Vorkosigan Filk!
Half of me still hates you as the source of all my pains,
But years ago you marked me and the name you gave remains.
- Mark's Song, by Echo's Children
... I got these from lunatunes the other week, and have just got round to listening to them. They're made of win, as only VORKOSIGAN FILK can possibly be. I thought a good handful of people on my flist would appreciate them, so here's the link to the zip, and a track list.
The Butterbug Blues and Other Songs.
All apart from the ones with the bold titles are live, and so not especially well recorded, quiet, full of people trying to sing along badly and coughing, etc. But the ones I’ve included (there were more that you can’t actually hear) are worth it.
If you can’t be bothered with the live ones, you should download the bolded ones anyway. They are lovely, and audible, which is a bonus.
Tracks
1. Barrayaran Girls (Maureen O'Brien)
… to the tune of California Girls. VERY quiet, and very mucking-about-breaking-the-ice.
I wish they’d want to be Barrayaran Girls…
2. Count Lord Vorvlaceslav (Margaret Middleton)
Good King Wenceslas! As Vor!
3. Marching Koudelkas (Maureen O'Brien)
Yes. Waltzing Matilda. This one is brilliant, but also goes very quiet during the verses, which is a shame, because it rewards attention.
4. The Siege of Silver Moon (Maureen O'Brien)
They start by getting this one wrong, which is rather sweet. It’s a Barrayaran legend, I think (I can’t remember it being mentioned, but I wouldn’t be surprised), to a tune I don’t know…
5. In the Council (Gary Ehrlich)
To the tune of… In the Navy. It’s funny, though, and about the Council scene from A Civil Campaign, and includes the line And Miles finally gets the girl, so it stays.
6. Crossin' Myths Some (Maureen O'Brien)
This is a Miles/Honor Harrington crossover. It took some googling random words and hard listening for me to make that out because I have no idea who Honor Harrington is, but I thought I’d put in here anyway in case it makes someone else happy.
7. Two Falls out of Three (Echo's Children)
Pretty, about Miles pacing and working out how to catch Haroche, in Memory.
It’s worth mentioning I’ve just discovered that all the Echo’s Children lyrics and the sheet music are on their website. Eeeeee. Here’s this one. The ending is brilliant.
8. Alys' Lullabye (Echo's Children)
So lovely.
I speak reassurance, while under my eye
Reacting to crises three decades gone by
Your face shows again the man you were then
Breaking my heart with the pain you deny.
9. The Butterbug Blues (Echo's Children)
REALLY worth listening to. I mean really. Also, you can find the lyrics to this one here, and they are very entertaining even if you don’t take the song, which you so should. It’s tragic that Gregor doesn’t have a verse. Beautiful as Mark’s Song and Alys’ Lullabye are, this is the one I have on repeat!
10. Defenestrate (Maureen O'Brien)
A very silly cover of a pop song I can’t quite put my finger on the name of, about chucking council members out of windows. Ha.
11. Ivan's Song (Bob Etsy)
Well it’s not my fault, I had no responsibility,
I mean it Miles, this time I won’t go…
Oh god poor Ivan.
12. Empress Laisa (Maureen O'Brien)
‘The obligatory cheesy 50’s song’ <= the singer’s own description. Fits.
13. Small Lady (Maureen O'Brien)
Aww. Awwwwww.
Small lady, Raina, I kneel by your grave;
Your coffin so tiny; your mother so brave.
14. Barrayaran Roses (Maureen O'Brien)
Pretty. Less literal, but from looking at this lady’s website I think it’s another one about being a mutant (‘It’s teterogenic!!!’) on Barrayar.
15. Dendarii Recruiters (Maureen O'Brien)
Yes, of Admiral Naismith, strange stories are told.
Some say he's not young, but rejuved from old.
Some call him crazy, and some call him lord;
But while he commands us, we'll never be bored.
16. Brothers in Arms (Callie Hills)
This is ridiculously quiet, but I leave it in because it’s a genius recap-in-rhyme of Brothers in Arms, and includes a pun on the words ‘that’s gonna leave a mark’ and the ‘what did you do with your baby brother’…
17. The Sort of Dinner Party (Gary Ehrlich)
Apparently this is a filk-tune known to the people there, but I don’t know it…
Would someone kindly tell me what went wrong?
18. Falling Free (Tom Smith)
I have still not read Falling Free, bizzarely, but this is a really gorgeous Quaddie anthem.
I got one to meet the darkness,
One to greet the dawn,
One to hold you close to me
And one for hanging on.
19. Mark's Song (Echo's Children)
See above. OH I love Mark, and I love Miles, and I love this song.
Edited to add: Echo's Children also wrote a song called Oh Garibaldi As someone who has only quite recently discovered Babylon 5, and spent seasons 1-3 periodically going oh, Garibaldi!, I just have to say... YES.
But years ago you marked me and the name you gave remains.
- Mark's Song, by Echo's Children
... I got these from lunatunes the other week, and have just got round to listening to them. They're made of win, as only VORKOSIGAN FILK can possibly be. I thought a good handful of people on my flist would appreciate them, so here's the link to the zip, and a track list.
The Butterbug Blues and Other Songs.
All apart from the ones with the bold titles are live, and so not especially well recorded, quiet, full of people trying to sing along badly and coughing, etc. But the ones I’ve included (there were more that you can’t actually hear) are worth it.
If you can’t be bothered with the live ones, you should download the bolded ones anyway. They are lovely, and audible, which is a bonus.
Tracks
1. Barrayaran Girls (Maureen O'Brien)
… to the tune of California Girls. VERY quiet, and very mucking-about-breaking-the-ice.
I wish they’d want to be Barrayaran Girls…
2. Count Lord Vorvlaceslav (Margaret Middleton)
Good King Wenceslas! As Vor!
3. Marching Koudelkas (Maureen O'Brien)
Yes. Waltzing Matilda. This one is brilliant, but also goes very quiet during the verses, which is a shame, because it rewards attention.
4. The Siege of Silver Moon (Maureen O'Brien)
They start by getting this one wrong, which is rather sweet. It’s a Barrayaran legend, I think (I can’t remember it being mentioned, but I wouldn’t be surprised), to a tune I don’t know…
5. In the Council (Gary Ehrlich)
To the tune of… In the Navy. It’s funny, though, and about the Council scene from A Civil Campaign, and includes the line And Miles finally gets the girl, so it stays.
6. Crossin' Myths Some (Maureen O'Brien)
This is a Miles/Honor Harrington crossover. It took some googling random words and hard listening for me to make that out because I have no idea who Honor Harrington is, but I thought I’d put in here anyway in case it makes someone else happy.
7. Two Falls out of Three (Echo's Children)
Pretty, about Miles pacing and working out how to catch Haroche, in Memory.
It’s worth mentioning I’ve just discovered that all the Echo’s Children lyrics and the sheet music are on their website. Eeeeee. Here’s this one. The ending is brilliant.
8. Alys' Lullabye (Echo's Children)
So lovely.
I speak reassurance, while under my eye
Reacting to crises three decades gone by
Your face shows again the man you were then
Breaking my heart with the pain you deny.
9. The Butterbug Blues (Echo's Children)
REALLY worth listening to. I mean really. Also, you can find the lyrics to this one here, and they are very entertaining even if you don’t take the song, which you so should. It’s tragic that Gregor doesn’t have a verse. Beautiful as Mark’s Song and Alys’ Lullabye are, this is the one I have on repeat!
10. Defenestrate (Maureen O'Brien)
A very silly cover of a pop song I can’t quite put my finger on the name of, about chucking council members out of windows. Ha.
11. Ivan's Song (Bob Etsy)
Well it’s not my fault, I had no responsibility,
I mean it Miles, this time I won’t go…
Oh god poor Ivan.
12. Empress Laisa (Maureen O'Brien)
‘The obligatory cheesy 50’s song’ <= the singer’s own description. Fits.
13. Small Lady (Maureen O'Brien)
Aww. Awwwwww.
Small lady, Raina, I kneel by your grave;
Your coffin so tiny; your mother so brave.
14. Barrayaran Roses (Maureen O'Brien)
Pretty. Less literal, but from looking at this lady’s website I think it’s another one about being a mutant (‘It’s teterogenic!!!’) on Barrayar.
15. Dendarii Recruiters (Maureen O'Brien)
Yes, of Admiral Naismith, strange stories are told.
Some say he's not young, but rejuved from old.
Some call him crazy, and some call him lord;
But while he commands us, we'll never be bored.
16. Brothers in Arms (Callie Hills)
This is ridiculously quiet, but I leave it in because it’s a genius recap-in-rhyme of Brothers in Arms, and includes a pun on the words ‘that’s gonna leave a mark’ and the ‘what did you do with your baby brother’…
17. The Sort of Dinner Party (Gary Ehrlich)
Apparently this is a filk-tune known to the people there, but I don’t know it…
Would someone kindly tell me what went wrong?
18. Falling Free (Tom Smith)
I have still not read Falling Free, bizzarely, but this is a really gorgeous Quaddie anthem.
I got one to meet the darkness,
One to greet the dawn,
One to hold you close to me
And one for hanging on.
19. Mark's Song (Echo's Children)
See above. OH I love Mark, and I love Miles, and I love this song.
Edited to add: Echo's Children also wrote a song called Oh Garibaldi As someone who has only quite recently discovered Babylon 5, and spent seasons 1-3 periodically going oh, Garibaldi!, I just have to say... YES.