MARTIN CARTHY : Sweet Wivelsfield 1974 | ZEROSOUNDS

Martin Carthy - Sweet Wivelsfield 1974 - Zerosounds

Martin Carthy – Sweet Wivelsfield (1974)

Zero G says: If the English folk revival of the 1960s had a single "father" and guiding spirit, then Martin Carthy was it. Carthy's influence transcends his abilities, formidable though those are -- apart from being one of the most talented acoustic guitarists, mandolinists, and general multi-instrumentalists working the folk clubs in the 1960s, he was also a powerful singer with no pretensions or affectations, and was an even more prodigious arranger and editor, with an excellent ear for traditional compositions. In particular, he was as much a scholar as a performer, and frequently went back to the notes and notebooks of folk song collectors such as Percy Grainger, scouring them for fragments that could be made whole in performance -- no "second hander," he used the earliest known transcriptions and recordings of many of the oldest folk songs known in England as his source, and worked from there.

By 1966, at the time he was cutting his first two albums, Carthy was already an influence on Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and by the end of the 1960s was de facto mentor to virtually every serious aspiring folk musician in England. At least three major English folk-rock bands, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, and the Albion Band, were formed either directly or indirectly with his help and influence.

First released in 1974 and produced by Ashley Hutchings, "Sweet Wivelsfield" is a classic Martin Carthy album and served as a benchmark recording for many other artists. The ominously chiming guitar chords of Trimdon Grange and the ingeniously borrowed melody of King Henry exemplify Carthy’s unceasing search for new ways to present old songs, a thread that runs all through this impressive recording.

Martin Carthy: vocals, guitar

Tracklist:

1 Shepherd o Shepherd
2 Billy Boy
3 Three Jolly Sneaksmen
4 Trimdon Grange
5 All of a Row
6 Skewbald
7 Mary Neal
8 King Henry
9 John Barleycorn
10 The Cottage in the Wood

This is really fascinating and from the godfather of British Folk and the greatest dynasty of Folklore classics and standards in the Waterson Carthy band and all his own works (this a man who plays guitar to his own (I will repeat HIS OWN) tuning of said instrument and keeping the British folklore of story telling and passing of tales and songs in the age old oral tradition!

 Enjoy! 

Highlights from TWILIGHTZONE's Forever Changing - Golden Age of ELEKTRA

So not much around this morning but the fifth disc in the excellent Golden Age Of Elektra Records from the TWILIGHTZONE

All 5 volumes available here

Download them all right NOW! 

Track listing and links to all five volumes posted here on the blog

I have said they feature an extraordinary range of music from the commonly well known Love, Eric Clapton (early thankfully) Judy Collins, Lovin' Spoonful, Tom Paxton, Paul Butterfield Blues Band to name but a few but also really obscure folks I had never heard of one of which I feature here because they cover a great Grandpa Jones classic 'Bald Headed End of The Broom' by the Dry City Scat Band (say what now?) which I first heard from the wonderful Waterson Carthy Band and, any excuse I know, but I play that here too! (Norma we miss you!)

But we start the day (week?) with an absolute storming classic from Tim Buckley and his version of Wayfaring Stranger and if you listen to one thing this week make it this . . . . . . . . .

Tim Buckley - Wayfaring Stranger

if that was too sad a start to the week how about this?!

The Dry City Scat Band (yes them!) - Bald headed End of The Broom

Waterson Carthy Band - Royal Forrester/Bald Headed End of The Broom

Norma Waterson dies . . . . . (82) Legendary heart of the royal family of folk dies from pneumonia

So sad to hear that British folk legend and heart of the Waterson/Carthy family clan of musicians died yesterday. . All our thoughts are with husband Martin Carthy, Eliza and all the children. I bought her solo albums alongside her contributions and central heart of the Waterson Carthy Band and had a good collection of Martin's and Eliza's solo works often with her contributions.

Her wonderful daughter Eliza Carthy wrote on Facebook: “Not much to say about such monumental sadness, but mam passed away yesterday afternoon, January 30th 2022.”

Norma had been recently hospitalised with pneumonia

Ain't No Sweet Man - live on Jools Holland

Raggle Taggle Gypsies - Stars In My Crown at Union Chapel

Paul Morley interviews Martin, Norma and Eliza Carthy

'A Bunch of Thyme'

 . . . .time with all its labours and time with all it's joys,

 . . . . . . . .

 . . . . . .time it is a precious thing . . . . . time brings all things too an end

Waterson Carthy at The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 2009

Recorded at the Liverpol Philharmonic Hall on Friday 2 October 2009, The Waterson Family are the first family of folk. A rare chance to see the whole family performing together including Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson, Ann Waterson, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Eleanor Waterson and Rachel Straw, Maria Gilhooley, Oliver Knight and Saul Rose.

Martin Carthy - More 80th Birthday Greetings - 21st May 2021

 Almost forgot in the brouhaha for Bobby's 80th that other folks have birthdays too and Bob would admire and send greetings to this man also I reckon who turned 80 on 21st May this year also.

With his wonderful daughter Eliza Carthy at the Folk Awards 2014

For more than 50 years Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it. Trailblazing musical partnerships with, amongst others, Steeleye Span, Dave Swarbrick and his award-winning wife (Norma Waterson) and daughter Eliza Carthy have resulted in more than 40 albums, but Martin has only recorded 10 solo albums, of which the much anticipated Waiting for Angels (Topic TSCD527) was the latest.

 

`Arguably the greatest English folk song performer, writer, collector and editor of them all’ 

Q Magazine

 A personal favourite . . . Raggle Taggle Gypsies 

BALD-HEADED END OF THE BROOM

Waterson/Carthy

Sound advice for a Friday . . . . . . . . or any day come to that . . . . . . reminds me of a Dubliners song 'Maids When You're Young Never Wed An Old Man' the moral tale is similar here . . . . . . although this one is advising to stay away from the opposite sex entirely!

Martin Carthy commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

The Bald-Headed End of the Broom is more widespread than I ever imagined. I had thought of it as piece of 1920s(ish) vaudeville, and remember Mike Seeger singing it with or without the New Lost City Ramblers, but lo and behold it turns up in Northern Ireland in the repertoire of a woman called Martha Gillen and recorded by Séamus Ennis and Sean O'Boyle [in 1954] with a totally different tune. We'd like to thank the Phoenix New Orleans Parade Band for their hard work on this. John Pashley sweated cobs when we asked his lot to do this and almost worried himself into a pile of old laundry about it. He needn't have worried as far as we're concerned. The song is prefaced by a morris tune from the Bampton tradition and called The Royal Forester.

Waterson:Carthy sing The Bald-Headed End of the Broom

Oh love it is a funny funny thing
It affects both young and old
Like a plate of burning ash
Many's the man that is sold
Make you feel like a fresh water eel
Cause your head to swell
You will lose your mind 'cause love is blind
You will empty your pocket as well

Chorus (after each verse):
Boys I say from the girls keep away
Give them lots of room
When you're wed they will hit you on the head
With the bald-headed end of the broom

When a man is in love with a pretty little girl
He will talk to her gentle as a dove
Give her all his money and he'll call her honey
And it's all for fun and love
When the money's all spent and you can't pay the rent
You'll find the story's true
That a mole in the arm's worth two in the leg
What's he going to do?

With a wife and fifteen half-starved kids
You will find that it is no fun
When the butcher comes around to collect his dues
With his dog and the double-barrelled gun
Screaming baby on each knee
Plaster on your nose
You'll find true love don't run very smooth
When you wear those pawnshop clothes

So now my boys take my advice
Don't be in any hurry to wed
You'll think you're in clover till the honeymoon is over
Then you'll wish you were dead
When the rents are high and the children cry
For want of hash to chaw
You'll find his son's gonna pick up his gun
And shoot his mother-in-law.

Oh love it is a funny funny thing
It affects both young and old
Like a plate of burning ash
Many's the man that is sold
Make you feel like a fresh water eel
Cause your head to swell
You will lose your mind 'cause love is blind
You will empty your pocket as well

Because  . . . . . . I love the work of Waterson - Carthy from Martin Carthy inventing his own tunings for the guitar and the research and extraordinary peerless vocal skills of Norma Waterson and her daughter Eliza Carthy they are en famille a cornerstone of all British songwriting folk roots



Norma from her album with a Paul Whiteman song - check the line up!!



and with Teddy Thompson


Eliza carries the torch of folk songs into the contemporary world also


a favourite arrangement of a favourite song



legendary song by Ewan MacColl (Salford born Jimmie  Miller)