Five Hand Reel was a Scottish/English/Irish Celtic rock band of late 1970s … Read Full Bio ↴Five Hand Reel was a Scottish/English/Irish Celtic rock band of late 1970s that combined experiences of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music with electric rock arrangements. Members included Dick Gaughan (b. 1948), Bobby Eaglesham (1942 - 2004), Tom Hickland, Barry Lyons and Dave Tulloch.
Five Hand Reel was formed originally in 1974 from the remnants of UK electric folk band Spencer's Feat: bassist Barry Lyons, Tom Hickland on fiddle and keyboards, and drummer Dave Tulloch. Enlisting two Scottish musicians, fiddler Chuck Fleming and singer/guitarist Bobby Eaglesham, they decided to call themselves Five Hand Reel. They started gigging in late 1974, playing their first London show at King's Cross Cinema.
In early 1975, Chuck Fleming returned to his previous band. His replacement was legendary Scottish singer and guitarist Dick Gaughan, an ex member of Boys of the Lough. The live debut of the renewed band was at the Half Moon in Putney in summer 1975.
Five Hand Reel signed with Rubber Records in 1976 and recorded their first album, "Five Hand Reel", at Impulse Studios in Newcastle on Tyne. It was voted as "Folk Album of the Year" for 1976 by Melody Maker.
The second album, "For A' That", was recorded now in courtesy of RCA Records in July 1977, at the height of the punk summer of discontent. The opening "Bratach Bana" was one of the first Gaelic songs to be recorded using rock elements. The Irish band Horslips had recorded the same song in Gaelic on their album "Happy To Meet - Sorry to Part", also in a rock arrangement. As Dick Gaughan says in his notes to the album:"It seems odd in these days when it is now perfectly normal to sing Gaelic songs in a contemporary fashion that this was regarded as extremely daring and adventurous in 1977. We've come a long, long way since those days."
Much of Five Hand Reel's live work was on club, college, and Folk festivals of England and Northern Europe. They were very popular in Scandinavia and recorded an album of traditional Danish songs "Ebbe, Dagmar, Svend og Alan" with Danish folk singer and radio presenter Alan Kiltgaard. In England they were rather less popular, though appreciated in the Punk clubs as a live act.
In 1978, Five Hand Reel's third RCA album, "Earl O'Moray", was recorded in Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales. It was rather different from the two previous LPs: a darker sounding, more seriously-minded album with a rich passionate undercurrent. Creatively speaking, it was probabely their finest album.
In late 1978 Dick Gaughan decided to leave the band because of the personal situation and later resumed his solo career. His replacement was Sam Bracken, a guitarist and singer from Belfast. Bracken's Irish accent sounded fresh on front and the rejuvenated band recorded one more album, 1979's "A Bunch Of Fives" for Topic Records before finally splitting in 1980. RCA also issued a compilation, "Nothing But The Best", that year.
After the break-up, the members of Five Hand Reel pursued various solo projects. Bobby Eaglesham released his second (after 1973's "Bobby Eaglesham") album, "Weather The Storm" in 1982. He contributed backing vocals on Dick Gaughan's 1988 solo album, "Call It Freedom", started "Festival Folk" at the Royal Oak Pub in Edinburgh and toured with Chuck Fleming. Later he became an art teacher at Polmont Young Offenders' Institution, near Falkirk. Bobby Eaglesham died on October 14th, 2004.
Drummer Dave Tulloch rejoined forces with Dick Gaughan on "A Different Kind Of Love Song". Tom Hickland played in a trio called The Pub Band doing The Beatles/Buddy Holly/folk-rock material. Sam Braken recorded with his wife Elaine, a singer/flautist, a duet CD "Once More Around The Block" in 2003.
Five Hand Reel was formed originally in 1974 from the remnants of UK electric folk band Spencer's Feat: bassist Barry Lyons, Tom Hickland on fiddle and keyboards, and drummer Dave Tulloch. Enlisting two Scottish musicians, fiddler Chuck Fleming and singer/guitarist Bobby Eaglesham, they decided to call themselves Five Hand Reel. They started gigging in late 1974, playing their first London show at King's Cross Cinema.
In early 1975, Chuck Fleming returned to his previous band. His replacement was legendary Scottish singer and guitarist Dick Gaughan, an ex member of Boys of the Lough. The live debut of the renewed band was at the Half Moon in Putney in summer 1975.
Five Hand Reel signed with Rubber Records in 1976 and recorded their first album, "Five Hand Reel", at Impulse Studios in Newcastle on Tyne. It was voted as "Folk Album of the Year" for 1976 by Melody Maker.
The second album, "For A' That", was recorded now in courtesy of RCA Records in July 1977, at the height of the punk summer of discontent. The opening "Bratach Bana" was one of the first Gaelic songs to be recorded using rock elements. The Irish band Horslips had recorded the same song in Gaelic on their album "Happy To Meet - Sorry to Part", also in a rock arrangement. As Dick Gaughan says in his notes to the album:"It seems odd in these days when it is now perfectly normal to sing Gaelic songs in a contemporary fashion that this was regarded as extremely daring and adventurous in 1977. We've come a long, long way since those days."
Much of Five Hand Reel's live work was on club, college, and Folk festivals of England and Northern Europe. They were very popular in Scandinavia and recorded an album of traditional Danish songs "Ebbe, Dagmar, Svend og Alan" with Danish folk singer and radio presenter Alan Kiltgaard. In England they were rather less popular, though appreciated in the Punk clubs as a live act.
In 1978, Five Hand Reel's third RCA album, "Earl O'Moray", was recorded in Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales. It was rather different from the two previous LPs: a darker sounding, more seriously-minded album with a rich passionate undercurrent. Creatively speaking, it was probabely their finest album.
In late 1978 Dick Gaughan decided to leave the band because of the personal situation and later resumed his solo career. His replacement was Sam Bracken, a guitarist and singer from Belfast. Bracken's Irish accent sounded fresh on front and the rejuvenated band recorded one more album, 1979's "A Bunch Of Fives" for Topic Records before finally splitting in 1980. RCA also issued a compilation, "Nothing But The Best", that year.
After the break-up, the members of Five Hand Reel pursued various solo projects. Bobby Eaglesham released his second (after 1973's "Bobby Eaglesham") album, "Weather The Storm" in 1982. He contributed backing vocals on Dick Gaughan's 1988 solo album, "Call It Freedom", started "Festival Folk" at the Royal Oak Pub in Edinburgh and toured with Chuck Fleming. Later he became an art teacher at Polmont Young Offenders' Institution, near Falkirk. Bobby Eaglesham died on October 14th, 2004.
Drummer Dave Tulloch rejoined forces with Dick Gaughan on "A Different Kind Of Love Song". Tom Hickland played in a trio called The Pub Band doing The Beatles/Buddy Holly/folk-rock material. Sam Braken recorded with his wife Elaine, a singer/flautist, a duet CD "Once More Around The Block" in 2003.
Haughs O' Cromdale
Five Hand Reel Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Haughs O' Cromdale' by these artists:
Andy M. Steward Manus Lunny As I came in by Auchindoun A little wee bit frae…
Andy M. Stewart Manus Lunny As I came in by Auchindoun A little wee bit frae…
The Corries As I come in by Auchindoun Just a wee bit frae…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Five Hand Reel:
A Man's a Man for a That Burns Robert Miscellaneous A Mans A Man For All That A MAN'S…
Ae Fond Kiss Ae fond kiss, and then we sever! Ae fareweil, alas, forev…
Bratach Bana a'mhic Iarla nam bratach bana a'mhic Iarla nam bratach bana …
The Bonnie Earl o' Moray Ye heilands and ye lowlands, O whaur hae ye been? They hae…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Dag Jakobsen
on Both Sides of the Forth
Both Sides of the Forth
##(from MacGintys Meal and Ale)##
This is nae a sang o' love, nor yet a sang o' money
Faith, it's naethin' very pitiful, it's naethin' very funny
But there's Hieland Scotch, Lowland Scotch, butterscotch and honey
If there's nane o' them for a' there's a mixture o' the three
And there's nae a word o' beef, brose, sowens, sauty bannocks
Na, nor pancakes, peas, eggs, for them wi' dainty stomachs
But it's a' aboot a meal and ale that happened at Balmunnocks
Aye, MacGinty's meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree
For they were howlin' in the kitchen like a caravan o' tinkies
Aye, some were playing ping-pong, tiddly widdly winkies
For up the howe, doon the howe, ye never saw such jinkies
As MacGinty's meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree
##(from Hey, Caa Thro)##
Up wi the carles o Dysart
An the lads o Buckhaven
An the kimmers o Largo
An the lasses o Leven
Hey, caa thro, caa thro
For we hae mickle ado
Hey, caa thro, caa thro
For we hae mickle ado
We hae tales tae tell
An we hae sangs tae sing
We hae pennies tae spend
An we hae pints tae bring
We'll live aa our days
An thaim that comes behin
Let thaim dae the like
An spend the gear thae win
##(from As I Gaed in by Fisherraw)##
As A gaed in by Fisherraw,
Musselburgh wis near me
A tuik aff ma musselpyock
An courtit wi ma dearie
Up stairs, doun stairs,
Timmer stairs fears me
A thocht it lang tae lie ma lane
Whan A'm sae near ma dearie
Had her apron bidden doun
The kirk wad ne'er hae kent it
But sin the talk's about the toun
Ma dear A cannae mend it
Bit ye maun tae the cutty stool
An A maun tae the pillar
That's the wey the puir folks dae
Because thae hae nae siller