We’re calling it “Foul Folk,”  a bit of a play on the large number of chicken songs in the Folk library, as well as those having to do with bodily functions.

During the Folk Show on Sunday April 4 we’ll spend part of the show with the kinds of songs we usually try to avoid:  Songs that make you say, “Wow.  Why would anyone record that!?”  The criteria for nominations are pretty wide open—if you think a song is folky and awful,  it’s worth nominating!

Can’t stand bagpipes?  Suggest a really prime example of what makes your ears hurt..

Does Middle School humor make you roll your eyes?  Lots to choose from there….

How about a scratchy old-time fiddle?  Oh, boy, we’re in dangerous territory…. 

Have you had enough of sappy love songs? Sea Shanties,  Sing-a-longs?

What about Tuvan throat singing?  Wait a sec,  that’s some great stuff!

Don’t worry,  we’re not going to broadcast the winners in their entirety,  just enough to give a flavor of what makes them “winners.”    And we’ll give the songs their due—in almost every case there’s at least a kernel of quality that makes it worth listening to…..Mostly though,  we’ll have some fun with folk.

To nominate something,  either an exact song by a specific artist,  or just a general type of song, just post a reply to this post.

If you want intolerable, I can’t stand “The Marvelous Toy” by Tom Paxton.  That song makes me turn off the radio quicker than “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro.

I hear ya, washtub,  even though I’ve been guilty of playing “Marv Toy” in the past.  I’m going to have to find the absolute cheesiest versions of it (only play a quick excerpt,  I promise!).  I like Bobby G’s “Honey”  as the gold standard of “intolerable”!

When I heard about this program I knew I had to voice my opinion, except that I don’t know the name of the song or the artist or the CD…. The song is about a cat, which I think the singer received for a gift, I think on Christmas. It is by a male singer-songwriter. At some point, and all too frequently, it goes meow, meow, meow, meow….  does this ring a bell with anyone? The first time I heard the song (on the Folk Show) I thought it was kind of cute, but the second time I realized it was like sandpaper to my ears, and then it’s possible I heard it a third time at which time I turned off the radio. I can’t find it in the playlists, but I’m almost positive I heard it during the holidays.

Perhaps this is a song from the album Meowy Christmas by Jingle Cats?

Enjoy!
Steve

The annoying cat song is more than likely from Trout Fishing in America on their Merry Fishes CD. The song is totally annoying and now thanks to this stupid request is going off in my head non stop worse than my tinnitus.
I played it because we have some cat fans that I thought might enjoy it. I played the Christmas Puppy song by Robert Bobby right after it to soothe everyone.

Paul Rutter

There’s so many chicken songs by the Hillbilly Gypsies who opened at the WPSU studio and the Hillbillies also.
Paul Rutter

I think that Paul’s guess about the cat song is right, and I’m guilty of playing it last December! My husband also thought it was a bit…repetitive…

If so, it’s called “The Eleven Cats of Christmas” by Trout Fishing in America…the album is Merry Fishes to All. Hope that helps. Meow!

By the way, speaking of “foul”, I played “Chickens” by Crowfish the other night, and then immediately got to read a promo for the State Theatre event “Praise the Egg!” a musical apparently about the life of chickens. I couldn’t figure out why my husband was cracking up and he had to point out the improbability of the two chicken references back-to-back…

Yes, The Eleven Cats of Christmas! Thanks everybody, and here’s to hoping I never hear it again, at least not in its entirety. 

But if you don’t hear it in its entirety, you’ll not hear about the adventures of a cat named Nicodemus and his friends.

Hi!  Had a hard time logging in.  I think I’ve got it now.

My nominations:  #1, by a well-known artist would have to be “Daughters” by Greg Brown from his Iowa Waltz recording.  The first time I heard it (on Prairie Home Companion in the 1980’s I think) I didn’t know Greg’s music and I almost barfed.  No melody here, nauseating lyrics, cute and intolerable!  The future writer of such gems as “Dream Cafe” and “The Cheapest Kind” is kind of like Dylan in that he doesn’t seem to know when he’s written a clunker, and should have just kept this one in the vault!  Not for national consumption.

My next pick would be one that host Marillyn Rae Byer used to play constantly of the great Boston Folk Station WUMB.  It is from a Vermont songwriter named James Mee, and it’s called “Cloud Dreaming Away”.  Myabe the host was just trying to be kind to fellow New Englanders, getting their “talent” out there—but this is everything a folk song shouldn’t be: precious, predictable, and thoroughly amateurish down to the insipid melody.  The album (I wouldn’t have known this for either one of these stinkers, so I did some research last week) is called “Songs from a Vermont Life, Volume I”.  Gasp—dare we hope for a Volume 2???  I sampled some of the other songs on the collection, and none of them were gems, either.

If you’re looking for a traditional song, I would have to go with “Michael Row the Boat Shore”.  Possibly this is worse than Kum Ba Yah.  I actually love gospel music—l love lyrics that are meaningful, love hearing about the traditions.  But what inspiration can we get from “Sister helped to trim the sails”, or “Michael’s Boat is a Gospel Boat”?  As far as inspiration, it falls a bit short.  But it sure was a big hit!

I could go on, but I’d better stop.  Nice to be on board with you, WPSU.  Thanks for the Folk Show.

Mel, the show today was much less offensive than I dreamed it would be. In fact, you even played a few of my favorites.  Still, it offered an eclectic assortment of mildly annoying songs and I look forward to the next segment!

As for “Daughters” by Greg Brown, OMG, that is one of my all-time favorites.