Move Records Australian classical & art music, est. 1968

The Fair Dinkum Matilda

Songs of the Australian bush, including the first ever recording of the original Craigielea setting of Waltzing Matilda. Another disc of bush songs? You bet – and brought to life by one of Australia’s most respected folk singers, Denis Gibbons.

Denis Gibbons vocals
Brian Fitzgerald bass, synthesiser, drums, piano, recorder, harmonica, vocals
Andrew Pendlebury guitars
Ade Monsbourgh recorder
Alan Hawking autoharp, guitar, vocals
Lorraine Milne percussion
Charlie Gauld guitar
Bill Ackfield whistling
Henry Lawson composer
Banjo Paterson composer
Christina Macpherson composer
Charlie Flower composer
Richard Magoffin composer
Lorraine Milne arranger

Features the original version of Banjo Paterson’s Waltzing Matilda (as well as the one we all know and love) and many more of our finest bush songs – 23 tracks in all, including Click Go the Shears, Wallaby Stew, The Wild Colonial Boy, The Drover’s Dream and The Broken Down Squatter.

The songs were recorded for a Radio Australia programme, Understanding Australian Folk Songs. Alongside the familiar bush repertoire sit three settings of Henry Lawson and three versions of Waltzing Matilda, among them the first recording of the original Craigielea setting.

Reviews

songs, familiar and obscure, come evocatively to life in the hands of a premier folkie.

on this entertaining album ... grog shanties, road junctions and waterholes are brought to life by one of Australia’s most respected folk singers

Gibbons sings with a gentle simplicity, concentrating on the meaning of the words.

Artist

Photograph of Denis Gibbons

Denis Gibbons

Denis Gibons has sung Australian folk songs from Simpson's Gap in Central Australia to Government House in Victoria. In 1982 he received an Advance Australia Award, for ‘his outstanding contribution to Australian Folk Music’.

Audio preview

Audio preview tracks for this release; use the play buttons or row links to play.

Tracks

  1. Click Go the Shears 3:34
  2. The Drover’s Dream 2:18
  3. Reedy River Henry Lawson 3:09
  4. Waltzing Matilda [original version] Banjo Paterson Christina Macpherson 2:48
  5. Another Fall of Rain 3:02
  6. The Old Bullock Dray 3:20
  7. Denis O’Reilly 2:02
  8. Wallaby Stew 2:33
  9. Lazy Harry’s 3:24
  10. The Bush Girl Henry Lawson 3:57
  11. Billy of Tea 2:04
  12. The Billygoat Overland Banjo Paterson 2:47
  13. Botany Bay 3:17
  14. The Broken Down Squatter Charlie Flower 3:59
  15. The Old Palmer Song 2:10
  16. The Gum Tree Canoe 3:00
  17. The Wild Colonial Boy 3:13
  18. Melody of the Rain Richard Magoffin 2:46
  19. Lime Juice Tub 2:53
  20. Andy’s Gone with Cattle Henry Lawson 2:33
  21. South Australia 2:25
  22. Waltzing Matilda Banjo Paterson

  23. [traditional version] 2:31
  24. [Queensland version] 3:20

Performers

Composers

Photograph of Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson was an Australian poet and short-story writer whose bush verse has long been sung and set to music. His words catch the hard beauty and melancholy of life inland.

Photograph of Banjo Paterson

Banjo Paterson

Banjo Paterson (1864–1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author whose ballads helped define colonial Australian identity. His 1895 song Waltzing Matilda is widely regarded as Australia’s unofficial national anthem.

No photograph: Lorraine Milne

Lorraine Milne

Lorraine Milne is a composer of songs for young children. Her pieces sit among nursery rhymes and early-childhood repertoire, often marking ordinary moments in a child’s day.

Where to listen

The Fair Dinkum Matilda is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

The Fair Dinkum Matilda is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.

Product details

Catalogue number
MD 3175
List price
$25.00 AUD
Total playing time
67 minutes 5 seconds
Contributor
Martin Wright
Recording Engineer
Peter Thorp
Mixing Engineer
Peter Thorp
Mastering Engineer
Jim Atkins
Release date
Musical work
copyright
© 1995 Move Records
Sound recording
copyright
℗ 1995 Move Records
Categories
Australian, Folk music, Vocal
Genres
Folk, Vocal & Opera
Barcode
EAN 9314574317527

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