Martin Carthy

Martin Carthy

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Martin Carthy had already made a name for himself in the English folk revival when he made his first album. The songs--all traditional except Ewan MacColl's "Springhill Mine Disaster"--come from all the British Isles. What distinguishes him is his voice; Carthy doesn't just sing, he inhabits a song, making it fresh and relevant. The guitar playing, though good, hasn't yet become distinctive. Probably the most notable track here is "Scarborough Fair," which Paul Simon borrowed, virtually intact, to help make Simon and Garfunkel into household names. It's still the sound of a young man, a scholar of the traditions, who has yet to really find himself, but who obviously has something very special to offer the world. --Chris Nickson

Tracks:

Cape Cod Girls - Baby Gramps
Mingulay Boat Song - Richard Thompson
My Son John - John C. Reilly
Fire Down Below - Nick Cave
Turkish Revelry - Loudon Wainwright III
Bully In The Alley - The Old Prunes
The Cruel Ship's Captain - Bryan Ferry
Dead Horse - Robin Holcomb
Spansih Ladies - Bill Frisell
High Barbary - Joseph Arthur
Haul Away Joe - Mark Anthony Thompson
Dan Dan - David Thomas
Blood Red Roses - Sting
Sally Brown - Teddy Thompson
Lowlands Away - Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle
Baltimore Whores - Gavin Friday
Rolling Sea - Eliza McCarthy
Haul On The Bowline - Bob Neuwirth
Dying Sailor to His Shipmates - Bono
Bonnie Portmore - Lucinda Williams
The Mermaid - Martin Carthy & the UK Group
Shenandoah - Richard Greene & Jack Shit
The Cry Of Man - Mary Margaret O'Hara

Tracks:

Boney - Jack Shit
Good Ship Venus - Loudon Wainwright III
Long Time Ago -White Magic
Pinery Boy - Nick Cave
Lowlands Low - Bryan Ferry w/Antony
One Spring Morning - Akron/Family
Hog Eye Man - Martin Carthy & Family
The Fiddler/A Drop Of Nelson's Blood - Ricky Jay & Richard Greene
Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold - Andrea Corr
Fathom The Bowl - John C. Reilly
Drunken Sailor - Dave Thomas
Farewell Nancy - Ed Harcourt
Hanging Johnny - Stan Ridgway
Old Man of The Sea - Baby Gramps
Greenland Whale Fisheries - Van Dyke Parks
Shallow Brown - Sting
The Grey Funnel Line - Jolie Holland
A Drop of Nelson's Blood - Jarvis Cocker
Leave Her Johnny - Lou Reed
Little Boy Billy - Ralph Steadman

Amazon.com

Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski hatched the idea for Rogue's Gallery while filming "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"--that idea being to cast genteel rock superstars like Bono, Lou Reed, Bryan Ferry, Andre Corr, and Sting to reinterpret gritty seafaring standards for an exhaustive 43-track double-disc set produced by Hal Wilner. Throw in a bunch of credible folk stars (Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson), their offspring (Rufus, Teddy) and a string of other curious characters (Jarvis Cocker, Antony) and what results is one of the strangest compilations in recent memory, if not exactly the most historically authentic or, well, digestible. Nick Cave embraces the role just a little too hard on "Fire Down Below," while Ferry can't help but sound like he's singing for the cast of "The Love Boat," but cut through the chaff and there is some real bootie here: Bono's "Dying Sailor to His Shipmates," Jolie Holland's "The Grey Funnel Line" and "Boney" by a mysterious tramp called Jack Sh**, which must be some kind of anagram for Johnny Depp. --Aidin Vaziri

Album Description

While working on the two "Pirates Of The Carribean" films, Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski became fascinated with the lore and fable of the pirates and sailors who ran the high seas. Enter legendary producer Hal Wilner, who brings his knack for matching maverick musicians with extraordinary material. Artists on this double disc set include Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and many more. "Rogue's Gallery" offers a look at the hardships, the horrors, the lusts and lurid depths, and the crystal beauty that led men to the sea in ships for hundreds of years.

Customer Reviews:

Fun--but not great.......2007-07-03

What a concept--a pirate song co-produced by Verbinski and Depp inspired by the "Pirates of the Carribean" series. It should be great and in places, it is. The big question I came away with is--who is Jack Sh**? That one definitely has me guessing.

I won't belabor the song content or the production value. I think the most notable reviews have got that down pat, although I'm not marking down as far as they have because I'm giving points for originality being a fan of Spike Jones and some other truly demented people.

One thing to note: this is not a CD you'd buy if you were looking for something to amuse your kids. Some of the content is very bawdy and Mom and Dad would have some serious 'splaining to do to the little pirates. There's both some language and some situations that are more twisted than a Hangman's knot.

aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhh!.......2007-06-09

Some of the songs are quite good(mellow)others a little odd. Its what I expected, but not what you would expect.

Disappointment would be an understatement.......2007-06-04

It is not unusual to find sea shanties performed by not the greatest musicians or singers in the world. It is not unusual to find shanties sung by people who have difficulty keeping perfect pitch, or tempo. But at least they understand what the music is about, and sing it with heart and enthusiasm and a love for the genre.

Hal Wilner should stick to whatever genre it is that made him know enough to be approached by labels, because he clearly has no understanding, and less enthusiasm for *this* genre.

If you love lively music from the maritime era, you can only be bitterly disappointed by this collection. Out of 43 tracks, I found 15 that were salvageable. Sort of.

I've already tossed this onto the pile to go to the resale shop. It wasn't worthy the cost of shipping.

Zzz..........2007-04-04

I have to admit that I have no idea what kinds of music the pirates sang aboard their ships. I know it probably wasn't "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," but I expected something different than this. I think my expectations have been colored by groups like The Pogues, Flogging Molly, The Tossers, and the Real McKenzies. I have an annual Pirate Party and I was hoping to find some good music here to get people in the mood for a treasure hunt or pirate liar's dice, but instead, the music on this CD is something I'd put on if the party went on too long and I wanted to encourage people to leave. Some of it is actually awful and the rest is too slow and plodding to inject much energy into any situation.

I appreciate what was attempted here (contemporary artists paying homage to sea chanteys in the spirit of our romanticized version of the pirate era) but it just doesn't really work. The effect is similar to what would be achieved if the London Philharmonic Orchestra attempted to play rap "music" with Luciano Pavarotti rhymin' while flashing gang signs.

another set of hopes are smashed.......2007-03-29

the selection of titles attracted me. The quality of the arrangements, the voices, and the music---are all quite bad.

It is VERY sad that these same titles, could not have been produced for quality. They sound like a nightmare.

Average customer rating:

folk hero

Waiting for Angels
Martin Carthy
Manufacturer: Topic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sweet Warrior
Shearwater
Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand
Sweet Somewhere Bound
Stars in My Crown

ASIN: B0002XB93M
Release Date: 2004-09-20

Tracks:

Foggy Dew
Bonny Woodhall
James Hatley
Young Morgan
Royal Lament
Ship to Old England Came
Waiting for Angels
Bold General Wolfe
Bloody Fields of Flanders/MacGregor of Rora
Harry Lime Theme
Famous Flower of Serving Men

Album Details

The First Solo Album in Six Years from the Single Most Important Figure on the British Folk Scene, with Brilliant Production by his Daughter Eliza.

Customer Reviews:

folk hero.......2004-12-20

Martin Carthy, a towering figure in the British folk revival for four decades, is little known in the United States, which speaks poorly of us Americans. Admired for his musical gifts and loved for his generous personality, Carthy has kept his vision true, remaining an interpreter of (mostly) English song and instrumental traditions. He has happily resisted the temptation to write and perform only his own material, though one has no doubt that if he had become (like so many of his contemporaries) a singer-songwriter, he would have been a very good one. His knowledge of ballads in particular is probably unequaled among living revivalists. In addition, he married into the legendary folksinging Waterson family (his wife is Norma Waterson), and their daughter Eliza Carthy is now releasing well-received albums of traditional (and, on occasion, pop) music. Martin, Norma, and Eliza, with Tim Van Eyken, perform and record as Waterson:Carthy.

On his latest solo outing Carthy provides a set of well-chosen traditional ballads, plus a fine instrumental of "The Harry Lime Theme" (better known as "The Third Man Theme") and the original instrumental and title tune. The three numbers produced by Oliver Knight are guitar pieces which highlight Carthy's rich and unmistakable style. The rest, produced by daughter Eliza and Ben Ivitsky, are set to bolder, more modern -- though refreshingly unbombastic -- arrangements. These arrangements give this appealing album a distinctive flavor. Waiting for Angels reminds us yet again how very lucky we are to have the likes of Martin Carthy among us.

Average customer rating:

Straws in the Wind
Martin Carthy , and Dave Swarbrick
Manufacturer: Topic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man
Game Set Match
Five Hand Reel/For A' That/Earl O'moray
The Black Swan
Sweet Warrior

ASIN: B000HDR9EU
Release Date: 2006-09-11

Tracks:

Death Of Queen Jane
Ship In Distress
Whalewatchers
When I Was A Little Boy
Bride's March From Unst-True Lover's Lament-Lord Inchiquin
Royal Oak
Treadmill Song
Unfortunate Tailor
Bold Benjamin
Mrs Marriott
Jacky Tar
Mermaid
Lord Thomas And Fair Eleanor
My Heart's In New South Wales

Album Details

Two Legends of English Fok Music Once Again Join Forces Together for an Album that Still Produces the Sparks that Began Emitting When They First Came Together Over 40 Years Ago. "Straws in the Wind" Brings Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick Back Together Again in 2006 after Fourteen Years Recording Fourteen Great Performances of Ageless Traditional Songs and Tunes. Both Need No Introduction to Longtime Fans of the English Folk Scene. Their Experienced Approach to their Art Lacks None of the Fervour of their Early Days and Brings an Intensity and Maturity Born from Many Years Living with the Music that is an Integral Part of their Beings.

Average customer rating:

A Martin Carthy Primer

Collection
Martin Carthy
Manufacturer: Topic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Celtic | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

International | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Definitive Collection
The Best of Bert Jansch
Norma Waterson
The Black Swan
West

ASIN: B00000JKE7
Release Date: 1999-07-27

Tracks:

The Trees They Do Grow High
Lord Franklin
The Bloody Gardener
Poor Murdered Woman
Seven Yellow Gypsies
The Bold Poachers
Scarborough Fair
Lowlands Of Holland
Davy Lowston
Streets Of Forbes
Polly On The Shore
Cold Haily Windy Night

Customer Reviews:

A Martin Carthy Primer.......2002-02-28

This UK compilation shouldn't be confused with the Green Linnet released "Martin Carthy Collection". The track selection is completely different. This cd concentrates largely on Carthy's earliest solo recordings from the late 1960's and includes "Scarborough Fair", a song familiar to most listeners. The quality of the songs and of Carthy's musicianship here is astounding. Carthy approaches the traditional folksong with just the right mixture of reverence and passion. What comes through on every track is pure timeless emotion. These are beautiful songs lovingly delivered. Carthy never lets these songs sound the least bit stiff or arcane, he breathes life into them. This makes for one truly remarkable cd.

Average customer rating:

The Godfather of Traditional British Folk Music!

Definitive Collection
Martin Carthy
Manufacturer: Highpoint UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Collection
Straws in the Wind

ASIN: B00008GEQ3
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Tracks:

Jolly Tinker
The Lofty Tall Ship
The Sheepstealer
Old Tom Of Oxford
The Trimdon Grange Explosion
Sovay
Prince Heathen
Rackabello
The Bows Of London
The Banks Of The Nile
The Dominion Of The Sword
The Bedmaking
Rags And Tatters/An Moinfeuir
Jack Rowland
The Maid And The Palmer

Customer Reviews:

The Godfather of Traditional British Folk Music!.......2007-06-03

Martin Carthy MBE may not be a household name around the world but I hope he is in his native Britain. His contributions to British folk music has earned him and his wife, Norma Waterson, not only the British honor of MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) although separately, they have earned the nickname as the Godparents of British Folk Music. While other folk musicians and singers might sing about modern contemporary issues. Martin, Norma, and their family group which includes their daughter Eliza and a son-in-law known as Waterson Carthy. Regardless, Martin Carthy and the Waterson Carthy group sing classic British ballads that might be lost on us. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of British and Scottish folk ballads that we haven't heard of. I have to thank Martin Carthy MBE for singing and interpreting the British ballads for us. If I teach British ballads, I can have my students hear them as they should have been heard rather than reading the poems in their chairs. It's nice to have Martin Carthy sing for us and he's not for everybody maybe die hard folk fans, Anglophiles who would love to hear what the British would have heard in another time, and for those of us langauge arts instructors to teach ballads. Carthy makes these ballads fun to listen too. His interpretations are faithful to the British folk traditions and to British history if anything else.

Average customer rating:

Shearwater
Martin Carthy
Manufacturer: Castle Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Waiting for Angels
Penguin Eggs
Front Parlour Ballads
RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson

ASIN: B0009Y26MM
Release Date: 2005-07-19

Tracks:

I Was a Young Man
Banks of Green Willow
Handsome Polly-O
Outlandish Knight
He Called for a Candle
John Blunt
Lord Randall
William Taylor
Famous Flowers of Serving Man
Betsy Bell and Mary Gray
False Lover Won Back [#][*]
King Henry [#][*]
Trindon Grange [#][*]

Album Description

Martin Carthy recorded "Shearwater" in 1971 for the British Pegasus label after just having left Steeleye Span. In addition to Carthy's driving and powerful guitar playing, the album also features his first experiments with overdubbing. Passionate love, jealousy, greed anger, the desire for revenge and remorse are all apparent in the songs, which also features Carthy's quintessential and epic "Famous Flower Of Serving Men" as well as a guest vocal performance by Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior on "Betsy Bell And Mary Gray."

Tracks:

High Germany
The Trees They Do Grow High
Sovay
Ye Mariners All
The Queen Of Hearts
Broomfield Hill
Springhill Mine Disaster
Scarborough Fair
Lovely Joan
The Barley And The Rye
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
The Two Magicians
The Handsome Cabin Boy
And A Begging I Will Go

Amazon.com

Martin Carthy had already made a name for himself in the English folk revival when he made his first album. The songs--all traditional except Ewan MacColl's "Springhill Mine Disaster"--come from all the British Isles. What distinguishes him is his voice; Carthy doesn't just sing, he inhabits a song, making it fresh and relevant. The guitar playing, though good, hasn't yet become distinctive. Probably the most notable track here is "Scarborough Fair," which Paul Simon borrowed, virtually intact, to help make Simon and Garfunkel into household names. It's still the sound of a young man, a scholar of the traditions, who has yet to really find himself, but who obviously has something very special to offer the world. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

A nice debut from a future trad legend.......2001-10-27

On his first album, the young Martin Carthy shows some of the same callow declarativenes of the American folkies; he hasn't quite moved into an Eric Anderson smoothness; perhaps he's closer to Tom Paxton on the suave-o-meter. A very serious, but very talented, young man. True to form, the material is all traditional (except for one Ewan MacColl song), and it's the same stark style he would continue to hone and perfect over the decades, only here it may be a little more accessible since he hasn't gotten the craggy old-man vibe down pat. Dave Swarbrick plays violin on several tunes, but hasn't picked up equal billing with Carthy on the album cover.

The Carthy Chronicles: A Journey Through the Folk Revival

Average customer rating:

A fitting tribute to a great folk traditionalist
The Godfather of English Folk

The Carthy Chronicles: A Journey Through the Folk Revival
Martin Carthy
Manufacturer: Free Reed Imports
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Revival | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Folk | Box Sets | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Celtic | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

International | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music

New Age | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson
Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man
Silly Sisters
Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys

ASIN: B00005ALHN
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Tracks:

Scarborough Fair
Byker Hill - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Cold, Haily, Windy Night [Live] - Dave Swarbrick
Skewbald [Live] - Martin Carthy
Creeping Jane [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Old Horse [Live] - Martin Carthy, Howard (Jimmy) Evans, John Kirkpatrick, Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson
Question of Sport [Live][#] - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Lovely Joan [Live][#] - Martin Carthy, Howard (Jimmy) Evans, John Kirkpatrick
Maid and the Palmer - Brass Monkey
Begging Song [Live] - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
I Was a Young Man - Martin Carthy
Prince Heathen [#] - Martin Carthy
Prickle Holly Bush [Live][#] - Martin Carthy, Lal Waterson, Mike Waterson, Norma Waterson, Rachel Waterson
Lord Franklin - Martin Carthy
Lemady/Arise and Pick a Posy - The Albion Band
Famous Flower of Serving Men - Martin Carthy
Glorishears - Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick

Tracks:

New St. George - The Albion Band
Carthy's March/The Lemon Tree - Band of Hope
I Haven't Told Her, She Hasn't Told Me - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
My Girl [Live] - Martin Carthy, Rory and Alex McEwen, Lisa Turner
Boys of Bedlam - Steeleye Span
Oh, Had I a Golden Thread - Three City Four
Anc Song (Azicatal) [Live] - Blue Murder
Wimoweh [Live][Excerpt]
Young Banker - The Watersons
Postman's Knock - Martin Carthy, Ashley Hutchings
Constant Billy - Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick
Lakes of Cold Flynn [Live] - Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick
Irish Washerwoman/Ash Plant - Martin Carthy
Arthur McBride - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Royal Forester/Bald-Headed End of the Broom - Martin Carthy, , The Watersons
Nafarroa [Live] - Martin Carthy, Oskorri
Wren - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
King - Steeleye Span
Joy Health Love and Peace - Martin Carthy, The Watersons
Hunting the Wren [Live] - Steeleye Span
Hunting the Cutty Wren - Les Barker, Martin Carthy, June Tabor
Byker Hill - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick

Tracks:

Nothing Rhymed - Martin Carthy
Lord of the Dance - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Rivers of Babylon (Babalon) - Martin Carthy
History Lesson - Leon Rosselson, Three City Four
January Man - Martin Carthy
Ballad of Alfie Hinds [Live] - Martin Carthy
Humane Turnkey, Pt. 2 - Martin Carthy
Farewell, Farewell [Alternative Mix][#] - Martin Carthy
Dust to Dust - Martin Carthy
Stitch in Time [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Trimdon Grange [#] - Martin Carthy
Palaces of Gold - Martin Carthy
Springhill Mine Disaster - Martin Carthy
Coal Not Dole [Live] - Martin Carthy, The Watersons
Perfumes of Arabia [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Such a War Has Never Been - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Wife of the Soldier - Martin Carthy
Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - Martin Carthy
Ant and the Grasshopper - Martin Carthy
Company Policy - Martin Carthy
On a Monday Morning [Live] - Martin Carthy
Rave On - Steeleye Span
Oor Hamlet [Live] - Martin Carthy
Harry Lime Theme (Third Man Theme) - Martin Carthy

Tracks:

Jack Orion - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Seven Virgins (Leaves of Life) - Martin Carthy
Duncan and Brady - Martin Carthy, Rory and Alex McEwen, Lisa Turner
Geordie [Live] - Martin Carthy
Sir Patrick Spens - Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy
King Henry - Martin Carthy
Sovay the Female Highwayman [Live][#] - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Man of Newlyn Town - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Bows of London [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Lucy Wan [Live] - Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick
Lord Randall - Martin Carthy
Whale Catchers - Martin Carthy
Rufford Park Poachers - Martin Carthy
John Barleycorn [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Hard Times of Old England [Live][#] - Martin Carthy
Hard Cheese of Old England - Martin Carthy
Over the Hills and Far Away - Martin Carthy, Isla St. Clair
Farmer's Servant [Live] - Martin Carthy
False Knight on the Road [Live] - Steeleye Span
Elfin Knight - Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch

Album Description

Four CD compilation for the influential British folk artistwho inspired Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and directly or indirectly helped form Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and the Albion Band. Includes his earliest and most recent known live recordings plus s

Album Details

The First In-depth Anthology of Martin's Music and Career. The Four CD Set is Themed So Each CD Covers a Different Aspect of his Career: The Classic Carthy Recordings, Carthy in Company, Contemporary and Child Carthy.

Customer Reviews:

A fitting tribute to a great folk traditionalist.......2003-05-21

A 4-CD collection of British folk legend Martin Carthy's best work, spanning from the 1960s to the present day -- the motherlode for Martin Carthy true believers! This box set is divided thematically: "Classic Carthy," a disc of "hits," he's recorded over the years, "Carthy In Company," featuring rare, previously unreleased collaborations with various cohorts, including John Kirkpartick, The Albion Band, Steeleye Span, The Watersons, etc.; a third CD titled "Carthy Contemporaries," with Carthy providing interpretations of his favorite contemporary songwriters, and a fourth disc, "Child: Carthy," that focusses exclusively on the British folk treasure trove known as the Child Ballads. (The Child Ballads are the collected work of 19th Century folklorist James Francis Child, who gathered hundreds of the most striking English and Scottish folk ballads into a multi-volume codex that became one of the wellsprings of the '50s/'60s British folk revival... A new publisher called Loomis House Press began reprinting the complete series in 2002, well worth checking out if you're a hardcore folkie!)

This box set is a real tour de force, complete with a lavish, highly informative booklet, a flowchart showing the various stages of Carthy's career, and tons of rarities from folk concerts, TV shows and the like. Eighty-three tracks total... plenty of high-class listening for anyone who's ready!

The Godfather of English Folk.......2001-11-06

Martin Carthy stands alone as one of the great figures of the English folk revival, but also can take a lot of credit for folk rock since 1970. This box is an excellent selection for Carthy enthusiasts, but is maybe not ideal for newcomers. It covers a broad sweep of his career to date, and features a lot of live performances and other 'alternate' versions of favorite songs.

I'd have given it five stars anyway, had it not been for some unfortunate choices on 'Carthy Contemporaries', where we get some hootenanny-era embarrassments that he'd probably have preferred to see buried in the vaults forever and a day-O. Better to have dumped half of this particular 'theme' CD and replaced it with more traditional material, of which there is, after all, a vast abundance. But that's just a personal take: nt everyone shares my taste for gloomy ballads and razorsharp playing, perhaps.

For beginners, you can't do better than the first two albums, both out on CD. Those, plus the third, "Byker Hill" feature the unsurpassable Dave Swarbrick on violin and mandolin, and are absolute classics, by any criteria, whatever your musical taste.