Dedicated to Stanley Robertson

Produced by Gerry Diver [1, 3-5, 8], Sam Lee [6-7], and Sam Lee and ‘Tank and Trumpet’ [2];
Recorded by Gerry Diver at the Tunehouse Studio, Colliers Wood, London, and by Roz Olsher at Fossil Studios, Hackney, London;
Photography by Ric Morris Pushinsky;
Notes by Sam Lee and Becky Lee;
Design and layout by Fred Stidson and Sam Lee

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals, shruti box;
Michael Wright: jew’s harp;
Saul Eisenberg: jew’s harp, percussion;
Ed Hicks: banjo;
Johnny Bridgwood: bass;
Gerry Diver: fiddle, Fender Rhodes, piano, autoharp;
Steve Chadwick: trumpet;
Francesca Ter-Berg: cello;
Ewan Bleach: clarinet;
Chris Coe: hammered dulcimer;
Flora Curzon: fiddle;
Danyal Dehondy: viola;
Francesco Di Luisi: hang drum

Tracks

1. The Ballad of George Collins (Roud 147; Child 42/85) (4.00)
2. On Yonder Hill (Roud 5173) (6.20)
3. Wild Wood Amber (Roud 1716) (6.15)
4. Goodbye My Darling (Roud 1488) (4.33)
5. The Jew’s Garden (Roud 73; Child 155) (4.10)
6. The Tan Yard Side (Roud 1021; Laws M28; Henry H52b) (5.33)
7. Northlands (Roud 21; Child 4; G/D 2:225; Henry H163) (6.29)
8. My Ausheen (My Old Shoes) (Roud 154; G/D 6:1198) (5.42)

All tracks trad. except
Track 5 Sam Lee

Produced by Jamie Orchard-Lisle and Arthur Jeffes;
Recorded at the Hideaway courtesy of Imogen Heap;
Additional mixing by Les Mommsen

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals, jew’s harp, shruti box;
Francesca Ter-Berg: cello;
Jonah Brody: Japanese koto (harp), ukulele, kantelle;
Steve Chadwick: trumpet;
Josh Green: percussion;
Flora Curzon: violin

Tracks

1. Phoenix Island (Roud 267; Laws N37; Henry H826) (5.10)
   learnt from the Delaney Family
2. Over Yonder’s Hill (Roud 60; Laws P25; G/D 6:1170; Henry H683) (5.23)
   learnt from the Birch Family of Cornwall
3. Moorlough Maggie (Roud 12939) (7.17)
   learnt from Stanley Robertson
4. Airdog (Roud 363) (5.03)
   learnt from the Smiths, a Gloucestershire Gypsy family

All tracks trad

Produced and mixed by Arthur Jeffes and Jamie Orchard-Lisle;
Additional mixing by Leo Abrahams on tracks 1-3, 9

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals, backing vocals [2], shruti box [5, 10], jew’s harp [9], kantelle [10];
Josh Green: percussion [1-10], tubes [1];
Francesca Ter-Berg: cello [4-10];
Flora Curzon: violin [2, 4-10];
Steve Chadwick: trumpet [1, 3-7, 9], horn [1], conch [1], piano [4, 10], cornet [8];
Jonah Brody: ukulele [1-2, 5, 7-8], piano [3], bass [3], Japanese koto (harp) [4, 6], flute [9];
Leo Anrahams: keyboards [1];
Johnny Cope: willow flute [2];
Cosmo Sheldrake: banjo [3, 10];
Bernard O’Neil: double bass [3, 4-5, 7, 9];
Miguel Tantos trombone [3: 4, 6];
Pete Smith: tuba [3, 4, 6];
Roundhouse Choir [4, 7, 11];
Charlotte Higgins and Hamish Henderson, 1956 interview [4];
Freda Black: shruti box [5];
Saul Eisenberg: tanks [7];
Jaron Freeman-Fox: fiddle [9];
Arthur Jeffes: piano [12]

Tracks

1. Jonny o’ the Brine (Roud 69; Child 114; G/D 2:250) (4.50)
   learnt from Stanley Robertson who learnt it from Jeannie Robertson
2. Bonny Bunch of Roses (Roud 664; Laws J5; G/D 1:155) (4.11)
   learnt from Freda Black
3. Blackbird (Roud 387; Henry H79) (4.13)
   from the singing of May Bradley
4. Lord Gregory (Roud 22558) (6.38)
   learnt from Stanley Robertson
5. Over Yonder’s Hill (Roud 60; Laws P25; G/D 6:1170; Henry H683) (6.24)
   learnt from the Birch Family of Cornwall
6. Moorlough Maggie (Roud 12939) (7.19)
   learnt from Stanley Robertson who learnt it from Maggie Stewart
7. Phoenix Island (Roud 267; Laws N37; Henry H826) (4.50)
   learnt from the Delaney Family
8. The Moon Shone on My Bed Last Night (Roud 6959) (6.06)
   learnt from Stanley Robertson who learnt it from Jeannie Robertson
9. Willie-O (Roud 22567) (5.15)
   learnt from Sheila Stewart
10. Airdog (Roud 363) (5.04)
    learnt from the Smiths, a Gloucestershire Gypsy family
11. Lovely Molly (Roud 1446; Henry H780) (5.19)
    learnt from Stanley Robertson who learnt it from Lizzie Higgins
12. The Moss House (5.36)
    learnt from Sally Connors, an Irish traveller in Bunclody, Ireland

All tracks trad.

Recorded by Daniel Halford on 8-10 September 2015 at Brunel University;
Edited by Peter Wiegold and Martin Butler;
Mixed by Chris Lewis and Peter Wiegold;
Mastered by Chris Lewis;
Design by Francois Hall

Folk Radio UK review by David Kidman

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals;
Peter Wiegold: Note Inégales director, keyboard;
Fraser Fifield: pipes, saxophone;
Max Baillie: violin;
Joel Bell: guitar;
Ben Markland: bass;
Simon Limbrick: percussion;
Martin Butler: piano

Tracks

1. Rambling Boys (Roud 519; Laws L18; G/D 2:252) (7.04)
2. Deep Blue Sea (Roud 3119) (4.09)
3. Botany Bay / Bad Company (Roud 261; Laws L16; G/D 2:260; Henry H691, 202) (5.31)
4. Suit of Blue (7.11)
5. Quicker Now Than Any Wind (4.47)
6. Laurel Green (8.21)
7. Middle of the Ocean / The Cuckoo She’s a Merry Bird (Roud 413; G/D 6:1157; Henry H479) (9.26)
8. Flash Company (Roud 954) (5.22)
9. The Submarine Gardens / I Have Travelled in Exile (Roud 12492) (5.42)

All tracks trad.

Produced and mixed by Bernard Butler;
Recorded by Isabel Gracefield at RAK Studio, St Johns Wood, London, and Studio 355, London;
Assistant engineers Amanda Merdzan, Dan Ewins;
Mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios;
Tracks 11-12 recorded at Stonehenge, 20 February 2021;
Tracks 13-14 recorded at RAK Studio, 19 November 2020;
Tracks 15-16 recorded by Tom Stuart, April 2017, and Matan Rochlitz, May 2018;
Additional mixing tracks 11-14 by Nicholas O’Brien;
Additional mastering tracks 11-16 by George Shilling;
Photography by Jonathan Ashworth;
Artwork by Alex Merry;
Design and layout by Mat Martin

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals, shruti box [15-16];
James Keay: piano [1-8, 10-14];
Misha Mullov-Abbado: double bass [1-5, 7-14];
Josh Green: drums and percussion [1-5, 8-10];
Bernard Butler: electric guitar [1-2, 9-10, 13];
Letty Stott: French horn [1-5, 10];
Yusif Narcin: trombone [1-2, 4];
Anthony Albrecht: cello [1, 4, 8];
Matthew Barley: cello [3, 5];
Saul Eisenberg: additional percussion [1-2, 5, 8];
Mara Carlyle: vocals [2, 13];
Cosmo Sheldrake: vocals [2], banjo [16];
Rowan ‘Disraeli’ Sawday: vocals [2];
Elizabeth Fraser: vocals [3, 14];
Adrian Freedman: shakuhachi [6];
Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh: Hardanger d’amore [7];
Ben Edwards: hammered dulcimer [5];
Joseph O’Keefe: violin [11-14];
Lisa Knapp: violin [15];
Tommie Black-Roff: accordion [16]

Tracks

Heart

1. The Garden of England (Seeds of Love) (Roud 3; G/D 6:1180) (4.17)
2. Lay This Body Down (Roud 5732) (4.48)
3. The Moon Shines Bright (Roud 702) (4.14)
4. Soul Cake (Roud 304) (6.00)

Hearth

5. Spencer the Rover (Roud 1115; TYG 3) (4.52)
6. Jasper Sea (Roud 31047) (5.57)
7. Sweet Sixteen (Roud 5138) (3.11)

Earth

8. Turtle Dove (Roud 422) (4.50)
9. Worthy Wood (4.12)
10. Balnafanen (5.24)

Additional Tracks of 2021 CD Old Wow+

Stonehenge

11. Awake, Awake Sweet England (Roud 2111) (1.40)
12. John Barleycorn (Roud 164; G/D 3:559) (4.59)

RAK Studio

13. Lay This Body Down (Roud 5732) (Live) (4.38)
14. The Moon Shines Bright (Roud 702) (Live) (4.40)

Nightingales

13. The Tan Yard Side (Roud 1021; Laws M28; Henry H52b) – Singing With Nightingales (6.35)
14. Improvisation – Singing With Nightingales (5.27)

All tracks trad. except
Track 9 Ruth Tongue

The Songs of England collection is curated by English Heritage and The Nest Collective. Featuring original performances, these 12 short films weave together traditional folk music with tales both real and imagined associated with England’s most iconic historic places.

Commissioned under lockdown by English Heritage via the Nest Collective

Musicians

see the individial tracks, plus

Ellie Wilson: violin [1, 3, 6, 8, 11]

Songs

1. Fay Hield: The Whitby Lad (Roud 261; Laws L16; G/D 2:260; Henry H691, H202)
2. Lisa Knapp: Sweet Nightingale (Roud 371)
3. Brothers Gillespie: When Fortune Turns the Wheel (Roud 3798; G/D 3:667)
4. Bea Hankey: The Old Garden Gate (Roud 419; Henry H593)
5. Abel Selaocoe: Four Loom Weaver (Roud 937)
6. Sam Lee: John Barleycorn (Roud 164; G/D 3:559)
7. Jon Boden: High Germany (Roud 904; G/D 1:96)
8. Dila Vardar: Bedfordshire May Carol (Roud 305)
9. Mara Carlyle: A Ship to Old England Came (Roud 1424)
10. Alice Zawadzki: Salisbury Plain (Roud 1487)
11. Lucy Farrell: The Lady of Carlisle (Roud 396; Laws O25; G/D 5:1056; Henry H474)
12. Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith: Peat-Bog Soldiers

All songs trad. except
Song 12 words Johann Esser, Wolfgang Langhaff; music Rudi Goguel adapt. Hanns Eisler, Ernst Busch

Produced and mixed by Bernard Butler;
Recorded by Andy Hughes at Love Electric and Bernard Butler at Studio 355;
Mastered by George Shilling;
All photographs by Dominick Tyler;
Design by Mat Martin Studio

KLOF Magazine review by Johnny Whalley

Musicians

Sam Lee: vocals;
James Keay: piano;
Misha Mullov-Abbado: double bass;
Josh Green: percussion;
Bernard Butler: electric guitar;
Joseph O’Keefe: violin

with
Ilā Kamalagharan: vocals [2,4];
Ali Levack: Scottish smallpipes [1], whistle [5,6];
Fredy Samuel Lundh: nyckelharpa [7];
Yusuf Narçin: trombone [1-2, 4-5, 8-9];
Bridget O’Donnell: violin [1-2];
Benjin Pollock: nyckelharpa [7];
Laetitia Stott: French horn [1-2, 4-5, 8];
Jack Yglesias: percussion [1, 7];
Maya Youssef: qanun [8];
Alice Zawadzki: violin [3];
Eurasian curlew [3]

Trans Voices [2, 4-5, 9]:
Jackson Harms
Coda Nicolaeff
Kobi Ayensuo
Ilā Kamalagharan
Elouiza France

Tracks

1. Bushes and Briars (Roud 1027) (4.31)
2. Meeting Is a Pleasant Place (Roud 454; G/D 6:1192; Henry H615, H625) (5.06)
3. MacCrimmon (Roud 5134) (6.27)
4. Leaves of Life (Roud 127) (5.33)
5. Green Mossy Banks (Roud 987; Laws O15) (4.43)
6. Aye Walking Oh (Roud 6749, V16870; G/D 5:933) (7.04)
7. Dreams of the Returning (5.31)
8. Black Dog and Sheep Crook (Roud 948; Henry H30a) (4.49)
9. Sweet Girl McRee (Roud 20526) (4.08)