The Watersons

One of the greatest vocal groups out of the English folk revival, The Watersons employed stark melodic scales along with stunning polyphonic harmonies, and outstanding song selection. Mike, Lal and Norma Waterson hailed from Yorkshire, and were originally joined by their cousin John Harrison, performing as an a capella quartet. The group's career spans from the early 1960s to the present day, where they are joined by fellow traditionalist, Martin Carthy, who married Norma Waterson in 1972. (Their daughter, Eliza, is a contemporary folk phenomenon in her own right...) Over the years the Watersons have often expanded their sound beyond it's original all-vocals roots, yet there is still a defining, almost-harsh starkness which lies at the heart of their music.

Discography

Definitive Collection

God Bless The Master Dido Bendigo The Welcome Sailor Emmanuel Idumea The Still And Silent Ocean Fathom The Bowl Fare Thee Well Cold Winter The Holmfirth Anthem Stormy Winds Rosebuds In June Bellman Sleep On Beloved Swansea Town The Beggar Man Amazing Grace The Old Church Yard Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy Malpas Wassail

Drawn from The Watersons' celebrated recordings for Topic over the past 40 years, this is the first single CD overview of their amazing career and includes tracks as a group, as soloists and in collaboration with others including Waterson:Carthy and Blue Murder. Interest in the group has been renewed with the release of the highly acclaimed 4-CD/1-DVD box set "A Mighty River Of Song". Although their joyous and powerful vocal harmony is firmly and unapologetically of the folk tradition, their influence has spread far and wide across the world of modern acoustic music. This budget price collection is the perfect introduction to the many facets of this important musical force.

Green Fields

Stormy Winds Sedgefield Fair Fare Thee Well, Cold Winter The Wensleydale Lad Young Banker While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping The Prickle-Holly Bush We'll All Go A-Hunting Today The Unfortunate Lass The Brisk Lad Hares In the Old Plantation Rosebuds In June The Furze Field I Went to Market Three Pretty Maiden The Lincolnshire Shepherd The Brave Ploughboy

The Watersons, Mike, Martin, Lal and Norma, appear on the cover of this CD in the wools, tweeds and herringbones of the English country worker. They sing traditional songs, many dating back 150 years or more, of rosebuds, shepherds, ploughboys, maidens, hares, sheepstealers fox hunting and draught horses being replaced by machines. Most of these are story songs, songs with morals, heroes and villians, laments, workingman's blues songs­country hymns passed along from generation to generation. A sampling of the 17 song titles tells the story: "Stormy Winds," "Sedgefield Fair," "Fare Thee Well, Cold Winter," "The Wensleydale Lad," "While Gameskeepers Lie Sleeping," "The Unfortunate Lass," "The Brisk Lad," "Hares in the Old Plantation," and "The Brave Ploughboy." The Watersons have been doing this for a long time and they are as authentic as they come. A tasty slice of English country pie from a very old recipe!

6901 CD $14.98

Early Years

Boston Harbour The Greenland Whale Fishery Three Score and Ten The Broom of Cowdenknowes King Arthur's Servants Rap Her to Bank Dido Bendigo The North Country Maid Brave Wolfe The Jolly Wagoners I Am a Rover Fathom the Bowl The Thirty-Foot Trailer The Holmfirth Anthem Twanky-Dillo The White Hare of Howden All for me Grog The Poacher's Fate The Tour of the Dales Willy Went to Westerdale I'anson's Racehorse The Ploughboy The White Cockade Ye Noble Spectators Stow Brow The Wanton Life of Castlegate The Whitby Lad

The Watersons, based in Hull on the British coast, have been singing authentic folk songs together since 1964. The word "Genuine" comes to mind listening to the Watersons, not just because of the blue-collar feel of their singing and their English working-class dress and appearance, but that in combination with the incredible old folk songs they uncover like treasures in an attic, and record for us. In the extensive liner notes we can read about the history of a song, for instance, "The Greenland Whale Fishery," and learn the various times the music appeared in print from 1725 to 1864, while listening to "one of the great sea songs" very much as it must have sounded at the time. There are 27 relatively short all a cappella songs here, from "Boston Harbour" to "The Whitby Lad." Some of our favorites would be: "Three Score and Ten," "The North Country Maid," "The Jolly Waggoners," "I Am A Rover," "The Poacher's Fate," "The Ploughboy," and "The Wanton Wife of Castlegate." This is the real thing, rich-textured English folk that we certainly would have heard no other way, sung beautifully and with feeling!

6748 CD $14.98

Frost and Fire

Here We Come A-Wassailing The Derby Ram Jolly Old Hawk Pace-Egging Song Seven Virgins (The Leaves Of Life) The Holly Bear A Berry Hal-An-Tow Earlsdon Sword Dance Song John Barleycorn Harvest Song: We Gets Up In The Morn Souling Song Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand Herod And The Cock Wassail Song God Bless The Master The Bitter Withy Emmanuel Idumea Sound, Sound Your Instruments Of Joy Come All Ye Faithful Christians Green Fields

Continuing in the English folk tradition of their previous work, the Watersons offer a musical calendar to accompany the changing of the seasons. Somber ballads ("John Barleycorn") country dances ("Earlsdon Sword Dance Song") religious and holiday songs ("Bitter Withy," sung hauntingly by Mike Waterson) commerate the plowing and the harvest, and the cycles of birth and death. The chromatic, dissonant melody of "Souling Song" is particularly distinctive. This CD improves with each listen.

8214 CD $14.98

For Pence and Spicy Ale

Country Life Swarthfell Rocks Barney Chickens In The Garden Adieu Adieu Apple Tree Wassail King Pharim The Good Old Way Grace Darling Three Day Millionaire Swinton May song T Stands For Thomas Welcome Sailor Malpas Wassail The Bonny Lighthorseman Tam Lyn Sheepshearing Seven Yellow Gypsies Beggar Man Swansea Town Bellman

This lovely album, almost entirely a cappella, was first released by The Watersons in 1975 and marked their return to the British Folk Scene. It is considered by many to be their finest recording and includes the participation of Martin Carthy along side Mike, Lal and Norma Waterson. This reissue also includes some later recordings from the various Waterson solo projects. Selections include "Country Life," "Apple Tree Wassail" and "Swinton May Song."

8213 CD $14.98

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