Word Of Mouth by Vin Garbutt

I ordered an album by Vin Garbutt at the same time as ordering Jackie Leven. I was reminded of the pair of them when I was out on one of my walks. I thought it was high time I got acquainted with Vin’s music because I met him at the Village Pump festival a few years ago, but I did not actually see him perform. Vin had finished his set when I met him and asked him for a photo. He seemed a very friendly person, and I think he was amused at the slogan on my t-shirt which said, F**k Google, Ask Me!. As with Jackie, I did not know which album to get. In the end I opted for one called Word Of Mouth from 1999. I had heard that Vin was a very funny guy when he performed live with lots of humorous anecdotes between the songs. Therefore, I was expecting quite a light-hearted collection of songs. I found out different though. Apart from one instrumental set of tunes and one funny observational song, the songs on this album are mainly powerful political songs which show a huge social conscience.

Vin & Me

Vin came from Middlesborough and sings with a strong northern accent. Some people, especially from outside Britain might find some words quite difficult to understand. Luckily, I got used to his accent quite quickly. The first song is called City Of Angels. It is set in Thailand where the name of the Capital city Bangkok means ‘City of Angels’. It tells the sad story of a girl called Anchali who is forced into prostitution in order to support her family. Forty Thieves is another protest against injustice, namely fishermen being swindled out of a fair price for their catch. It was written by Dave Evardson who comes from Grimsby, so knows what he is talking about. While listening to this song a TV series set in the north called When The Boat Comes In came to mind. I think that is because of Vin’s accent. Dark Side Of The Moon is nothing to do with Pink Floyd. It is a powerful anti-war song. The war in question is the Falklands conflict. John You Have Gone is a very sad song which Vin wrote about a friend of his who died in tragic circumstances.

Wilf Mannion

The sombre mood is lifted then with three instrumental tunes Wilf Mannion’s Jig / The Wild Irishman / Jamie’s Christening. It shows Vin is a great whistle player. Football fans will know that Wilf Mannion was a legendary player. Sarajevo is next and was written by Stan Graham at the height of the war in Bosnia. The Truth Is Irresistible is a humorous song, but also has a message about preserving the things in our heritage that are important. Waits And Weeps is a song about the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster in the North Sea in 1988 in which 168 workers died.

Vin’s mother was Irish and there is quite an Irish feel to this album. I wonder if she came from Kilorglin, County Kerry because Beyond The Pale is the story of someone who leaves that town and goes to England in search of fame and fortune and ends up regretting it. The area around Dublin used to be known as The English Pale and so the rest of Ireland was ‘beyond the pale’. The Beggar’s Bridge is an historic tale set in the reign of good Queen Bess. Tom Ferris goes off to sea after lovely Agnes’s father calls him a beggar. He returns rich and builds Beggar’s Bridge which is still standing today, marries fair Agnes and becomes Lord Mayor of Hull. Time And Tide was written by Beth Lyall & John Crookes and tells the story of the building of The Richmond which was the last big ship to be built at Swan Hunters famous shipyard on the River Tyne.

Beggar's Bridge, Glaisdale.

In my opinion Vin has saved the best until last because my favourite song here is called The Troubles Of Erin. Vin wrote it when the IRA ceasefire was announced in 1994 and there was hope for peace. In the song Vin chronicles the troubles from 1969 and it is a passionate plea for a peaceful future for Ireland. Let us hope it continues. I wish I had seen Vin Garbutt perform live, but sadly he died in 2017. To me he is a political folk singer in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joe Hill, Victor Jara and many more. I hope his legend will grow by word of mouth, his music live on and hopefully be enjoyed by future generations of folk music fans.