Discography

Gig List 2006/7   Booking the Band   Associated Callers   History of the Rats   Family Tree   Sounds

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'Good Folk In Kent' - Eron 004             Blossom, Slats, Ken Logan, Rick West. One of Ron Milner's many Eron label compilation albums. The Rats feature on four tracks: Side1:2 Bugle Horn, Farewell, Jackson's Morning Brush, Side1:7 Banish Misfortune, Side1:10 Boys of the Lough, Swallow's Tail, Rakish Paddy, Donal O'Donovan, Rejected Suitor, Side 2:5 Irish Rover

'Travelling Folk' - Eron 006             Blossom, Slats, Ken Logan, Rick West. One of Ron Milner's many Eron label compilation albums. The Rats feature on four tracks: Kentish Nutting Girl, Rambles of Kitty, Horn of the Hunter & Jackie Colman.

'Skinner's Rats' - Essar 001 Tape Cassette                     Blossom, Slats, Ken Logan, Rick West.      Side One: 1. The Old Arm Chair 2. Handsome Cabin Boy 3. Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy 4. Peggy Gordon 5. Nutting Girl 6. Rambles of Kitty Side Two: 1. Tramps And Hawkers 2. Haul Away Joe 3. Breakdown/Blanchland Races 4. Three Score And Ten 5. Silver Star* 6. Wassail* 7. Horn Of The Hunter 8. Jackie Coleman

*Tracks: Silver Star and Wassail:   Blossom, Barry and Pete Chopping. This album was recorded in Chris Brown's front room (he of the long defunct 'folk shop' at Farningham Folk Club) and has two tracks grafted onto the master tape from a studio in Alexandra Palace - 'Silver Star' and 'Wassail'. These two tracks were put on a double sided acetate and ran on the jukebox at The Pied Bull in Farningham for over three years!

'My Boys Can Play Anything' - Essar 003 Record and Tape Cassette             Blossom, Barry and Ian Petrie. Side One: 1. Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway (Rafferty) 2. Shanties By The Way (Thatcher) 3. Raglan Road (Kavannagh) 4. Claudy Banks (Trad Arr. Skinner's Rats) 5. Felton Lonnin (Trad Arr. Skinner's Rats) Side Two: 1. No Man's Land (Bogle) 2. Greenland Whale Fisheries (Trad Arr. Skinner's Rats) 3. John Barleycorn (Trad Arr. Skinners Rats) 4. Carrickfergus (Trad Arr. Skinners Rats 5. Hartlake Bridge (Currie)   Only a few were made with the original gatefold sleeve design as the machines at the printers couldn't handle the weight of board! The front cover was a cartoon by Ronald Searle and the back was a photomontage of the same subject with the Rats dressed up to look like those in the Searle cartoon. There are only known to be three such still in existence. There was an additional printed insert written by Alex Campbell (somewhere 'on the road' in Denmark) as he had promised to write the sleeve notes but could not get them to England for the production deadline. A few of these still exist also. The inside of the gatefold was designed by Liz - Blossom's wife - who produced a border of foliage all round the text which changed as do the seasons throughout the year. The lyrics to the words are printed on the inside of the gatefold but as an insert on later versions.

'SNATCH' (Sunday Night At The Coach House) - Essar 005 Tape Cassette   Side One:: Greenland Whale Fisheries - Skinner's Rats, The Cuckoo - String Whistle, Make it to the Woods - Geoff (Borneo) Beaumont, The Coal Miners Lament - Amazing Harry and the Teapots, Knocking Nellie - Ron Meads, Lord Franklin - Skinners Rats, Speed the Plough - Henry Piper and Friends, Side Two: The Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Doc, Don't Get Married Girls - Jo Findlay, The Old Dun Cow - Dave Bryant, Robin Head - Little Dave, The Winkle Song - Penny Gaff Band.

'Ngoma' - Essar 017 Tape Cassette

An album of 8 dances manufactured for the German barn dance clubs around the Taunus. Very popular in the mid eighties. Side One: 1. CUMBERLAND SQUARE EIGHT My Love Is But A Lassie Yet/Atholl Highlanders 2. BLAYDON RACES Blaydon Races/Fiery Clock Face 3. OXO REEL Duke Of Perth/Drumleys/Come Let Us Dance And Sing/The Lass 'O Pattie's Mill 4. I WANT TO BE NEAR YOU Aupres De Ma Blonde 5. BRIDGE OF ATHLONE Rakes Of Kildare Side Two: 1. MUFFIN MAN JIG Year's End Jig/I Like What I Am 2. PAT-A-CAKE POLKA Getting Upstairs 3. HONDON HILL Sweets Of May/Blackthorn Stick/Dingle Regatta 4.CIRCLE WALTZ My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean 5. CIRCULAR VIRGINIA REEL Bugle Horn/Farewell/Jackson's Morning Brush 6. CIRCASSIAN CIRCLE Nae Guid Luck/Charlie Hunter

Lineup as for 'My Boys Can Play Anything'. 'Ngoma' means tribal dancing, in Swahili. How appropriate. It sold very well to dance societies in Germany on the Rat's many tours.

'Noch Eins' - Essar 022 Tape Cassette

As the title suggests, another of the same!

'Mara Tatu' - Essar 024 Tape Cassette

More Swahili - this time, rather mundanely, it means 'third time', which, with this particular line-up was exactly what it was except for occasional guest appearances from Frank McConnell and his son Luke. Side One: 1. LUSH GREEN TURF Mursheen Durchin/Boys Of Wexford 2. AUNT HESSIE'S WHITE HORSE Aunt Hessie 3. GOLDEN SLIPPERS Golden Slippers/Capmptown Races/Seneka Square Dance 4. DUCKING THE OYSTER Flowers Of Edinburgh/Dorset Four Hand Reel Side Two: 5. DASH DIP DIVE Heugh's Of Balcary/'Til The Tide Comes In 6. NORTHERN LIGHTS Blackberry Quadrille 7. THE NINEPIN Off She Goes 8. BUTTERED PEAS Spanish Ladies

'Tails Out' - Essar 030 Recorded by Blossom and Barry accoustically, in a music room in 'Vinesgate' on Toys Hill. Sort of 'Skinner's Rats Unplugged'. Keith Rustling did the recording on a DAT machine and the sleeve cartoon was by Matthew Culverwell, Blossom's nephew. Side One: 1. Lord Inchiquin 2. My Lagan Love 3. Daddy Fox 4. The Telephone Song (Carter) 5. Banks Of The Roses 6. Tobin's Favourite Side Two: 1. Si Bheag Si Mhor 2. Tramps And Hawkers (Blossom Vocal) 3. Men 'O Worth (Fisher) 4. Outward And Homeward Bound 5. Irish Rover 6. Year's End Jig (Currie) & I Like What I Am

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