Barn Dance or Square Dance?

One of the perils of buying used albums at thrift stores is that the sleeve of the album might not match the contents of the LP contained within. When you are paying 10¢ for the record, it isn’t really a big deal that somebody pulled the old switcheroo.

That’s what happened to me when I thought I was buying 16 Great Square Dance Tunes by Canada’s Top Fiddlers. I got it home an realized I had 16 songs, performed by Canadians. However, the album is called 16 Great Barn Dance Tunes.  If you know the technical difference between a Square Dance and a Barn Dance, please do share in the comments section.

Since I’ve been sharing Polish polkas with you, I suppose this is a good time to mention that Irish and Scots also enjoy polkas. Since their music heavily influences Canadian culture, it is not surprising that a barn dance album from Canada would include the Canal Street Polka by the Rodgers Brothers.

Joe Murphy performs the Liberty Two Step (two steps are not the exclusive province of Texas, you know)

Let’s hear a reel from Joe MacIsaac – since we are talking about Canada, the Snowshoer’s Reel is appropriate.