Important albums from the folk and roots music history by Marius Roeting.
In 1979 the album De Razende bol by singer Astrid Nijgh was released. She had a hit in 1973 with a controversial song about a prostitute. Ik doe wat ik doe was even banned from Dutch radio and TV stations for a while. With De Razende bol (The Burning Ball), Nijgh made a foray into folk music, which was popular at the time. With some freedom, you could call De Razende bol a concept album. Not the very first Dutch-language folk concept album, but within the Dutch folk world it was something special. The theme is songs about the sea. It was Astrid’s former husband Lennaert Nijgh who assembled a collection of songs about the sea, consisting of surviving Dutch songs, but also (at the time) more contemporary work. Nijgh rewrote and adapted the texts. It was supplemented by his translations of British folk songs. The Amsterdam folk group Crackerhash, which had already recorded three albums with arrangements of British folk songs, was asked to provide the musical accompaniment. Ex-Exception keyboardist Rick van der Linden also provided musical support on organ and keyboard. The album was not a sales hit, but the combined cooperation of Astrid Nijgh with her sultry, warm deep voice, the light-footed playing of Crackerhash and the lyrics of Lennaert Nijgh make the album more than a footnote in the roots music history.
Astrid Nijgh
Crackerhash
Astrid Nijgh e.a – Nijghse vrouwen – Nekka 201601 1. Ik Doe Wat Ik Doe (L.Nijgh/A. Nijgh) 3:24
Crackerhash – The Elfin Knight – Universe HOT 1-04
2. The Huntmans Song (trad) 1:27
3. Doodle Let Me Go (trad) 1:29
4. John The Bone – The Black Joke (trad) 1:54
Astrid Nijgh – De razende bol – WEA Nederland 58035
5. De Batavia – Wilhelmusdans 4:22
6. Het Fransche gaatje 2:56
7. Vaarwel mijn zoetelief 4:25
8. Het maatje van de schipper 2:49
9. Jan Bot – Het Hoorns hop 3:30
10. De beerenburg – De weduwe Joustra 3:50
11. De gulden hoorn 4:04
12. De scholen haring 3:59
13. De Markerwaardballade 3:26
14. De razende bol 3:55
15. Jan cupido 3:29
16. Welterusten goeienacht – De drommedaris 3:31
Astrid Nijgh e.a – Nijghse vrouwen – Nekka 201601
17. Astrid Nijgh – Malle Babbe 4:30
Track 1: Lennaert Nijgh/Astrid Nijgh
Track 2,3 and 4: traditional, arrangement Crackerhash
Track 5 t/m 11en 15: traditional, editing Lennaert Nijgh, Crackerhash
Track 12: Ewan MacColl, editing Lennaert Nijgh
Track 13 J. de Leur, W. van Hemert, editing Lennaert Nijgh
Tracks 14: A.R. Renagle, editing Lennaert Nijgh
Track 16: M. Heron/ W.A. Mozart, editing Lennaert Nijgh
Track 17: Lennaert Nijgh
