Listen to Cooper, Nelson & Early

We feature some of our favorite recordings for you to listen to here. Hard to do since all of our recordings are our favorites. We're not calling this page, "Song of the Month" or something that would indicate we'll update this page often. But we do plan on changing it regularly, and we'll tell you when we do on our home page, which we hope you're checking often anyway.

One more thing: These are complete recordings, not snippets, in MP3 format. If you have a slow connection, they will take more time to download than snippets.

Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure

An Anglo-Irish song which we learned from Bert Jansch's album, The Ornament Tree.

Guitar: CGCGCD
Key: C

From the Phil Cooper & Margaret Nelson recording The Only Dance We Know.

An audience favorite, from the pen of Chicago songwriter Susan Urban. The verses, the bridge, and the break are set to three traditional polkas: The Pennsylvania Polka, The Beer Barrel Polka, and The Clarinet Polka, respectively.

Guitar: DADGAD, capo 5
Key: G

From the Phil Cooper & Margaret Nelson recording The Only Dance We Know.

"Long Lankin"

Long Lankin was a stone mason who got stiffed on his fees, went off vowing revenge, and came back and got it. Phil originally recorded this great gory ballad on the Angleworm Wiggle (Cooper & Nelson, 1985 – now out of print). It was a favorite of 3rd and 5th graders when he was a substitute teacher.

Guitar: DADGAD
Key: D

From the Phil Cooper & Margaret Nelson recording The Only Dance We Know.

"Bonnie Light Horseman"

A song from the Napoleonic Wars. It captures our three part harmony. We took this version based on the singing of the late Tony Rose.

From the Cooper, Nelson & Early recording Love & War.

"Salisbury Plain"

Phil says, "This is a song Kate sings rather freely. I had to pretty much match her phrasing with my guitar playing. We played this song at the ballad workshop at the Fox Valley Folk Festival (in 1997 or '98?). Louis Killen, the great a cappella English singer, was also participating. Now Louis is used to ballads being sung unaccompanied, and he said something to me about 'not being sure' about the 'flamenco riff' I used between a couple verses. Later, at a party at the Brighid and Patrick Malone's house in Wilmette, Illinois, Louis asked Kate and me to sing the song again. He pronounced himself satisfied with the 'flamenco riff.' I often am not swayed by what other people say about our arrangements, but I was very pleased to hear Louis say that. He is, in my opinion, one of the best singers of traditional material that you will hear anywhere."

From the Cooper, Nelson & Early recording Bright Gold.

"Donal Og/Far From Home"

"Donal Og" is an Irish Gaelic song tune (sung by Margaret originally on the CD Pretty Susan). "Far From Home" is a hornpipe common in celtic music sessions. Note Bob Holdsworth's shark fin bowed bass part.

From the Phil Cooper recording Northland Waltz.

"Lea Rig"

One of our favorite Robert Burns songs. The tune is stunning, the words are Burns at his suggestive best.

Phil says, "We recorded this song in one of the first sessions for Hearts Return. Margaret, Kate, and I picked up harpist Cynthia Shelhart in Indiana on a Friday afternoon. We had to drive like bats to Imlay, Michigan, late that night. Early next morning we drove to Fergus, Ontario, to producer Ken Brown's studio. Ken made some amazing suggestions about the arrangement of the song. He recorded the English horn part by Wendy Moore at a later date; we've never met Wendy. It was a fun road trip. After the session we were checked out by Ken and Julia's dog, Carlos, who went to make sure we were all tucked in at the end of the day. One of those fun road trips!"

Guitar: standard tuning, capo 3
Key: Bb

From the Cooper, Nelson & Early recording Hearts Return.

"Fare Thee Well My Dearest Dear"

Phil says, "I was inspired to learn the song from hearing Brighid Malone sing a different song on the same theme. I have heard a version by both Nic Jones and Shirley Collins, and came up with what I have."

From the Phil Cooper recording Written In Our Eyes — Ballads & Sketches, Vol. I.

"Middle Age Love"

A sex song for grownups. Margaret says she smiles a lot when she sings it, and so do her audiences.

Guitar: standard tuning, capo 3
Key: Bb

From the Margaret Nelson recording These Bones.

"Death of Queen Jane"

The best of the old ballads cut from scene to tremendous scene just like fine movies. "King Henry he has weep-ed, he's wrung his hands till they're sore/The Flower of England will never be more." Margaret says the Joan Baez' rendition if this song still influences her.

Guitar: DADGAD, capo 7
Key: A

From the Margaret Nelson recording These Bones.

"Young Hunting"

Phil says, "I first heard this song in 1982 at a show done by the late Tony Rose in Chicago. I couldn't remember the tune he used. I did manange to find the text he used, and later came up with this tune. Kate fitted a different text to the tune when we worked up this version."

Guitar: DADGAD
Key: D

From the Phil Cooper recording Written In Our Eyes — Ballads & Sketches, Vol. I..