During my travels to England I came accross this song on a collection of obscure English folk artists from the 1960's and very early 70's. The name of the artist you hear singing is Mike Waterson. Originally a member of The Watersons, they were quite popular in the 1960's specializing in traditional English folk songs. Often the songs had no musical no acompaniment of any kind and relied on just the vocals and tight harmonies of the band. You can only imagined just how stunned I was to come accross a song such as this one. Now I'll give you a fair warning. This song may not be for everyone. Mike's voice is not always that friendly to most people's ears and the song itself might come accross as eccentric to some. However, I find the song to be very good and to be a true hidden gem that was easily overlooked from an era that was already coming out with some really great music.

So what is it about this song that drew me to it so much? There are so many elements in this which I feel that make it a good song. First and foremost, the melody is very strong. You can have the best lyrics ever written but won't mean a thing if they are set to a bad melody. I feel that many writers today fall into this trap. Many feel it's all about the lyrics and everything else comes secondary. To me it's a balance of everything. Melody, lyrics, arrangements, etc. The melody in this song grabs you right from the start. It catches your attention and makes you think. "Whoa! What is this?" And before you know it, you too are also singing along with the melody stuck in your head all day. That's when you know you have a good song.

Second, tight harmonies. I'm a sucker for good soaring harmonies. I was always appealed to the bands of this time where the harmonies stood out. The Beatles, The Searchers, The Beau Brummels, Tommy Makem and The Clancy Brothers, The Watersons and the list can keep going. But these are only but a few examples.

Third, the arrangment is good. The instrumentation of this song still holds out. It's an organic arrangment with real instruments like acoustic guitars, drums, bass, tambourine, clarinet and a few brass instruments. It's not over the top yet it's not overly sparse either. Many recordings from the 1960's still hold out very well today because of this approach. Unlike the recordings of the 1970's and 80's that relied on electronic sounds and effects. This gives the recording the soul of a robot and because of this it doesn't stand the test of time. This particular recording has aged well. And that's another important aspect to a good song. Having a timeless appeal.

Fourth, this recording creates an atmosphere of some kind. Certain albums and recordings can often place an image in your head. From the sound of this recording, I can tell that everyone involved sounds like they're all having a great time. I tend to picture this rather whimsical world where they're all in the studio just having one great sing along. I can also picture the cast of Monty Python getting involved in this Especially if a music video was to be made. Perhaps just dancing in the background or doing random acts of silliness. Eventhough this record was recorded in 1972, it reminds me of the days of the later half of the 1960's. Almost as if it's the last of what was left behind from the previous decade. It does have a Beatles-esque sound to it. Almost as if it could have been a track from Sgt. Pepper or Magical Mystery Tour with Ringo taking the vocals.  But despite all that, the song is still a unique one. Thus bringing me to my last reason as to why I like this song.

Fifth, it's original. I never have heard a song quite like this and I don't think I ever will again. Mike Watersons vocals are just so different and so refreshing to hear. I was always a fan of odd and unique voices and this is certainly one that fits my criteria. It also breaks the boundries of traditional three chord songs. It's more complicated than the average pop or Rock and Roll song yet it's not overwhelming either. It's hard to really place a category for this song. Is is pop? Is it folk? It it phsychadelic? Who knows. It's really a class in itself.  I don't think too many record companies would all such experimentation today. If anything this recording reminds you of a bygone era when it was more about the actual music unlike today where it's treated less like an art and more like a machine.

Another reason why this recording is great is because it's English. And I've always favored more of what the English were doing in both Rock and Roll, folk and pop music at this time. To me many American groups fell a little short of what The English were doing. Many great artists like Martin Carthy and Richard Thompson are on this record and making it all the more better.
So there you have it. The Rubber band. A true classic that needs more credit where credit is due.