Recorded by Jim Moray live during the Melrose Quartet’s festival debut at Cheltenham Folk Festival in February 2011;
Mixed by Simon Dumpleton;
Thanks to John Shorter and Cheltenham Folk Festival;
Cover photo by John Shorter

Musicians

Nancy Kerr: fiddle, viola, vocals;
James Fagan: bouzouki, vocals;
Jess Arrowsmith: fiddle, vocals;
Richard Arrowsmith: melodeons, vocals

Tracks

1. Margaret Fagan’s 50^th Birthday Polka / Cheese Fairy Polka (4.01)
2. Hauling On (4.17)
3. Pilgrimage (4.15)
4. When I First Came to This Land (Roud 16813) (3.44)
5. I’m Going to Speke / Battle Swing (3.19)
6. John Ball (4.36)

Track 1a James Fagan, Nancy Kerr;
Tracks 1b, 3 Jess Arrowsmith;
Track 2 Nancy Kerr;
Track 4 trad.;
Track 5a Joe Scurfield;
Track 5b Frederic & Jean-Charles Guichen;
Track 6 Sydney Carter

Recorded by Andy Bell at Wavelength Studio, Doncaster;
Mixed by Andy Bell;
Mastered by Andy Seward;
Produced by Andy Bell and Melrose Quartet;
Photography by Kirsty Bromley;
Artwork concept and design by Lizzy Doe

Musicians

Nancy Kerr: fiddle, viola, lead vocals [1, 3], vocals;
Jess Arrowsmith: fiddle, lead vocals [4, 12], vocals;
James Fagan: bouzouki, lead vocals [2, 6, 10], vocals;
Richard Arrowsmith: melodeons, lead vocals [8], vocals

Tracks

Song lyrics on the Melrose Quartet’s website

1. Santa Georgia (3.27)
2. The Death of Nelson (Roud 18837) (4.18)
3. Fifty Verses (5.04)
4. Wedding Bells (2.08)
5. Tom Tolley’s / Lucy’s Two (5.30)
6. Bampton Fair (Roud 29978) (2.09)
7. The Wanton Wife of Castlegate (Roud V14112) (3.44)
8. Shepherd’s Song (Roud 284) (2.31)
9. Polkas: Margaret Fagan’s 50^th Birthday / Cheese Fairy (3.47)
10. Come and I Will Sing You (Roud 133) (3.47)
11. When You Were Born / Rawling’s March / March to Prague (7.12)
12. Bright Morning Star (Roud 18268) (4.04)

Tracks 1, 3, 5b Nancy Kerr;
Tracks 2, 5a, 7-8, 10, 11a, 12 trad. arr. Melrose Quartet;
Tracks 4, 9b Jess Arrowsmith;
Track 6 Paul Wilson;
Track 9a James Fagan, Nancy Kerr;
Track 11b James Fagan;
Track 11c Richard Arrowsmith

Produced by Tom Wright and Melrose Quartet;
Recorded and mixed by Tom Wright in December 2016;
Mastered by Nick Cooke at Nim Mastering;
Artwork and photography by Lizzy Doe

Musicians

Jess Arrowsmith: vocals, fiddle;
Richard Arrowsmith: vocals, melodeons;
James Fagan: vocals, bouzouki, guitar, mandolin;
Nancy Kerr: vocals, fiddle

with
Nigel Holmes: bass

Tracks

Song lyrics on the Melrose Quartet’s website

1. Mariah’s Gone (Roud 3625) (3.29)
2. Dominion of the Sword (Roud V3219) (4.20)
3. A Generous Man / Carthy’s March (4.50)
4. Hand Me Down (3.37)
5. ‘Ware Out Mother (Roud 2551) (3.38)
6. Anthem of a Working Mum (2.54)
7. Low Quebec (3.16)
8. The Seeds of Love (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (3.12)
9. Rise No More (3.17)
10. Davy Cross (3.56)
11. The Gallery / The Venus of Levershulme (3.26)
12. Good Intentions (2.12)
13. Rosslyn Castle (4.05)
14. Raise Your Voice (2.48)

Tracks 1, 8, 13 trad.;
Track 2 trad., new words Martin Carthy, James Fagan;
Tracks 3a, 7 James Fagan;
Track 3b Dave Swarbrick;
Tracks 4, 9 Nancy Kerr;
Track 5 trad. / Charley Yarwood;
Tracks 6, 14 Jess Arrowsmith;
Track 10 Paul Davenport;
Track 11 Simon Heywood;
Track 12 Paul Metsers

Recorded and mixed by Tom A. Wright at Powered Flight Music, Sheffield;
Mastered by Mick Cooke;
Photography by Elly Lucas;
Artwork and design by Lizzy Doe

Musicians

Nancy Kerr: vocals, fiddle, viola;
James Fagan: vocals, bouzoukis, guitar, piano;
Jess Arrowsmith: vocals, fiddle;
Richard Arrowsmith: vocals, melodeons

with
Jo Maher: oboe [1, 3, 10, 14]

Tracks

Song lyrics on the Melrose Quartet’s website

1. The Holly and the Ivy (Roud 514) (4.01)
2. Hail! Smiling Morn (Roud 1346) (2.27)
3. Come, See the Boys Go Round (3.47)
4. The Three Drovers (2.16)
5. Chariots (5.16)
6. Sheffield Wassail (2.35)
7. Liverpool (Roud 936) (1.54)
8. Boxing Day (4.51)
9. Lullay My Liking (2.38)
10. Bright New Year (3.22)
11. Diadem (Roud 17726) (2.49)
12. A Strange Time to Bloom (4.20)
13. Mount Moriah (Roud 17724) (1.54)
14. The Rudolph Variations (4.52)
    Part 1: Cranbrook (Roud 936)
    Part 2: Pleasant and Delightful (Roud 660; Laws O30; TYG 51)
    Part 3: Sovay (Roud 7; Laws N21; Henry H35)
    Part 4: My Husband’s Got No Courage in Him (Roud 870; G/D 7:1367)
    Part 5: Now Westlin Winds (Roud 6936)

Tracks 1, 9, 13 trad.;
Track 2 Reginald Spofforth, 1810;
Track 3 Paul Davenport;
Track 4 words John Wheeler, music William G. James;
Track 5 John Kirkpatrick;
Track 6 Pete Smith;
Track 7 attributed to John Hall of Sheffield Park, c. 1970;
Track 8 Robb Johnson;
Track 10 Alec Thompson;
Track 11 words Rev. Edward Perronet, music James Ellor;
Track 12 Nancy Kerr, written for Rosa Luxemburg;
Track 14 words Johnny Marks, music trad. except
Track 14.1 music Thomas Clark, 1805

Video

The Melrose Quartet sings Come, See the Boys Go Round, filmed and edited by Elly Lucas:

Produced by Melrose Quartet and Pete Ord;
Recorded by Pete Ord at The Studio at Sunbeams, Cumbria, in March 2023;
Mixed by Pete Ord;
Mastered by Nick Cooke Mastering;
Artwork and design by Lizzy Doe

Folk Radio review by Thomas Blake

Musicians

Nancy Kerr: vocals, fiddle, viola, spoons;
Jess Arrowsmith: vocals, fiddle;
James Fagan: vocals, bouzoukis, guitar, mandola;
Richard Arrowsmith: vocals, melodeons

with
Nigel Holmes: bass [2, 11]

Tracks

Song lyrics on the Melrose Quartet’s website

1. Monmouth Wassail (2.18)
   
2. Barsebäck / Will to Dance / Gallopede (5.27)
   
3. Make the World Anew (5.09)
   
4. The Voice That Lives Inside You (4.26)
   
5. Hedging Song (4.31)
   
6. The Scarecrow (3.51)
   
7. The Convict’s Lamentation (Roud 2537) (4.35)
   
8. Liverpool / James Fagan’s 50^th Birthday Hornpipe (3.19)
   
9. Droving Dreams (3.09)
   
10. General Blakeney’s / The Hunt (5.08)
    
11. Nancy and Mary: Nancy Clough’s / The Mary Ellen Carter (6.20)
    
12. Just As the Tide Was Flowing (Roud 1105) (3.43)
    
13. Getting a Rise (2.17)
    
14. Gabriel’s Baldricks (3.02)
    

Tracks 1, 2ac, 7, 8a, 10ab, 12 trad.;
Tracks 2b, 9, 13 Nancy Kerr;
Tracks 3, 8b Jess Arrowsmith;
Track 4 Leon Rosselson;
Track 5 Frank Mansell;
Track 6 Lal & Mike Waterson;
Track 11a Tom Clough;
Track 11b Stan Rogers;
Track 14 James Fagan

Video

Melrose Quartet sing The Scarecrow; video by Marry Waterson: