Album Notes

The Rambling Sailors are:
Susan Csikos on Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin, Bodhran & Tambourine
Gregg Csikos on Vocals, Guitar & English Concertina

It is with great pleasure we present to you this, our second recording together. We've included some of our very newest songs, as well as some carefully chosen favorites we hope you'll enjoy. We want to thank all the wonderful fans who continue to come out and see us: without you, these songs would just be in a dusty book somewhere.
See you at the next show!
- Gregg and Susan

Pirate's Life
by Gregg Csikos
Matthew Trautwine on bass guitar and vocals, Geoffrey Brown on vocals
I wrote this one on my thirtieth birthday. I still rather dig it. We wanted to have a "ship full of pirates" feel to it, so Matthew, Geoffrey and I all sang each part of the 3-part back up twice, so there's 18 of us behind me & Susan.

Rambles of Spring
by Tommy Makem
Additional vocals & mandolin by Jim Hancock
My father used to play me this song all the time. No one played a phonograph like my old man.
OK, I can stop telling that joke now.

Whaur Will We Gang?
by Karine Polwart & Alan Reid
Delivered in the idiom in which it was written, or it wouldn't rhyme.
There's no verse about getting married on a Schooner in Maine, but we learned it anyway.

Pay Me My Money Down
Traditional
This one was a fan favorite at both the Wisconsin Renaissance Festival and the Carolina Renaissance Festival. We were informed by the Nickle Shakespeare Girls that it had better be on the new album. So here it is. I came up with the bass part as Susan was recording her part. Behold the glory of the studio! Three-part harmony with only two people!

Light Dragoon/Bright Shining Clear
Traditional
Jon Wiedyk turned us on to this spirited traditional song, a romantic ballad about getting your intended drunk & taking advantage of him.

Spanish Talcahuano Lady Girls
Traditional chanteys fuzed by the Rambling Sailors
Spanish Ladies and Talcahuano Girls were already pretty similar songs, so squooshing them together wasn't a huge stretch. I like waching people who think they know the song try to sing along.

Old Maui
Traditional
I think of this number as the quintessential sea song; it's got sailors and whalers, rough seas, freezing winds, unrelenting hardship, all relieved by the joy that never falls short of its promise - shore leave.

Rambling Sailor
Traditional
Additional vocals & mandolin by Jim Hancock
We volunteered to play music for the Morris Dancers at the Carolina Faire and so we worked up the morris tune version of this song. Had fun tacking it on the end, but it's unlikely I'll be able to play guitar and concertina together while performing live.
This is one of my favorite songs by Gregg, an interpretation of his own that takes the words of the song to a better place.

Fiddler's Green
Traditional
Eight years since I recorded it last - nope, still not tired of it. Hope you like the concertina.:)
Susan claims to be playing a squeeze box in this song, but she isn't.
Yeah, and a fiddle in Rambles of Spring. I'm just pathological.
I love you anyway.

Bessie Quinn
by Susan Csikos
Spring of '91 or so I thought up this tune while I was driving. Not long after I wrote the words around my concept of sailors, years before I ever thought of going to sea. I didn't realize people would love it so much. Steve Juhan told me once, "At one time or another, I have been every man in that song." This version, which I think is the best ever done, is dedicated to Steve. And yes, this is the song Gregg was singing when I first saw him.
I heard it from Craig of Farrington at Bristol and Ohio faires in 2000 (I think.) He learned it from Susan at Georgia. He likes to take credit for introducing us!

Blowed and Torn
by Tom Wisner
Additional vocals by Jim Hancock
We first heard this one from Brad with the Pyrates Royale when we went out to dinner after their guest weekend at the Carolina Renaissance Festival. Fell in love with it, worked it up while driving to Florida the next weekend.
Thanks, Brad!

Patrick Street
Traditional
Susan vocals, Susan guitar, Susan bodhran: oh yeah, it's all about me.:)

Morning Glory
Traditional
We used to sing this one with the Corsairs as our warm up every day. I think the rest of the guys got pretty tired of it, but I still love it!
This one brought back memories of Caroline Carr singing this standing on the table at the Georgia pub sing. Good times.

The Night Pat Murphy Died
by Johnny Burke
Once in awhile singers get adamant about a song. I think so many people don't do this one justice; they enunciate it poorly, or do only parts. We delivered this one straight, with joy, because some songs are best when you get out of their way.

Beggars to God
by Bob Franke
Mandolin by Jim Hancock
We danced to Jim's version of this song at our wedding, it was a wonderful treat to be able to have him join us for our recording of it.


CD Cover art by The Anvil Conspiracy
Engineering by Absolute Music
Mastered at Griffin Studios