Produced by Phil Shapiro;
Recorded by Chad Hunt;
Cover art by Skye Morrison;
Cover design by Tricia Hull

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Spencer the Rover Is Alive and Well webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand

Tracks

Side 1

1. Spencer the Rover (Roud 1115; TYG 3) (3.10)
2. Creeping Jane (Roud 1012; Laws Q23) (3.32)
3. I Wish They’d Do It Now (Roud 1401; G/D 7:1447) (2.52)
4. Rambleaway (Roud 171; G/D 7:1485) (2.51)
5. What a Mouth! (RoudBS B116868) (1.50)
6. The Knight and the Shepherd’s Daughter (Roud 67; Child 110; G/D 7:1465) (5.08)
7. Silicosis (1.18)
8. The Coachman (Roud 862) (3.30)

Side 2

9. The Lincolnshire Poacher (Roud 299) (2.00)
10. Warlike Seamen (Roud 690; G/D 1:41; Henry H560) (3.27)
11. Dahn the Plughole (Roud 19810) (1.27)
12. Shine Your Buttons With Brasso (Roud 10232) (1.42)
13. Martin Said to His Man (Roud 473; G/D 8:1703) (4.04)
14. Fanny Blair (Roud 1393) (2.59)
15. So Green As the Leaves (Roud 3807; G/D 1:50) (3.01)
16. Babylon Is Fallen (Roud 13968) (1.59)
17. Thyme (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (3.09)

All tracks trad. except
Track 5 Robert Patrick Weston (1906);
Track 7 Bob Wilson;
Track 11 Jack Spade

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by the Bottom Forty Recording Company at the Eldron Fenning Folk Museum of American Ephemera;
Engineered by Bill Spence;
Mastered by David Hancock;
Photography by Craig Lints;
Cover art by George Armstrong;
Graphic design by Jon Henry

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Across the Western Ocean webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand
with David Jones, Gerret Warner, Jeff Warner;
Narration by Gerret Warner, Jeff Warner and Susan Warner

Tracks

Side 1

1. Introduction /
   New York Girls (Roud 486) (4.38)
2. Captain Samuels and his sailors (1.05)
3. Blow the Man Down (Roud 2624) (3.30)
4. Impressions of a first voyage (1.07)
   The Crayfish (Roud 149) (1.37)
5. The Black Cook (Roud 2310) (4.04)
6. The Lime-Juice Ship (Roud 8341) (2.26)
7. The Wreck of the Staffordshire (1.14)
8. The Flying Dutchman (Roud 1897; Laws K23) (2.42)

Side 2

9. Get Up Jack, John Sit Down (Roud 2807) (3.31)
10. The Flying Cloud (Roud 1802; Laws K28; G/D 1:44) (4.10)
11. Immigration conditions (1.17)
12. Heave Away My Johnnies (Roud 15778; Henry H827) (3.50)
13. Perils of transatlantic dalliance (0.45)
14. Maggie May (Roud 1757) (2.46)
15. Peter Street (Roud 1902; Laws K42) (4.17)
16. The Seamen’s Hymn (1.28)

Sleeve Notes

The songs sung on board the packet ships can be roughly divided into the categories of shanty and forebitter. The shanty was a work song used exclusively to provide the rhythm for the crew working on deck or up in the rigging. Some jobs were long, slow and arduous but maintained an even rhythm. Here the shantyman would set the tempo with a fairly long shanty, usually telling a coherent story. The shantyman’s art was a delicate one: he had to draw the line between the pace the men wanted to work and the speed the mate required.

The forebitters were sung in a more relaxed athmosphere, in off-duty hours in the crew’s cramped quarters beneath the forecastle head. These were often popular ballads from the shore, and many would have been accompanied with fiddle, banjo or other portable instrument.

Our selection includes both kind of song, though the shanties are not sung exactly as they would have been rendered on deck. The sets have been chosen as both typical of the period and relevant to the conditions of the time.

Produced by John Roberts, Tony Barrand and Bill Spence;
Recorded by the Bottom Forty Recording Company at the Eldron Fenning Folk Museum of American Ephemera in the winter of 1974-75;
Engineered and mixed by Bill Spence;
Mastered at Generation Sound Studios;
Digitally remastered by Don Person and Lisa Preston at Studio 14, Albany, NY, in October 2002;
Cover drawing by Bob Froese;
Graphic design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Mellow With Ale From the Horn webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, guitar, banjo, concertinas;
Tony Barrand: vocals, bowed psaltery, bodhrán, spoons

Tracks

Side 1

1. Save Your Money While You’re Young (Roud 2325) (2.26)
2. Staines Morris (Roud V18894) (4.30)
3. Barbara Allen (Roud 54; Child 84; G/D 6:1193; Henry H236) (3.38)
4. Salt River / Colored Aristocracy banjo tunes (2.13)
5. Oats and Beans and Barley Grows (Roud 1380) (1.30)
6. Kate and Her Horns (Roud 555; Laws N22) (3.12)
7. Come Day, Go Day (3.20)

Side 2

8. The Albatross (2.54)
9. The Wings of a Goney (Roud 2011) (2.45)
10. The Handsome Cabin Boy (Roud 239; Laws N13; G/D 1:181) (2.21)
11. Five Foot Flirt (3.06)
12. Our Bill (1.43)
13. Albert and the Lion (3.27)
14. Salvation Band (3.41)

Tracks 1-6, 9-10 trad. except
Track 7 Glyn Hughes;
Track 8 Malvina Reynolds;
Track 11 Cyril Tawney;
Track 12 Bernard Wrigley;
Track 13 Marriot Edgar;
Track 14 Roger Watson

Recorded by Sandy Paton;
Liner notes by John Roberts;
Cover photograph by Sandy Paton;
Designed by Lani Herrmann and Sandy Paton

Folk-Legacy album booklet

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Dark Ships in the Forest webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand: vocals;
Fred Breunig: fiddle;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion

Tracks

Side 1

1. Oak, Ash and Thorn (2.36)
2. Broomfield Wager (Roud 34; Child 43; G/D 2:322; Henry H135) (4.11)
3. The Wife of Usher’s Well (Roud 196; Child 79) (2.43)
4. Tom of Bedlam (Roud V53999) (3.57)
5. The Dreadful Ghost (Roud 568; Laws P34A; G/D 2:341) (4.18)
6. The Foggy Dew (Roud 558; Laws O3; G/D 7:1495) (5.06)

Side 2

7. The Derby Ram (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (3.27)
8. The Maid on the Shore (Roud 181; Laws K27) (3.41)
9. Reynardine (Roud 397; Laws P15; G/D 2:333) (3.01)
10. The False Lady (Roud 47; Child 68) (3.21)
11. Polly Vaughn (Roud 166; Laws O36; Henry H114) (3.18)
12. The Two Magicians (Roud 1350; Child 44; G/D 2:334) (5.19)

All tracks trad. except
Track 1 Rudyard Kipling, Peter Bellamy

Produced by John Roberts, Tony Barrand and Bill Spence;
Recorded in January 1977

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English concertina, Anglo concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals, tambourine;
Fred Breunig: fiddle, harmony vocals;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion, Anglo concertina, penny whistle, harmony vocals

Tracks

Side 1

1. The Truth From Above (Roud 2109) / Masters in This Hall (5.21)
2. The Holly and the Ivy (Roud 514) (2.58)
3. Joys Seven (Roud 278) (2.30)
4. King Pharim (Roud 306; Child 55) (4.06)
5. Coventry Carol (Roud 19028) (1.53)
6. Familiar Carol Medley (2.48)
7. The Cherry Tree Carol (Roud 453; Child 54; G/D 2:327) (3.30)
8. Sussex Carol (Roud 597) (1.44)

Side 2

9. Somerset Wassail (Roud 209) (3.21)
10. The Boar’s Head Carol (Roud 22229) (1.58)
11. Divers and Lazarus (Roud 477; Child 56) (2.45)
12. The Bitter Withy (Roud 452) (2.31)
13. An Orkney New Year’s Carol (Roud 4584) (2.16)
14. Sword Dance Tunes From the Village of Sleights (3.22)
15. Rise Up Jock (5.17)

All tracks trad. except
Track 15 Bob Pegg

Produced by John Roberts, Tony Barrand and Bill Spence;
Recorded in May 1979 at a live concert in Guilderland Center, NY sponsored by Old Songs;
Digitally remastered by Don Person and Lisa Preston at Studio 14, Albany, NY, October 2002;
Front cover art by Peter C. Klosky;
Graphic design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s To Welcome In the Spring webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, guitar, banjo, concertinas;
Tony Barrand: vocals, bowed psaltry, bodhrán, spoons;
Fred Breunig: fiddle, harmony vocals, button accordion;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion, fiddle, anglo concertina, pennywhistle, pipe and tabor, piano, harmony vocals

Tracks

Side 1

1. Candlemas Eve (2.18)
2. Mothering Sunday (1.56)
3. Gabriel’s Message (1.30)
4. All in the Morning (Roud 287) (2.15)
5. The Merchant’s Carol (2.21)
6. The Leaves of Life (or The Seven Virgins) (Roud 127) (2.15)
7. The Lamb of God (4.30)
8. My Dancing Day (Roud 21931) (2.52)

Side 2

9. The Sound of the Drum (Roud 1076) / Ninety-Five (2.52)
10. The Month of May (Roud 153; Henry H697) (1.43)
11. Country Dance Medley: Trip to Paris / Knole Park (2.52)
12. The Moon Shines Bright (or The Bellman’s Song) (Roud 702) (1.46)
13. The Football Match (Roud 1291) (3.28)
14. The Whitsun Song (Roud 3186) (2.57)
15. Come Lasses and Lads (Roud 22885) / Packington’s Pound (3.28)
16. Northill May Song (Roud 305) (1.13)

All tracks trad.

Produced by Tony Barrand and Bill Spence;
Recorded by Bill Spence;
Cover photo by Emily Friedman;
Cover design by Jon Henry;
Notes by Tony Barrand

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English concertina, Anglo concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals, tambourine;
Fred Breunig: fiddle, harmony vocals;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion, Anglo concertina, penny whistle, harmony vocals

Tracks

Side 1

1. The Cutty Wren (Roud 236) (3.30)
2. Six Jolly Miners (Roud 877; TYG 61) (2.10)
3. Medley of Long Sword Tunes From the Village of Grenoside and Ampleforth (3.49)
4. Milford (Roud 7113) (0.42)
5. A Child This Day Is Born (Roud 21930) (2.55)
6. While Shepherds Watched (Roud 936) (2.37)
7. Lord of the Dance (3.00)

Side 2

8. The Praise of Christmas (Roud V9375) (2.08)
9. Green Grow the Rushes, O! (Roud 133) (5.00)
10. Gloucestershire Wassail (Roud 209) (4.01)
11. Sherburne (Roud 936) (1.23)
12. Apple Tree Wassail (Roud 209) / The Derby Ram (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (4.40)
13. The Wren (The King) (Roud 32955) (1.30)

All tracks trad. except
Track 7 Sydney Carter

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded live at Holstein’s, 2462 North Lincoln, Chicago, on 5 & 6 November 1982;
Mastered and edited by Grey Larsen at Sleepy Creek Recording & Mastering, Bloomington, Indiana;
Notes by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Photography by Emily Friedman;
LP design by Jon Henry;
CD design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Live at Holsteins! webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, guitar, banjo, concertinas;
Tony Barrand: vocals

Tracks

LP Side 1

1. John Barleycorn (Roud 164; G/D 3:559) (4.00)
2. The Man That Waters the Workers’ Beer (Roud 31289) (3.31)
3. Garners Gay (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (3.53)
4. Three Drunken Maidens (Roud 252) (1.46)
5. Congleton Bear (3.45)
6. The Rolling Mills of New Jersey (5.03)

LP Side 2

7. Eat Bertha’s Mussels (4.06)
8. Boozing (Roud 30064) (3.33)
9. The Ballad of the Cowpuncher (3.01)
10. Newman’s Ale (Roud V16327) (2.24)
11. The Man at the Nore (Roud 22257) (3.51)
12. The Barley Mow (Roud 944) (5.22)

CD tracks

1. John Barleycorn (Roud 164; G/D 3:559) (4.00)
2. The Man That Waters the Workers’ Beer (Roud 31289) (3.31)
3. Garners Gay (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (3.53)
4. Three Drunken Maidens (Roud 252) (1.46)
5. Bonny Black Hare (Roud 1656; G/D 7:1427) (2.31)
6. Congleton Bear (3.45)
7. The Rolling Mills of New Jersey (5.03)
8. Three Ha’pence a Foot (4.18)
9. Johnny Sands (Roud 184; Laws Q3; G/D 2:319) (2.44)
10. German Musicianer (Roud 17774) (3.05)
11. Jolly Roving Tar (Roud 2807) (3.33)
12. Herrin’s Head (Roud 128; TYG 31) (4.16)
13. Eat Bertha’s Mussels (4.06)
14. Boozing (Roud 30064) (3.33)
15. The Ballad of the Cowpuncher (3.01)
16. Newman’s Ale (Roud V16327) (2.24)
17. The Man at the Nore (Roud 22257) (3.51)
18. The Battle of Hastings (4.02)
19. The Barley Mow (Roud 944) (5.22)

All tracks trad. except
Track 2 Paddy Ryan (Dr. R.E.W. Fisher);
Track 6 words John Tams, music trad., Swaggering Boney;
Track 7 John Roberts, Tony Barrand;
Tracks 8, 18 Marriot Edgar;
Track 13 John Roberts;
Track 15 Genny Haley

Recorded live at the Troy Music Hall, Troy, New York, on 6 April 1974

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals [1];
Maggi Pierce: vocals [2];
Tony Barrand: vocals [5, 9];
David Jones: vocals [3, 7, 10];
Andra Herzbrun Barrand: vocals [4];
Louis Killen: vocals [6];
Murray Callahan: vocals [8];
Jan Oosting: piano

Tracks

Side 1

1. [JR] A Little Bit of Cucumber (Roud 16704)
2. [MP] Don’t Have Any More Mrs. Moore! (Roud V53399)
3. [DJ] My Old Dutch (Roud 25943)
4. [AB] Lily of Laguna (Roud V8513)
5. [TB] Sweeney Todd the Barber (RoudBS B370577)

Side 2

6. [LK] Last Neet (RoudFS S242027)
7. [DJ] Sam Hall (Roud 369; Laws L5)
8. [MC] When I Take My Morning Promenade (Roud V32119)
9. [TB] I’m Shy, Mary Ellen, I’m Shy (Roud V14987)
10. [DJ] The Old Armchair (Roud 1195; G/D 3:705)

Track 1 T.W. Connor;
Track 2 Harry Castling, James Walsh (1926);
Track 3 lyrics Albert Chevalier, music Charles Ingle (Auguste Chevalier) (1892);
Track 4 Leslie Stuart (1898);
Track 5 Robert P. Weston;
Track 6 unknown;
Tracks 7-8, 10 trad.;
Track 9 Charles Ridgewell, George A. Stevens (1910)

Produced by John Roberts, Tony Barrand and Bill Spence;
Recorded by Bill Spence and Peter Glenck;
Recorded in February 1985 by the Bottom Forty Recording Company at the Eldron Fenning Folk Museum of American Ephemera;
Notes by Tony Barrand;
Design by Jon Henry

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English concertina, Anglo concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals, tambourine;
Fred Breunig: fiddle, harmony vocals;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion, Anglo concertina, penny whistle, harmony vocals

Tracks

Side 1

1. Masters in This Hall (3.44)
2. Star in the East (Brightest and Best) (Roud 5743) (3.06)
3. The Carnal and the Crane (Roud 306; Child 55) / King Herod and the Cock (Roud 306; Child 55) / The Miraculous Harvest (Roud 306; Child 55) (5.56)
4. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Roud 24752) (2.46)
5. Leaping and Dancing (3.20)
6. Sherburne (original version) (1.44)

Side 2

7. Gower Wassail (Roud 209) (2.17)
8. Kris Kringle (3.23)
9. Winter / Spring (1.37)
10. Flower Carol (2.51)
11. Green Grow’th the Holly (1.46)
12. Morris and Sword Tune Medley (4.35)
13. Carol for New Year’s Day (4.02)

All tracks trad. except
Track 2 words Reginald Heber (1811);
Track 6 words Robert L. May

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Billy Shaw at Soundesign, Brattleboro, VT, in February-June 1988;
Digitally remastered by Don Person and Lisa Preston at Studio 14, Albany, NY, in October 2002;
Graphic design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Nowell Sing We Four webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English concertina, Anglo concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals, tambourine;
Fred Breunig: vocals, fiddle;
Andy Davis: vocals, piano accordion

Tracks

1. The Boys’ Carol (3.06)
2. The Cherry Tree Carol (Roud 453; Child 54; G/D 2:327) (4.03)
3. Carol (While Shepherds Watched) (Roud 936) (1.52)
4. Come And I Will Sing You (Roud 133) (6.27)
5. Hunting the Wren (Roud 236) (3.01)
6. The Wren Boys’ Song (Roud 32955) (2.13)
7. Over the Hill and Over the Dale (4.25)
8. Old Christmas / "Shooting" Recitation (4.11)
9. The Ram Song (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (5.41)
10. Welladay (Christmas’s Lamentation) (5.14)
11. The Boar’s Head Carol (Roud 22229) (2.03)
12. The Praise of Christmas (Roud V9375) (2.14)
13. The Rag Dance Song (La Guignolee) / Pays d’ Haut French-Canadian reel (5.05)
14. Rolling Downward (Roud 24728) (3.08)

All tracks trad. except
Track 1 from Piæ Cantiones, 1582 / Penguin Book of Christmas Carols;
Track 3 Supply Belcher;
Track 7 J.M. Neale, tune from Piæ Cantiones, 1582

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Production assistance by Andy Spence;
Recorded by Bill Spence at The Elrond Fennig Folk Museum of American Ephemera and St. Mark’s Community Center, Guilderland Center, NY;
Holiday collage by John Henry;
Cover design by Mark Schmidt

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s The Best of Nowell Sing We Clear webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English concertina, Anglo concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals, tambourine;
Fred Breunig: fiddle, harmony vocals;
Steve Woodruff: button accordion, Anglo concertina, penny whistle, harmony vocals

Tracks

1. A Child This Day Is Born (Roud 21930) (2.55)
2. While Shepherds Watched (Roud 936) (2.37)
3. Leaping and Dancing (3.20)
4. The Cherry Tree Carol (Roud 453; Child 54; G/D 2:327) (3.30)
5. Sussex Carol (Roud 597) (1.44)
6. The Carnal and the Crane (Roud 306; Child 55) / King Herod and the Cock (Roud 306; Child 55) / The Miraculous Harvest (Roud 306; Child 55) (5.36)
7. Coventry Carol (Roud 19028) (1.41)
8. The Bitter Withy (Roud 452) (2.31)
9. The Holly and the Ivy (Roud 514) (2.58)
10. Green Grow’th the Holly (1.46)
11. Winter / Spring (1.37)
12. Rise Up Jock (5.17)
13. Gower Wassail (Roud 209) (2.17)
14. Gloucestershire Wassail (Roud 209) (4.01)
15. Apple Tree Wassail (Roud 209) / The Derby Ram (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (4.40)
16. Sherburne (original version) (1.44)
17. Kris Kringle (3.23)
18. The Cutty Wren (Roud 236) (3.30)
19. An Orkney New Year’s Carol (Roud 4584) (2.16)
20. Carol for New Year’s Day (4.02)
21. The Wren (The King) (Roud 32955) (1.30)
22. Lord of the Dance (3.00)

All tracks trad. except
Track 12 Bob Pegg;
Track 16 words Robert L. May;
Track 22 Sydney Carter

Tracks 4-5, 7- 9, 12, 19 are from Nowell Sing We Clear (FHR-013, 1977);
Tracks 1-2, 14-15, 18, 21-22 are from The Second Nowell (FHR-026, 1981);
Tracks 3, 6, 10-11, 13, 16-17, 20 are from Nowell Sing We Clear Vol. 3 (FHR-036, 1985)

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, guitar, banjo, concertinas

Tracks

1. Kilgarry Mountain (Roud 533; Laws L13A; Henry H792) (4.34)
2. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye (Roud 3137) (4.03)
3. Carrickfergus (Roud 26183) (2.21)
4. The Wild Colonial Boy (Roud 677; Laws L20; Henry H750) (3.32)
5. Nobody Loves Like an Irishman (2.46)
6. The Jolly Tinker (Roud 863) (2.10)
7. The Little Beggarman (Roud 900; Henry H751) (3.00)
8. The Irish Rover (Roud 4379) (3.37)
9. Francis Street (Roud 1902; Laws K42) (4.14)
10. The Jug of Punch (Roud 1808; Henry H490) (3.44)
11. The Pride of Petravore (Roud 34408) (3.35)
12. The Mountains of Mourne (Roud 18229) (3.30)
13. The Black Velvet Band (Roud 2146) (4.04)

All tracks trad. except
Track 2 Joseph B. Geoghegan;
Track 5 Lonnie Donegan;
Tracks 11-12 Percy French

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Billy Shaw at Soundesign, Brattleboro VT,
Mixed by Alan Stockwell at Soundesign, Brattleboro VT,
Mixed by Lisa Preston;
Cover photo by Robert McClintock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s A Present From the Gentlemen webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, English & Anglo concertinas, banjo;
Tony Barrand: vocals, bones, side drum

Tracks

1. Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy (Roud 165) (3.20)
2. Jackie Munro (Roud 268; Laws N7; G/D 1:171, 1:172) (3.45)
3. Nine Times a Night (Roud 18411) (2.10)
4. A Smuggler’s Song (Roud 25475; Henry H494) (3.25)
5. The Three Butchers (Roud 17; Laws L4; G/D 2:186; Henry H185) (6.20)
6. The Painful Plough (Roud 355; G/D 3:448) (2.40)
7. Dog and Gun (Roud 141; Laws N20; G/D 1:166; Henry H524) (3.45)
8. The Draggletail Gypsy (Roud 1; Child 200; G/D 2:278; Henry H124) / The Princess Royal tune (4.00)
9. The Outlandish Knight (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) (4.35)
10. Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford (Roud 2338; Child 144) (5.25)
11. Our Hamlet (4.15)
12. Sam Hall (Roud 369; Laws L5) (5.35)
13. The Fellow That Played the Trombone (Roud 1848) (2.10)
14. Great War Trilogy: The Valley of the Shadow / The Old Barbed Wire (Roud 9618) / Long, Long Trail (Roud 23525) (8.45)

All tracks trad. except
Track 4 words Rudyard Kipling, music Peter Bellamy;
Track 11 Adam McNaughtan;
Track 14a Paul Clark;
Track 14c Stoddard King, Alonzo ‘Zo’ Elliott

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Alan Stockwell at Soundesign, Brattleboro, VT;
Cover art by Mary Azarian

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Hail Smiling Morn! webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, Andy Davis

Tracks

1. Hail Smiling Morn! (Roud 1346) (2.30)
2. Sweet Chiming Bells (Roud 936) (4.03)
3. Old Foster (Roud 936) (4.05)
4. The Holly and the Ivy (Roud 514) (3.33)
5. Shepherds, Arise! (Roud 1207) (3.08)
6. Old Christmas Return’d (Roud V15918) (4.08)
7. Jacob’s Well (Roud 17703) (3.08)
8. March of the Kings (4.21)
9. I Saw Three Ships (Roud 700) (2.00)
10. The Joys of Mary (Roud 278) (4.24)
11. The Bitter Withy (Roud 452) (2.45)
12. Carol of the Creatures (3.48)
13. Hail Happy Morn (Roud 24741) (3.26)
14. The Cutty Wren (Roud 236) (3.34)
15. Here We Come A-Wassailing (Roud 209; TYG 22) / We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Roud 230) (4.26)
16. Carol for the New Year (3.47)

All tracks trad. except
Track 12 Sydney Carter

Produced by Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Al Stockwell at Soundesign, Brattleboro, VT;
Mixed by Peter Sutherland

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Naulakha Redux webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

Tony Barrand: vocals [1-9, 11-16], jew’s harp [10];
John Roberts: vocals [1-2, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14-16], concertina [2, 5, 7-8, 11, 13, 16], banjo [3, 9, 15]

with
Fred Breunig: vocals [8, 14], fiddle [1, 8, 16];
Andy Davis: vocals [8, 14], piano accordion [1, 16]

Tracks

1. Ford o’ Kabul River (3.16)
2. Tommy (4.36)
3. Sir Richard’s Song (4.49)
4. The Land (4.49)
5. Philadelphia (4.11)
6. Cells (4.50)
7. Mandalay (5.39)
8. An Astrologer’s Song (3.16)
9. The Ballad of Minepit Shaw (3.19)
10. Song of the Men’s Side (2.34)
11. The Liner She’s a Lady (5.34)
12. Frankie’s Trade (3.28)
13. We Have Fed Our Sea (3.23)
14. A Carol (1.53)
15. Danny Deever (4.53)
16. Follow Me ’Ome (4.52)

All tracks words Rudyard Kipling, music Peter Bellamy except
Tracks 7, 15 words Rudyard Kipling, music trad. arr. Peter Bellamy;
Track 14 words Rudyard Kipling, music trad.

Recorded and mixed at Sounddesign, Brattleboro, VT;
Recording engineered by Bily Shaw;
Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Photography by Robert McClintock;
Photograph of Percy Grainger courtesy of Robert Simon;
Cover design by Geoffrey Deihl;
Notes by John Roberts and Tony Barrand

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Heartoutbursts webpage with notes and song lyrics. Compare to this Unto Brigg Fair, an LP with Joseph Taylor and other traditional Lincolnshire singers recorded in 1908 by Percy Grainger.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, banjo, concertina;
Tony Barrand: vocals

Tracks

1. Brigg Fair (Roud 1083) (1.27)
2. Seventeen Come Sunday (Roud 277; Laws O17; G/D 4:791; Henry H152) (2.58)
3. Creeping Jane (Roud 1012; Laws Q23) (3.36)
4. Turpin Hero (Roud 621; Laws L10) (3.02)
5. The White Hare (Roud 1110; TYG 79) (2.23)
6. Rufford Park Poachers (Roud 1759) (5.23)
7. Lord Bateman (Roud 40; Child 53L; G/D 5:1023; Henry H470) (6.19)
8. The Gipsy’s Wedding Day (Roud 229; Laws O4) (1.51)
9. A Fair Maid Walking (Roud 264; Laws N42; G/D 5:1038, 6:1201; Henry H471) (2.48)
10. The Lost Lady Found (Roud 901; Laws Q31) (3.11)
11. Sprig of Thyme (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (2.00)
12. Riding Down to Portsmouth (Roud 1534) (2.55)
13. Horkstow Grange (Roud 1760) (2.53)
14. The “Rainbow” (Roud 492; Laws N4; G/D 1:180) (2.37)
15. William Taylor (Roud 158; Laws N11; G/D 1:169; Henry H213, H757) (4.24)
16. Lord Melbourne (Roud 233) (3.05)
17. Lisbon (Roud 551; Laws N8; G/D 1:63; Henry H561) (3.24)
18. Died for Love (Roud 60; Laws P25; G/D 6:1170; Henry H683) (0.58)

All tracks trad.

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Alan Stockwell at Soundesign, Brattleboro, VT;
Mixed by Pete Sutherland;
Mastered by Lane Gibson at Chuck Eller Studios, Charlotte, VT;
Photography by Robert McClintock;
Cover design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Just Say Nowell webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, Andy Davis

Tracks

1. The Truth From Above (Roud 2109) (1.39)
2. Babe of Bethlehem (Roud V12727) (3.45)
3. The First Nowell (Roud 682) (3.05)
4. The Cherry Tree Carol (Roud 453; Child 54; G/D 2:327) (4.28)
5. London (1.59)
6. The Blessings of Mary (Roud 278) (4.06)
7. I Saw a Maiden (2.48)
8. Chariots (6.11)
9. The Holly and the Ivy (Roud 514) (2.52)
10. Joy to the World (Roud 23690) (3.01)
11. Christemas Hath Made an End (Well-a-Day) (3.01)
12. Ditchling Carol (Roud 3216) (3.48)
13. Time to Remember the Poor (Roud 1121) (5.49)
14. Stevens Family Waysail (Roud 209) (3.32)
15. Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy (Roud 8366) (2.28)
16. New Year’s Carol (Roud 1066) (3.17)

All tracks trad. except
Track 8 John Kirkpatrick

Produced by John Roberts, with a little help from his friends;
Recorded by Connie Karatza at Rhythmattic Sound Studios, Beverly MA;
Mixed and mastered by Donald Person and John Roberts at Studio 14, Albany NY;
Photos by Becky Rockwell aboard the ‘Friendship’ of Salem, modeled after the original East Indiaman; courtesy of the National Park Service;
Graphic layout by John Roberts and Lisa Preston

See also John Roberts’ Songs of the Sea webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, banjo, concertina, hurdy-gurdy;
John Rockwell: vocals, guitar;
Larry Young: vocals, fiddle

Tracks

1. The ‘Fame’ of Salem (3.03)
2. Marcherot (1.48)
3. The Steam Packet (Roud V2131) (5.22)
4. Wings of a Goney (Roud 2011) (4.00)
5. Pique la Baleine (4.16)
6. Three Jolly Fishermen (Roud 3496; TYG 82) (3.28)
7. Jack Robinson (Roud 1794) (3.36)
8. Old Billy Riley-O (Roud 4701) (1.23)
9. Hourra les Filles (3.01)
10. Serafina (2.37)
11. Rolling Down to Old Maui (Roud 2005) (4.04)
12. Yangtse River Chantey (3.23)
13. The ‘Balaena’ (Roud 285) (3.14)
14. Hullabaloo Belay (1.13)
15. You Gentlemen of Boston (Roud 18526) (3.36)
16. Nantucket Point / Off She Goes (jig) (3.55)
17. Noah’s Ark Shanty (Roud 318) (1.57)
18. The ‘Jamestown’ Homeward Bound (Roud 4700) (3.14)

All tracks trad. except
Track 12 words Hamish McLaren

Sleeve Notes

Our group was originally formed as an impromptu trio to fill an extra performance slot at the Salem Maritime Festival. Adding John Roberts’ solo to the local duo of John Rockwell and Larry Young, we discovered in serendipitous fashion that we enjoyed playing music together as a threesome. Occasionally at first, but now on a more regular basis, we sing and play the music of the sea with a spiritual home port of Salem, Massachusetts.

Inevitably, the idea of a recording came up, so here it is. Some well known songs and chanteys, a few not so well known, some familiar songs in less-common versions, and even a few from the French tradition. Sea fare, homestyle íaybe a few lumps in the sauce, but hopefully just the right amount of salt. We hope you like it.

Produced by John Roberts;
Recorded live at the Old Songs Dutch Barn, Altamont NY, by Bill Spence; and at the Whaling Museum, New Bedford MA, by Dana Westover;
Mixed by John Roberts & Donald Person at Studio 14, Albany NY;
Mastered by Donald Person, Studio 14;
Cover design and artwork by Roger Mock;
Song notes by Tony Barrand

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Twiddlum Twaddlum webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand: vocals

Tracks

1. Anchor Song (2.32)
2. The Golden Vanity (Roud 122; Child 286; G/D 1:37) (2.57)
3. High Barbary (Roud 134; Laws K33; G/D 1:38) (3.28)
4. Jonah and the Grampus (3.46)
5. A Pilgrim’s Way (5.37)
6. Old Bangum (Roud 29; Child 18) (3.17)
7. Who Killed Cock Robin? (Roud 494) (4.53)
8. Two Foxes (2.23)
9. All Through the Ale (Roud 475; G/D 3:580) (3.15)
10. The Rawtenstall Annual Fair (Roud 23927) (3.16)
11. Nell (3.25)
12. The Nutting Girl (Roud 509; G/D 7:1475) (4.21)
13. Claudy Banks (Roud 266; Laws N40; G/D 5:1036; Henry H5, H693) (2.55)
14. The Week Before Easter (Roud 154; G/D 6:1198) (4.53)
15. The Cockerham Devil (4.16)
16. Row On (Roud 2084) (4.25)

All tracks trad. except
Tracks 1, 5 words Rudyard Kipling, music Peter Bellamy;
Track 4 Marriott Edgar;
Track 10 Robert Patrick Weston, Bert Lee;
Track 11 Billy Bennett;
Track 15 Roger and Pru Edwards

Produced by John Roberts;
Recorded by Donald Person at Windy Acres and Studio 14;
Mixed by Donald Person, Lisa Preston and John Roberts;
Photography by Bill Spence;
Design by Roger Mock;
Cover art by Three Master in Rough Seas by Fitz Henry Lane, Cape Ann Historical Museum

See also John Roberts’ Sea Fever webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, concertina, banjo

with
Mary Lea: violin, viola;
Lisa Preston: Celtic harp;
Ray Wall: whistle

Tracks

1. Sea Fever (3.05)
2. Campañero (Roud 3094) (3.00)
3. Diego’s Bold Shore (Roud 2006) (5.27)
4. The Bonny Ship the “Diamond” (Roud 2172; G/D 1:11) (3.00)
5. Candlelight Fisherman (Roud 1852) (2.41)
6. Farewell Nancy (Roud 527; Laws K14; Henry H755) (2.10)
7. The Weeping Willow Tree (Roud 122; Child 286; G/D 1:37) (6.23)
8. The Boatman’s Cure (4.59)
9. Short Jacket and White Trousers (Roud 231; Laws N12) (2.21)
10. Sir Patrick Spens (Roud 41; Child 58; G/D 1:17) (4.43)
11. Let the Bulgine Run (Roud 810) / Sally in the Garden instrumental / Hog-Eye Man (Roud 331) (5.51)
12. The Black Cook (Roud 2310) (4.14)
13. The Saucy Sailor (Roud 531; Laws K38; G/D 1:49) (2.08)
14. Old Figurehead Carver (4.43)
15. What Fortunes Guide a Sailor / Leave Her, Johnny (Roud 354; Henry H53b) (6.59)

All tracks trad. except
Track 1 poem by John Masefield, music Andy Taylor;
Track 8 George Ward;
Track 14 poem by Hiram Cody, chorus and music Dick Swain;
Track 15a words Gina Dunlap, music trad.

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded and mixed at Soundesign, Brattleboro, VT;
Engineered by Alan Stockwell;
Mixed by Alan Stockwell, John Roberts and Lisa Preston;
Mastered by Lane Gibson at Chuck Eller Studios, Charlotte, VT;
Cover photo by Margarete Dale Barrand;
Cover design by Roger Mack

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Nowell Nowell Nowell webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, Andy Davis

Tracks

1. Carol for Christmas Eve (Roud 9355) (2.22)
2. From Far Away (3.57)
3. The Twelve Days of Christmas (Roud 68; G/D 3:637) (3.58)
4. Six Jolly Miners (Roud 877; TYG 61) (2.31)
5. Sherburne (Roud 936) / Milford (Roud 7113) (2.20)
6. I Heard From Heaven Today (Roud 12081) (4.38)
7. The Shepherds Amazèd (Roud V5591) (3.07)
8. Derwent Wassail (Roud 209; TYG 22) (3.55)
9. Joys Seven (Roud 278) (2.37)
10. Somerset Wassail (Roud 209) (3.39)
11. The Derby Ram (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (4.46)
12. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem (Roud 15755) (3.02)
13. Homeless Wassail (4.44)
14. Bring the New Year In (3.57)
15. Green Grow the Rushes, O! (Roud 133) (5.23)
16. Song for the New Year (5.02)

All tracks trad. except
Tracks 13, 16 Ian Robb

Produced by John Roberts and Tony Barrand;
Recorded by Alan Stockwell, Black Mountain Audio, Brattleboro VT;
Mixed by Alan Stockwell, Andy Davis & John Roberts;
Mastered by Airshow Mastering, Takoma Park MD;
Cover art by Murray Callahan;
Photo by Bill Spence;
Graphic design by Roger Mock

See also John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s Bidding You Joy webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, Andy Davis

Tracks

1. Sing Nowell (1.08)
2. Masters in This Hall (4.30)
3. Awake! Behold! (4.10)
4. The Old Hark Hark (Roud 389, 3210) (2.46)
5. I Saw a Ship (3.23)
6. Cold December (4.05)
7. Mummers Night in Oshawa (4.08)
8. Apple Tree Wassail
9. Apple Tree Wassail (Roud 209) (3.16)
10. New Zadoc (While Shepherds Watched) (Roud 936) (3.39)
11. O the Holy Holly (4.52)
12. O Bethlehem (3.21)
13. The Worcestershire Carol (3.21)
14. Penny for the Ploughboys (4.51)
15. Stay and I’ll Sing! (4.24)
16. The Derby Ram Goes to Sea (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (3.44)
17. The Door of the Year (3.07)
18. Villagers All (3.19)

All tracks trad. except
Tracks 1, 5, 16 Alison Burns;
Track 5 words Mrs. Addington, music Alison Burns;
Track 7 A. Frank Willis;
Track 13 Colin Cater;
Track 17 Andy Davis

Arranged and produced by Debra Cowan and John Roberts;
Recorded by Michael Barry at Babyland Studio, Medford, MA;
Mixed by Tom Dubé, Somerville, MA;
Mastered by Charlie Pilzer at Airshow Mastering, Takoma Park, MD;
Cover art by Murray Callahan;
Graphic design and layout by Roger Mock;
Photo by J.F. Ellison, at Bacca Pipes Folk Club, Keighley, UK

See also John Roberts and Debra Cowan’s Ballads Long & Short webpage with notes and song lyrics.

Musicians

Debra Cowan: vocals;
John Roberts: vocals, banjo, Anglo concertina;
Bill Cooley: guitar [4]

Tracks

1. Drive Dull Care Away (Roud 13988) (3.42)
2. The Broadside Man (3.01)
3. The Tailor’s Breeches (Roud 1610; TYG 49) (3.21)
4. Fair Annie (Roud 42; Child 62; G/D 6:1161; Henry H126) (8.31)
5. Garners Gay (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (4.23)
6. Combing the Mane (2.45)
7. The ’Cornstalk’ (Roud 3204; TYG 40) (4.59)
8. The Bonny Hind (Roud 205; Child 50) (5.53)
9. Twa Corbies (Roud 5; Child 26) (2.45)
10. When Fortune Turns the Wheel (Roud 3798; G/D 3:667) (3.09)
11. Gypsum Davy (Roud 1; Child 200; G/D 2:278; Henry H124) (4.21)
12. Jim Jones (Roud 5478) (3.17)
13. Anderson’s Coast (5.35)
14. Bold Riley (4.12)

All tracks trad. except
Track 2 Bill Meek, John Conolly (1970);
Track 6 Chris Sugden (1993);
Track 13 John Warner (Sydney, 1992)

In September 1969, John Roberts and Tony Barrand, graduate students at Cornell University, performed their first concert together as folk musicians. Singing informally at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival earlier that summer, they had met the redoubtable Maggi Peirce who hired them for her coffeehouse concert series, the Tryworks in New Bedford. With friend and supporter Mark Phillips (who owned the car!) they made the trek from Ithaca to New Bedford, marking the beginning of a long career.

In the following decades John and Tony played all the major folk festivals and venues, and became recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as the leading ambassadors of traditional English folksong in the USA, releasing over a dozen CDs, plus a half-dozen more with the quartet Nowell Sing We Clear.

This CD set, a live recording of one of their classic concerts, was released on the occasion of their 50^th anniversary concert, September 2019, kindly hosted by the Brattleboro Music Center.

Recorded by Rich Warren of WFMT Radio, Chicago, at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, on 21 January 1978;
Remastered by Rob van Sante

Musicians

John Roberts: vocals, guitar, banjo, concertinas;
Tony Barrand: vocals

Tracks

CD 1

1. Set 1 Intro / Come All You Garners Gay (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (4.37)
2. Intro to The Brisk Young Tailor (0.55)
3. The Brisk Young Tailor (Roud 1610; TYG 49) (2.30)
4. Peter Street (Roud 1902; Laws K42) (3.19)
5. Intro to William Taylor (1.42)
6. William Taylor (Roud 158; Laws N11; G/D 1:169; Henry H213, H757) (4.25)
7. Mister Fox (story) (10.34)
8. Reynardine (Roud 397; Laws P15; G/D 2:333) (3.21)
9. The Gas Man Cometh (3.22)
10. Good Ale (Roud 203; G/D 3:590) (3.20)
11. Intro to Herrin’s Head (3.20)
12. Herrin’s Head (Roud 128; TYG 31) (4.29)
13. Intro to The Two Magicians (1.17)
14. The Two Magicians (Roud 1350; Child 44; G/D 2:334) (6.08)
15. Whiskey Before Breakfast / Bay of Fundy banjo tunes (3.52)
16. Intro to Clog Dancing (2.08)
17. Off to California / Brown Coffin / Navvy on the Line (clog) (4.10)

CD 2

1. The Painful Plough (Roud 355; G/D 3:448) (3.59)
2. Intro to We’ll Rant and We’ll Roar (2.33)
3. We’ll Rant and We’ll Roar (Roud 687) (3.43)
4. Intro to Lady Franklin’s Lament (3.21)
5. Lady Franklin’s Lament (Roud 487; Laws K9; G/D 1:16; Henry H815) (5.11)
6. Intro to The Derby Ram (1.56)
7. The Derby Ram (Roud 126; G/D 3:645; TYG 59) (4.29)
8. Intro to Ballad of the Cowpuncher (1.29)
9. Ballad of the Cowpuncher (3.38)
10. Set 2 Intro / I Wish They’d Do It Now (Roud 1401; G/D 7:1447) (3.33)
11. The Cheerful Horn (Roud 217; G/D 4:727) (3.49)
12. The Maid on the Shore (Roud 181, V28472; Laws K27)e (4.37)
13. The Cluster of Nuts (Roud 1261) (4.28)
14. Farewell She (Roud 1034, 803; Henry H504) (3.47)
15. The Shoemaker’s Kiss (Roud 3807; G/D 1:50) (4.18)

CD 3

1. Intro to The Bitter Withy (1.29)
2. The Bitter Withy (Roud 452) (2.35)
3. Albert and the Lion (monologue) (4.08)
4. Henery the Eighth (Roud V53401) (3.50)
5. Intro to Down Below (1.53)
6. Down Below (2.28)
7. Come Day, Go Day (4.25)
8. Country Gardens / Maid of the Mill / Glorisher (2.11)
9. Intro to The Nutting Girl (1.57)
10. The Nutting Girl (Roud 509; G/D 7:1475) (3.36)
11. The Baffled Knight (Roud 11; Child 112; G/D 2:301) (4.56)
12. Barbara Allen (Roud 54; Child 84; G/D 6:1193; Henry H236) (4.09)
13. Intro to Congleton Bear (1.36)
14. Congleton Bear (3.30)
15. Intro to The Barley Mow (3.14)
16. The Barley Mow (Roud 944, 10722) (5.32)
17. Thyme (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (5.08)

All tracks trad. except
Track 1:9 Flanders & Swann;
Track 1:15b Gordon Bok;
Track 2:9 Genny Haley;
Track 3:3 Marriott Edgar;
Track 3:4 Fred Murray, R.P. Weston;
Track 3:6 Sydney Carter;
Track 3:7 Glyn Hughes;
Track 3:14 words John Tams, music trad., Swaggering Boney