By George Boyland
The Acoustic Guitars and their Hidden Well are first up. Being a sucker for acoustic guitars they could have called this tune 'My Mammy Didn't Love Me' and I'd still have jumped on board. As it happens, there is a certain atmosphere evocative of oases and wishing wells - and great playing.
Charley Patton's Dry Well Blues tells the sad tale of the demise of his prosperous life in Lula, Georgia, which was turned upside down and inside out by a prolonged drought. Now he ain't got no rain, no money, no hope. The corn and cotton is parched, the bayou and the wells are dry. To cap it all, the women are leaving town, leaving the men heartbroken and beyond solace.
I had to include this rock'n'pop classic, particularly seeing that I told you all on the main blog about dangling my feet in a healing well, which is what this song is about. This is Free at their peak, and Wishing Well displays their gifts as well as any of their songs.
I used to think of Huddie Ledbetter as Leadbelly. But now I know that he called himself 'Lead Belly'. Partly because of the pun on his name, and partly because of the bullets lodged in his guts. Twice jailed for killing the men who shot him, he did some serious time. I have recordings of him in Leavenworth being asked by the governor to sing him one of those n***** songs. When I first heard Lead Belly sing Ain't Going Down To The Well No More I assumed it was because he felt it was the kind of dangerous place the Klan might attack him. I was wrong, the song was about his lack of freedom to naturally refresh himself whilst in the jailhouse.
Owning up time; yes, I own a slew of their albums. However, I don't have much to say about The Pixies' Down To The Well except that it is definitely some kind of metaphor on the lines of 'Ding dong bell, pussy's in the well.' And I'll leave it at that.
Ah, Ken Boothe, extraordinarily handsome according to Linda. I hate that, I'm only in it for the music. I could look at female stars if I wanted too, but I like the ones who are brilliant singers or musicians, and I don't care how they look. Anyway, Ken Boothe's Let The Water Dry was remade recently with a raft of reggae stars. Great stuff, but I still prefer the original cut.
Tower Of Power's Only So Much Oil In The Ground told us decades ago what we are only learning now. Governments want to rip open national parks so that their political sponsors can make a fortune. Don't they care for the future of their grandchildren?
You know, maybe I shouldn't say this, I'll probably get in trouble for it, but there are certain people we shouldn't let near children. You know who they are. They are uniformed divvys and dickheads and pervs who apply for jobs that get them in charge of kids. I shall say no more . . . Martin Carthy's The Friar In The Well covers it.
Richie Havens, an icon of the 60s, carried so many people on the waves of his art. His song The Well, moves on tides we couldn't imagine until we heard his chord changes and the depths of his voice. He hears the flow of humanity, and the worries that trouble us. A unique talent.
10,000 Maniacs sang Poison In The Well. Was it about a time gone by? Not necessarily. People did that in the past to kill their neighbours. In fact, they still do it now in certain Middle Eastern countries.
This well appears to be the hole to hell, and The Wailing Souls seem to be guarding it. There's a Wailers vibe about them, but they carry it off very well. If they've got it right then we are safe enough. Personally, I've never met a devil or a demon, but I'd love to face one, health allowing.
I suppose water and wells matter more in the USA than they matter here in the UK. That's how they water their livestock, and themselves. Here it's mostly pissing down. We've always had more than enough. That's why I suppose wells were holy, cos they were there during the dry periods. Emmylou Harris's song wanted a Deeper Well, and don't we all?
Now we've got Kevin Ayers's Song From The Bottom Of A Well. I haven't a clue what he's on about, but he always did have a bit of an imagination. All I can say is that I like the sound of it, so goodbye.
Excavation A-List Playlist:
The Acoustic Guitars - Hidden Well
Charley Patton - Dry Well Blues
Free - Wishing Well
Lead Belly - Ain’t Going Down To The Well No More
Pixies - Down To The Well
Ken Boothe - Let The Water Dry
Tower Of Power - Only So Much Oil In The Ground
Martin Carthy - The Friar In The Well
Richie Havens - The Well
10,000 Maniacs - Poison In The Well
The Wailing Souls - Feel The Spirit
Emmylou Harris - Deeper Well
Kevin Ayers - Song From The Bottom Of A Well
Deep Bucket List B-List:
Mahalia Jackson - Jesus Met The Woman At The Well.
Chaka Khan - Never Miss The Water (ft. Meshell Ndegeocello
Peter Tosh - Till Your Well Runs Dry
The Band - The Well
Anne Briggs - Wishing Well
Jackie Leven - Defending Ancient Springs
The Grateful Dead - Greatest Story Ever Told
The Incredible String Band - Greatest Friend
Percy Mayfield - How Deep Is The Well
Primal Scream - Silent Spring
The Fall - The Littlest Rebel
The Levellers - The Cholera Well
John Fogerty - Weeping In The Promised Land.
Guru’s WIldcard Pick:
Lester Flatt And Earl Scruggs - The Beverly Hillbillies Theme
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Deep or wishful thinking? Songs about wells. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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