"An English Heartbeat"
New download album
Released 22 April 2012
UK Tour News
2012 dates announced
Songs For Six Strings
New 6-CD box set
Launched 27 September 2011
Jenny's Books
New book due in 2012
Songs For Six Strings
New Poll for
boxed set tracks
"Ralph McTell"
A poem by
Joe Cushnan
Backstage with James Taylor 2003
To Visit the
OFFICIAL
Ralph McTell
WEB SITE
Click on the
Album Above
A Ralph McTell Site
The Front Page
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New download album: "An English Heartbeat - London and England 2012"
Welcome to this Ralph McTell Site
Please use the menu at the top of each page to find your way around.
On this site you will find Articles, Reviews and Interviews on Ralph McTell and his music, and a comprehensive Discography. Please feel free to leave a message on the Guestbook. You can also use this to ask any questions on Ralph's music or recordings - if we don't know the answer we probably know a man who does!
If you have any articles, interviews or reviews from the press, perhaps you could let us know. We are particularly looking for articles from publications such as Melody Maker, Sounds, New Musical Express and Folk Roots, along with any stories from the national and local press.
If you would like to add your own Fans' Review of a Ralph McTell concert you have attended, or of a favourite McTell album, please email it to us and we will add it to the appropriate page.
We try to keep up to date on Tour News where possible. With this in mind, we send out short email updates from time to time, with news of radio appearances, tour amendments etc. A number of recent emails 'bounced', so we need to update our email list - if you would like to receive our updates, please let us know your current email address. Thanks.
Andy Langran and John Beresford
Email Email
Stan and Ollie dance on this page, because we know Ralph is a big fan!
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"An English Heartbeat - London and England 2012"
Ralph has compiled a download only album of five songs on the theme of London and England. "An English Heartbeat" is available from
7 digital and other dowload sites. Ralph recorded a new version of 'England' for this release.
Track list:
England - New recording __________________________________________________________ ‘Songs For Six Strings’ Poll 2012
Ralph’s on-going ‘Songs for Six Strings’ series started in 1996 with the release of a CD ‘recorded live straight from the desk’, somewhat intriguingly called ‘Songs for Six Strings Volume 2’. The mystery was solved the following year with the reissue on CD of Ralph’s first ‘live’ LP from 1976, ‘Ralph Albert & Sydney’, as ‘Songs for Six Strings Volume 1’.
The title was also used for Roger Brown’s book of tab and notation transcriptions of Ralph’s songs and tunes, which was first published in 2002.
Ralph is now working on a boxed set of six CDs of six live performances, each CD representing one of the six strings of Ralph’s guitar. The first CD, ‘E1’, representing the first, E, string, was released in September 2011, with the second, ‘B2’, due for release later this year. As with E1, B2 will comprise 6 live takes from recent concert performances, and will be followed in due course by G3, D4, A5 and, finally, E6.
The 2001 Songs for Six Strings Poll
In 2001 we ran a website poll to find which songs folk would like to feature on future ‘Songs for Six Strings’ releases. The poll resulted in 50 titles being suggested, many with specific concert performances in mind. Remarkably, nearly half of the suggested titles have now appeared on audio or video releases – for details, see Songs for Six Strings Poll 2001 – The Results (…we’re only 11 years late with the announcement!)
New Poll for Boxed Set Tracks
The question now is – which songs would you like Ralph to include on the remaining five ‘Songs For Six Strings’ CDs? Maybe you have fond memories of a specific performance from Ralph’s 2010/2011 ‘Somewhere Down the Road’ tours. Or perhaps you’d like Ralph to revisit an old favourite during a forthcoming concert.
If you Email your suggestions we will add them to the Songs For Six Strings Poll 2012 page.
The first suggestions are in. We can’t promise anything, but you might find the definitive live version of your favourite McTell song featured on a future CD - or even DVD!
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Ralph McTell
A small theatre, bare stage,
On you come from the side
You sit with your guitar and play
I feel those shivers and throat lumps
You take me by the hand and lead me,
I am tangled in your six strings.
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Ralph's New Tenor Guitar
John Renbourn wrote the foreword to the first edition of Roger Brown’s tablature book of Ralph’s songs, entitled 'Songs for Six Strings'. He mentioned that Ralph owned “Martins and Gibsons through to guitars by some of the best contemporary makers - Tony Zemaitis, Tom Mates and David Oddy.” Indeed, Roger Brown illustrated the art of string tying à la Ralph McTell using photographs of his own Oddy guitar. Alas, Ralph did not in fact own an Oddy guitar.
In 1993, I saw Show of Hands at the Limelight in Aylesbury when they supported Ralph on a massive UK tour. I had never before heard a mandocello nor a cuatro and was fascinated by these instruments and the way Steve and Phil used them for both contemporary and traditional songs. These instruments were made by a certain David Oddy in Exeter.
David acquired his wood work skills from his father and made furniture when he worked for British Telecom. His first effort at making a guitar came from a magazine article. He says the result was awful! He was soon commissioned to build a mandocello and has gone on to make guitars, mandolins and cuatros. He has made instruments for Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, as well as other well known musicians such as Mike Silver and Chris Wood.
David has always loved Ralph’s music and guitar playing. So, when I heard that Ralph was playing in Exeter this year, I invited David and his wife Myra to join me. David kindly made me a guitar in 2001. My parents had just died and I wanted a guitar to mark the passing of this time. David has subsequently made me a beautiful cuatro which is always much admired in our folk club - that is, before I play it!
David decided it was time to put the record straight and ensure Ralph got his Oddy guitar. So, a beautiful David Oddy tenor guitar was presented to Ralph before the Exeter gig.
It was, as always, a fabulous evening and Ralph acknowledged his generous gift and the presence of the master luthier in the audience.
I have no doubt that in a while a new McTell composition will ring from the strings of this guitar and we will marvel at the genius which is David Oddy and Ralph McTell.
Mike Cohen __________________________________________________________ "Songs For Six Strings"
Ralph launched his new "Songs For Six Strings" boxed set on the first night of his 2011 Somewhere Down the Road (continued) tour. Eventually there will be six CDs, one for each guitar string, and each with live recordings of six McTell songs. The first CD, representing the '1st - E' string, is on sale for £6 from
Ralph's website. It is not available in the shops.
Track list:
Walk into the morning __________________________________________________________ "Don't Think Twice It's Alright"
Ralph has compiled a download only album in celebration of Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday. "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" is available from
iTunes, Amazon and other dowload sites. Three of the songs were newly-recorded for this release. The title track featured on BBC Radio 2's "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - A Folk Tribute".
Track list:
Don't Think Twice (It's Alright) - New recording When you download the tracks, you will find that three of them have the wrong name. Track 2 is labelled 'Ramona', track 3 'Gates of Eden' and track 4 'Girl From The North Country Fair'. You can safely rename them in your iTunes or music folder.
__________________________________________________________ Ralph's current studio CD is on sale in Ralph's webshop.
Track list:
The London Apprentice __________________________________________________________ Ralph McTell "meets and greets" after the gig at Bury on 6 November 2010
Standing, from left: Angie, Kevin, Ralph, John. David, Liz, Mike, Keith, Joan. __________________________________________________________ Ralph McTell - Backstage with James Taylor at the Brighton Centre, March 31st, 2003
My thanks to Iconic Music for sharing this image with me. From left to right the shot features Ralph, Jacqui McShee (Pentangle), James Taylor, Dave Pegg (Fairport) and Gerry Conway (Fairport and Pentangle).
Please note this picture is © Rob Beattie. Please do not reproduce this image anywhere else without permission from Rob. Check out Rob's Web Site. __________________________________________________________
Streeets of London - The 'Hit' single version from 1974
Barges - From 'Not Till Tomorrow'
Red and Gold - From 'The Journey'
The London Apprentice - From 'Somewhere Down the Road'
by Joe Cushnan
a brilliant spotlight playing on a stool
behind a microphone.
and I feel like the only one applauding.
songs to touch an audience in the dark.
without embarrassment.
and who am I to argue with such things.
Joe Cushnan has been a Ralph McTell fan for over 30 years. This poem is from his daily poetry blog Dropped The Moon, which is well worth a visit.
November 2011.
The London apprentice
Small voice calling
A feather fell
Cannabis Creek
When they were young
Gates of Eden - From 'Gates of Eden' CD
Girl From the North Country - From 'Travelling Man' CD (Live recording)
To Ramona - From 'Gates of Eden' CD
I Want You - New recording
One Too Many Mornings - New recording
Reverend Thunder (Blind Faith)
Walk into the Morning
Around the Wild Cape Horn
The Ghost of Robert Johnson
Rosalinda
The Break of the Union
Cannabis Creek
One Sunny Day (Aujourd'hui le Ciel est Bleu)
Moon June and a Cajun Tune
A Kiss in the Rain
The Girl on the Jersey Ferry
Lantern Slides
Somewhere Down the Road
Sitting: Jenny, Michaela.
