Song Book
"Get this song book. It belongs in your library. It belongs on your music stand, because it's more than a collection of songs ..." (Victory Music Reviews)
Self-Propelled Music. ISBN: 978-0-981033-0-8
Purchase this (US$ 17.50) as a Digital
Download from Bandcamp.
You will
receive a PDF of the songbook, plus a songclips of
each of the 43 songs included.
Having decided that 1000 sold copies was
sufficient - it appears Tom was mistaken! The physical iteration
of his songbook was retired in 2023. However, it is now
available in PDF format; so it can be viewed and/or printed, and
used on devices such as cell/mobile phones, tablets, and
computers. All of Tom's compositions are there; including
(thanks once again to the wonderful Ed Wilson) the musical
notation to the latest song,
'A Shanty for Singin'. (Several purchasers report
success in having their local print-shop replicating the
printed version.)
Worth the Singin' encompasses the music and lyrics to all of Tom's original songs, plus those songs which have either his lyrics or melodies; in whole or in part; totalling 43 songs and one lonely little poem.
The package is 113 pages, in 8.5” X 11” format, to accommodate text fonts which should not tax aging eyesight; and (insofar as possible) with musical notation and lyric of each piece on facing pages. The high-quality wire binding enables the book to conveniently lie flat, and the thicker pages and covers facilitate it standing upright where required. Those covers are laminated and glossy, the better to withstand the depredations of slopping tankards and beer-soaked pub tables.
Each song is accompanied by some drivel (let's call it "commentary", shall we?), mostly pertaining to the relevant piece, at least loosely — even if the relevance may not be immediately apparent to the casual glance!
The musical notations were achieved using Finale PrintMusic and the assistance of a 'bona fide' professionally qualified musician...Ed Wilson. Tom's intention has been to make them clear and (for the most part) unsophisticated. You'll find simple chord notations where appropriate.
For the un-tutored musician (like Tom!) each book came with a
professionally manufactured (43 tracks) CD containing at least
the first verse and chorus of each song. This has now been
superseded with a digital version.
Supplementary pages detail some information and comment in respect of 53 other songs, to be heard on Tom's recordings — the traditional, the borrowed, and the stolen.
