The Naughty Step

Of Mountains, Rodents and Ghost-like Ladies...

All tracks were conceived and recorded from Spring 2008 to Autumn 2009. They largely reflect people I've known , places I played in as a child and events drawn largely, though not entirely  from childhood. As my first efforts at recording , production values are erratic and some of these tunes are earmarrked for re-recording.... but if you like them all well and good. Thanks for viewing...

1. The Beanman cometh...                              

Memories of bean harvesters visiting a farm in W. Lancs where I lived as a child... the anticipation and build up was really exciting and they looked soooo big....

2. Ratty's return

This was written to celebrate the brief return of a water vole to the reedy canal that runs down the bottom of our garden. They're scarce these days but I remember them well from my childhood. All we got was a brief 'plop' and a wake, but it was a real heartening sight...

3. Fine Jane

Deep in the Badlands of West Lancs 'twixt Formby and the Sleepy villages of Barton and Haskayne there is a lot of rich farmland which, once upon a time, was the sea. The flat, rich earth there has to be pumped and drained to prevent flooding and has a large network of ditches and drainage channels, the main one of which is the Fine Jane. It's a haven for wildlife and was a great play area for adventurous sprogs. I've no idea why it was so called and I think that to find out would remove a little mystery from life. There again, there might be a good tale in it...

4. Adam's boat

Our friend Adam's parents had a boat moored on the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It was an odd affair, the hull was inverted and it had a paddle on the back like one expects to see on the Mississippi steam boats (only smaller, of course). It became a landmark on the canal for fishermen and the like and although it is now gone to the boatyard in the sky, that area is still known as Adam's boat.

5. Lady of the Doorways

Named after Ethel. I never knew her, I just remember a glimpsed figure in purple who used to flit silently between the shop doorways and bus shelters on Lord Street in Southport. It was always a shock to encounter het ghost- like figure on a night when we'd been to the pool room or the cinema. She seemed ageless, restless but always left me feeling sad for her too... I still wonder to this day what her story was...

6. Malhamdale

A tribute to one of my favourite places, Malham, in Yorkshire. I didn't learn much at school but I remember nearly everything of a field trip I took there. I have returned many times since and it still fills me with awe and makes me feel part of a larger picture...

It's a tune of two parts. The first being the gentle, yet somewhat stoic tranquility of Malham beck through Janet's Foss. The second is the rugged drama and sheer majesty of Gordale scar and the uplands leading round the Tarn and on to Malham Cove...

7. Scavengers

A tune dedicated to the little chaps and chapettes who occasionally take residence under our shed and can sometimes be seen sharing the bird bread, much to the delight of the children. They become almost part of the family and we view the garden as a our favourite room. As long as their larger cousins keep away...

8. Yellow Room

A modern take on the 'princess in the tower' tradition. This is part social exclusion, part fairy tale. The title is based on a recurring nightmare I used to have as a child.....

Thanks to Frank, an avid reader, even at six..