops track ! Also, it makes much more sense of the Behan reference as well, I think. Whistling blackbirds though would have been fine too.

by **DzM** Sat Jan 15, 2011 4:46 pm

soulfinger wrote:My friend Nick is an actor and some years ago was, entirely by chance, staying in a hotel where the band were staying also. I posted the story of how some men in suits asked Mr Chevron (who was playing guitar in the bar) if he knew any songs by the Beatles - which had caused Nick to choke on his pint. Philip told the Blackbird / Mary Hopkin story in response in the thread.

viewtopic.php?p=13809#p13809

by **soulfinger** Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:20 am

RICHB wrote:
philipchevron wrote:http://www.poguetry.com/grace.htm

It's not the Fabs song, it's the trad, yes trad, tune Brending Being was fond of hearing buskers play in the streets of new York and Dublin, which was known to set him dancing. This latter fact is hotly disputed by Mr MacGowan who is, nevertheless, wrong.

It could indeed also be just a twittering boid. Ambiguity does no harm here.

Have I mentioned I learned the guitar part on the Fabs tune from Mary Hopkin, \who learned it from Paul? I'm pretty sure I have. Fabs rool!

Think you may have, did it have something to do with a hotel? (or am i making it up as I go along)

You're right. You're memory is very impressive.

My friend Nick is an actor and some years ago was, entirely by chance, staying in a hotel where the band were staying also. I posted the story of how some men in suits asked Mr Chevron (who was playing guitar in the bar) if he knew any songs by the Beatles - which had caused Nick to choke on his pint. Philip told the Blackbird / Mary Hopkin story in response in the thread.

by **RICHB** Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:55 pm

philipchevron wrote:http://www.poguetry.com/grace.htm

It's not the Fabs song, it's the trad, yes trad, tune Brending Being was fond of hearing buskers play in the streets of new York and Dublin, which was known to set him dancing. This latter fact is hotly disputed by Mr MacGowan who is, nevertheless, wrong.

It could indeed also be just a twittering boid. Ambiguity does no harm here.

Have I mentioned I learned the guitar part on the Fabs tune from Mary Hopkin, \who learned it from Paul? I'm pretty sure I have. Fabs rool!

Think you may have, did it have something to do with a hotel? (or am i making it up as I go along)

by **DzM** Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:33 pm

Welp there I am wrong, and Mr. dsweeney is saved from imagining The Beatles when he hears this lyric. Whew!

by **philipchevron** Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:26 pm

http://www.poguetry.com/grace.htm

It's not the Fabs song, it's the trad, yes trad, tune Brending Being was fond of hearing buskers play in the streets of new York and Dublin, which was known to set him dancing. This latter fact is hotly disputed by Mr MacGowan who is, nevertheless, wrong.

It could indeed also be just a twittering boid. Ambiguity does no harm here.

Have I mentioned I learned the guitar part on the Fabs tune from Mary Hopkin, \who learned it from Paul? I'm pretty sure I have. Fabs rool!

by **DzM** Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:50 pm

dsweeney wrote:Shit, " The blackbird " is a Mcartney song ? Bollocks, I hate The Beatles and ESPECIALLY Mcartney. Hopefully it won't spoil it too much for me.

I could be mistaken. I'm unable to find the post that I think exists somewhere that directly says this. As such it could well be that "the blackbird" referred to could be any song so named.

by **dsweeney** Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:39 pm

Jaysus, I never thought of that, DZM, cheers. To my knowledge nobody has impersonated me. Yet. Anybody wanting to cause a bloody ruckus could do just that and nobody would think twice about it. I thought it would be a complete waste of time trying to register as I was sure I'd be told to fuck right off, so I never bothered.
Shit, " The blackbird " is a Mcartney song ? Bollocks, I hate The Beatles and ESPECIALLY Mcartney. Hopefully it won't spoil it too much for me.

by **RICHB** Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:33 pm

DzM wrote:
dsweeney wrote: And secondly, " The blackbird " referred to in the lines; " ...and " The blackbird " broke the silence, as you whistled it so sweet..", is this an actual song, or one made up for the lyric ? Is there a real tune like the "...were singing " Galway bay " from FONY ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_%28song%29
http://tinyurl.com/4uyh6zk

BTW, if you register there will be less risk of other people soiling the good name of "dsweeney" as guest posters, AND each time you post you won't be confronted with a doofy question that tries to verify you're a person ("What's the next number in this sequence," "what month is missing in this sequence," etc).

What there could be multiple DSWEENEYS??? :shock:

Ha ha I always thought the line was just about a blackbird breaking the silence.

by **DzM** Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:19 pm

dsweeney wrote: And secondly, " The blackbird " referred to in the lines; " ...and " The blackbird " broke the silence, as you whistled it so sweet..", is this an actual song, or one made up for the lyric ? Is there a real tune like the "...were singing " Galway bay " from FONY ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_%28song%29
http://tinyurl.com/4uyh6zk

BTW, if you register there will be less risk of other people soiling the good name of "dsweeney" as guest posters, AND each time you post you won't be confronted with a doofy question that tries to verify you're a person ("What's the next number in this sequence," "what month is missing in this sequence," etc).

by **dsweeney** Fri Jan 14, 2011 3:01 pm

Which of course means there is little or no point in me even responding but what the hell ! I'm suprised that the 4/4 rock tempo that kicks in at the second half of each verse was largely down to Terry, I must say. Would never have thought that. Surely that warranted a writing credit ? Whoops!
Two small queries on the song; How come the uncredited blast of Uileann pipes during the first chorus? No mention of it anywhere in the liner notes so I wondered it it some sort of " sample" added by Lillywhite in the studio ?
And secondly, " The blackbird " referred to in the lines; " ...and " The blackbird " broke the silence, as you whistled it so sweet..", is this an actual song, or one made up for the lyric ? Is there a real tune like the "...were singing " Galway bay " from FONY ?

by **philipchevron** Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:34 pm

dsweeney wrote:I would genuinely like to ask Phil how he himself would describe his classic tune from the "...Grace.." album, musically speaking that is ?
He probably won't answer but I'd be interested in how others would describe it as well. That it is hugely influenced by Irish folk cannot be denied. Yes, it has a more straight rock 4/4 beat to it but still, it leans heavily towards folk and as a famine emigration song this works well I think.

Musically, and to some extent lyrically, I used the template of a typical Irish-American vaudeville song - of the type written by Ernest Ball or Chauncey Olcott. There is actually very little "folk" in it, except in as much as Irish-American theatre music drew, to a degree, on Irish balladry. Even the instrumental section is artifice/pastiche, its roots more in George M Cohan than Turlough O'Carolan. The rock beat and modal chording was, to a large extent, the influence of Terry Woods in the studio.

Unless you know different, of course.

by **dsweeney** Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:22 pm

No, no, credit where it's due. Your description of said song as track 6 is absolutely correct !! Most people though would have a little bit more to say on it than that I hope. Especially in light of the shit the country is in at the moment and the extra relevence the song has today. I think it could do well as a single, here at least, but I'd be afraid of accusations of cynical exploitation of the very real hardship people are going through right now.

by **soulfinger** Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:58 am

Tousands of Sailors has been traditionally described as track 6.

But I sure as hell know I'm going to be wrong. :oops:

Thousands Are Sailing

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