With Martin Carthy & Diz Disley
This album was first released in 1967 and was immediately recognised as being a recording landmark. Producer Joe Boyd's sleeve notes included this comment: 'This record should provide ample evidence of the fact that Dave Swarbrick is doing perhaps the finest job of reconciling traditional instrumental styles with modern ideas and technique'.

DAVE SWARBRICK Rags, Reels and Airs TSCD517

1 Spanish Ladies Medley
2 Hens March to the Middens
3 Bottom of the Punchbowl / The Swallow Tail / Marquis of Tullybardine
4 Barney Brallaghan / The New Widow Well Married / Paddy Be Aisy
5 Dill Pickles Rag
6 Gurty's Frolics
7 The Blackbird
8 The Cuckoo's Nest
9 Lietrum Fancy Medley
10 Porcupine Rag
11 Villafjord / Fourposter Bed
12 Staten Island / Jimmy Allen
13 The Salamanca Medley
14 The Teetotallers Medley
15 Lord Mayo
16 The Kid on the Mountain
17 Jolly Tinker / Rags & Tatters
18 Father Kelly / Skopje / Sligo Maid

Dave Swarbrick fiddle, mandolin, 8-string fiddle
Martin Carthy guitar
Diz Disley guitar

Topic Records is proud to present a lost classic, now found and restored. Rags, Reels & Airs was first released in 1967 and was immediately recognised as being a recording landmark. It soon went out of print and has been a highly coveted collector's item for over 25 years now.

Rags, Reels & Airs was produced by Joe Boyd, who introduced Dave Swarbrick to Fairport Convention - the result of which was Liege & Lief and a whole new era for folk and rock music.

Dave Swarbrick first came to prominence on the folk scene as as young instrumental virtuoso in the Ian Campbell Folk Group. By 1967, when the recording took place, Dave had already left them and had teamed up with Martin Carthy as a duo. While they featured hot instrumental tracks in their live sets and recordings, Dave's forte in the duo was sensitive accompaniment to Martin's vocals and guitar. On Rags, Reels & Airs the focus was solely on Dave and it finally gave him a chance to really stretch out and demonstrate his leading instrumental prowess. The result was a new era of English instrumental folk music and a new approach to folk music altogether. As Joe Boyd says in the liner notes, "...Dave Swarbrick is doing perhaps the finest job of reconciling traditional instrumental styles with modern ideas and technique".