One shot: And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

2014-01-28
Categories: a head full of wishes music

One shot: And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Dean Wareham has a new Tumblr where he's posting a "song of the week", this weeks song is Eric Bolgle's And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda as performed by The Bushwackers.

This song has been covered by Shane McGowan, Joan Baez, and many others but the Bushwackers do the definitive version.

It may be definitive, but I'd take The Pogues version over it. The Bushwacker's version is beautiful and sad but The Pogues version adds a healthy dose of anger and it certainly affects me more because of it - although maybe the familiarity affects me.

The Pogues - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

I saw The Pogues a stack of times in the mid/late 80s and live it was even more moving, and not in any way made less powerful by the drunken rowdiness of crowd and band

The Bushwackers - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Joan Baez - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

June Tabor - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Eric Bogle - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Bonus: Another great Eric Bogle track that can bring me to tears is The Green Fields of France as covered by The Men They Couldn't Hang