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Celtic Radio Community > Minstrels Gallery > Halloween/samhain Songs?


Posted by: itsmewendylee 12-Oct-2006, 01:02 PM
Do you know of any Celtic tunes that would fit in well on a Halloween or Samhain special? I'm thinking along the lines of ghost stories, songs about besting the Devil, songs about spirits, witches, banshees and such. For example, songs I already plan for the play list include:

Uncle Mickey's Ghost Brigid's Cross
Chase The Ghost The Indulgers
Some Say The Devil Is Dead Mossy Moran
Banshee Cry The Elders
The Haunting Clandestine
Hills of the West Rathkeltair
Johnny At The Door Brobdingnagian Bards
She Moved Through The Fair (artist to be determined)
Never Drink 'Em Dry (Johnny Tarr's Funeral) Gaelic Storm
Devils Dream The Sheridan Band
Ayrshire Lasses/ Dance of the Dead Alison Kinnaird

A few of these are instrumentals that just have a nice "haunted" feel and an appropriate title.

If you can think of some more, please email me at [email protected]! Thanks!

Posted by: Roberto Phoenix 12-Oct-2006, 08:55 PM
Stone Ring's new Cd has a song called Samhain. Here's there website, Good friends and great musicians.
http://www.thestonering.com/

Manheim Steamroller has some halloween CDs that aren't too bad.

Posted by: Roberto Phoenix 12-Oct-2006, 09:01 PM
Whoops! Almost forgot about Blackmore's Night. Lots of Good stuff there especially on the Fires at Midnight CD

Posted by: itsmewendylee 14-Oct-2006, 05:48 AM
Thanks for the suggestions! Have been in touch with Stone Ring and they will be added to the show! Still working on Blackmore's Night.

Trying to get a version of "Tam Lin..." unfortunately, the three versions I am familiar with are all by bands who seem to be hard to get a hold of at the moment... Tempest, Fairport Convention, and Steeleye Span... any other versions out there I should be looking into?

W

Posted by: Senara 14-Oct-2006, 08:08 AM
Hi Wendy...haven't had a chance to welcome you yet. Look forward to listening to your podcast when I find I have time to breathe again.

A couple Samhain suggestions...that's a tough one...

Always thought Men of Erin by the Elders might fit into such a category....and then there's Danu's Farewell, Farewell (The Road Less Travelled) that would work considering the season change and such....

oh...one more halloween tune....try Enya's Deireadh An Tuath...it's on the Celt's album

Posted by: Roberto Phoenix 14-Oct-2006, 03:10 PM
It's not Celtic but Charlie Daniels' "Legend of Wooly Swamp" has always been one of my favs

Posted by: Aaediwen 15-Oct-2006, 11:44 AM
QUOTE (itsmewendylee @ 14-Oct-2006, 06:48 AM)
Thanks for the suggestions!  Have been in touch with Stone Ring and they will be added to the show! Still working on Blackmore's Night.

Trying to get a version of "Tam Lin..." unfortunately, the three versions I am familiar with are all by bands who seem to be hard to get a hold of at the moment... Tempest, Fairport Convention, and Steeleye Span... any other versions out there I should be looking into?

W

There's a nice version of Tam Lin played on here that's from the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club. Not sure how easy or hard they might be to get in touch with. Sounds like you're working up a really nice collection though smile.gif

Lorenna McKennitt's "All Soul's Night" might be a good addition as well.

And perhaps "Under the Gripping Beast/Into the Fire" from Michael Kelly's Fields of the North CD.

You might also check out the Bringers.

Posted by: stoirmeil 15-Oct-2006, 01:30 PM
Oh, wait -- I have to think of the title of that instrumental The Chieftains did years ago -- it's a terrific, haunted-sounding arrangement with a digeridoo in it -- I think it's "The Strayaway Child." Maybe it's just the title, but you can really get the feeling of a lost child alone in the woods at night, or the ghost of one, or a changeling who can't go home again.

Here is a link with some more information, and also the actual sheet music for the tune! It is a creepish thing, played slower than a normal jig tempo.

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/134

We're reaching back, but the four-record set of Best of Buffy Saint-Marie volumes 1 and 2 have a few beauties: there are two fantastic vampire songs (one of them is a version of "Reynardine," and the other is her own original song), and she does a remarkable job on the old Welsh song "Lyke Wake Dirge". And if you can find it, the Joan Baez album entitled "Baptism -- A Journey Through Our Time" has a great song called "The Magic Wood", about a child's encounter with Old Nick in the forest (he gets away). The poem was by Henry Treece; Peter Schickele did the music for that album. It's marvellous stuff.

The wood is full of shining eyes,
The wood is full of creeping feet,
The wood is full of tiny cries:
You must not go to the wood at night!

The whole text is here in this site about Halloween:
http://www.dunawaybooks.com/news/October2005.htm

Scroll down to find it. You could even get someone to do a dramatic reading of it with improvised flute or fiddle and some strange, dry percussion behind it.

Posted by: Meryat 15-Oct-2006, 02:30 PM
Loreena McKennitt also has a song called "Samain Night" on Parallel Dreams and one called "Stolen Child" on Elemental that seem to fit the theme. Actually, "Standing Stones" on Parallel Dreams and "The Lady of Shalott" on The Visit also seem like they'd fit, with their themes of ghosts and curses, respectively.

You might also check out McKennitt's The Mask & The Mirror CD. Almost all the songs on it have a mood that sounds rather like what you're looking for. "Bonny Swans" is about a woman whose sister pushed her into a stream to drown whose body gets made into a harp. "The Two Trees" also would probably fit quite well with your theme. Several others on the CD ("The Mystic's Dream," "Marrakesh Night Market," "Full Circle") have just always sounded rather witchy/magical to me.

"Allison Cross" by Malinky might also fit your theme.

Posted by: itsmewendylee 15-Oct-2006, 04:55 PM
Wow, so many great suggestions! I have been trying desperately to get a hold of management for Loreena McKennitt with no luck yet... but I haven't given up.

Unfortunately, the Chieftains (whom I love) are with a major label, so garnering permission to play their stuff royalty free will be next to impossible. unsure.gif Doesn't mean I won't write them, though.

I am unfamiliar with Michael Kelly, the Bringers, and Malinky, so I look forward to looking all of those up!

This is my favorite part of doing the show- seriously- meeting new people and discovering new artists! (Even if they are only new to me!)

Thanks again for your help.

W

Posted by: Aaediwen 16-Oct-2006, 06:38 PM
QUOTE (itsmewendylee @ 15-Oct-2006, 05:55 PM)
Wow, so many great suggestions!  I have been trying desperately to get a hold of management for Loreena McKennitt with no luck yet... but I haven't given up.

Perish the thought! Trouble getting in touch with Quinlan Road? Granted much of the time when I've called there I've gotten an agent, there was one time I got lucky and got Loreena Herself. Can't get much higher up in management there than that. And it can't be that big of a place if top management has time to answer the 800 numbers wink.gif And even the other folks there should be able to help point you in the right direction

Posted by: itsmewendylee 19-Oct-2006, 03:38 PM
Ian B did contact me re: Loreena's music and it looks like I will be given permission to play specific songs, which is fantastic! thumbs_up.gif

So, either "Samhain Night" or "All Souls' Night" will be added to the playlist.

Just thought you'd want to know, as posters in this thread were the ones who recommended her!

biggrin.gif

Posted by: Aaediwen 19-Oct-2006, 06:54 PM
YAAAY!!!!

Posted by: Raven 23-Oct-2006, 02:20 PM
Shameless self promotion for my band smile.gif

"On the Moor" original

"Asoulin" Traditional Samhain time song

http://www.arminta.net/Web%20Page/Music.html

Email me if you are interested in anything that we have on line or otherwise.

We have some scary songs too.

Slainte

Mikel


Posted by: itsmewendylee 29-Oct-2006, 02:31 PM
Oh, Mikel, I am sorry I didn'lt see this post until it was too late to put in this year's show! (Pout frusty.gif ) But I will email you, as I am a fan of the band and would love to talk with you about getting more of the band's music on the show- I did feature Arminta and Blaq Lily once before, but need to do so again!

In the meantime, the Halloween show is up and running. I know Paul is going to put it in the broadcast schedule here, but you can also hear it by going to my website http://clevelandcelticpodcast.com, or search it up on iTunes. I ended up more than enough music, thanks so many suggestions from listeners. I should be able to do another next year- maybe even two if I keep collecting songs and permissions between now and then!

Oiche Samhain everyone.

Wendy

Posted by: Macfive 10-Feb-2007, 04:55 AM
I noticed that we had a "High" member count of 165 on Halloween this past year on CelticRadio.net. Also, I have been noticing many songs that would fit into a nice Halloween broadcast for the entire day. If we have time this year, we might try and make a playlist up of all of these songs which probably numbers 100-200 songs.

We will probably publish this list somewhere too so people can find these tracks, or how about put a little bat next to the song??? Ok, I know - its February - think Valentines Day - Flowers are coming Killian! biggrin.gif

Posted by: TandVh 25-Jul-2007, 01:07 PM
QUOTE (itsmewendylee @ 14-Oct-2006, 06:48 AM)
Thanks for the suggestions! Have been in touch with Stone Ring and they will be added to the show! Still working on Blackmore's Night.

Trying to get a version of "Tam Lin..." unfortunately, the three versions I am familiar with are all by bands who seem to be hard to get a hold of at the moment... Tempest, Fairport Convention, and Steeleye Span... any other versions out there I should be looking into?

W

The Medeaveal Beabes have a couple of downright peculiar versions of Tam Lin on one of thier albumes- Mirables I think. Not a lot of people like thier music, but I have all of thier CD's and can play them over and over.


Posted by: itsmewendylee 09-Oct-2007, 06:11 AM
QUOTE (Macfive @ 10-Feb-2007, 06:55 AM)
I have been noticing many songs that would fit into a nice Halloween broadcast for the entire day. If we have time this year, we might try and make a playlist up of all of these songs which probably numbers 100-200 songs.


I hope the playlist is posted somewhere this year, that would be great! I am perusing this thread once again in search of songs for the Halloween 2007 special.

Thanks for the help!

Wendy

Posted by: Robert Phoenix 09-Oct-2007, 08:55 PM
Irish 80's flashback-"Don't pay the Ferryman" by Chris DeBurgh.

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