> The Watersons > Lal Waterson

Songs of Lal Lal Waterson Waterson

(15 February 1943 - 4 September 1998)

performed by herself, The Watersons and others

1972

Lal & Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus (Trailer LES 2076) Lal and Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus, LP, Trailer LES 2076, 1972

Mike Waterson: Rubber Band (Transatlantic BIG 507) Lal and Mike Waterson: Rubber Band / Red Wine and Promises, single, Transatlantic BIG 507, 1972

1977

Lal & Norma Waterson: A True Hearted Girl (Topic 12TS331) Lal and Norma Waterson: A True Hearted Girl, LP, Topic 12TS331, 1977

1994

No Masters Voice (No Masters NMVCD4) No Masters Voice (No Masters NMVCD4) Various Artists: No Masters (Voice), CD, No Masters NMCD4
Mike sings McIlroy the Emerald Cowboy; Lal sings Midnight Feast, which is later to appear on Once in a Blue Moon

1996

Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon (Topic TSCD478) Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon (Topic TSCD478) Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon, CD, Topic TSCD478, 1996

1999

Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: A Bed of Roses (Topic TSCD505) Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: A Bed of Roses, CD, Topic TSCD505, 1999

Lal & Norma Waterson: A True Hearted Girl (Topic TSCD507) Lal and Norma Waterson: A True Hearted Girl, CD, Topic TSCD507, 1999

2000

Lal & Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus (Trailer LESCD 2076) Lal and Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus, CD, Trailer/Leader LESCD 2076, 2000

2013

Lal Waterson: Teach Me to Be a Summer’s Morning (Fledg’ling FLED3095) Lal Waterson: Teach Me to Be a Summer’s Morning, book w/ CD, Fledg’ling FLED3095, 2013

Cover versions of Lal Waterson’s songs

2002

Shining Bright (Topic TSCD519) Various Artists: Shining Bright: The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson, CD, Topic TSCD519, 2002

2007

Jo Freya's Lal Waterson Project (No Masters NMCD27) Jo Freya's Lal Waterson Project: Lal, CD, No Masters NMCD27, 2007

Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson (Honest Jon's HJRCD31) Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson (Honest Jon's HJP40) Various Artists: Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson, CD/EP, Honest Jon's HJRCD31/HJP40, 2007

Songs From Bright Phoebus

Fine Horseman

  1. Anne Briggs: The Time Has Come (1971)
    An earlier version of Fine Horseman than on Bright Phoebus. In her notes, Anne Briggs writes: “Lal Knight has written a number of songs - this is the first of hers that I heard. I’d like to sing all the songs she’s written, but better still I’d like to hear her sing them herself.”
  2. Dave Smith and Judy Dinning [of Lucky Bags], Waiting for the Change (1983)
  3. Silly Sisters: No More to the Dance (1988)
  4. Barbara Dickson: Dark End of the Street (1995)
  5. Dick Gaughan: Redwood Cathedral (1998)
    reissued on Dick Gaughan: The Definitive Collection (2006)
  6. Lucky Bags: Delight in Disorder (1998)
  7. Erica Smith: Erica Smith (2001)
  8. June Tabor with the Creative Jazz Orchestra live at the Purcell Room, London, 4 October 1998 on her anthology Always (2005)
  9. The Owl Service on their EP Wake the Vaulted Echo, (2006), on The Pattern Beneath the Plough, Parts 1 and 2 (2011), on Garland Sessions (2012),, and on the anthology The Inner Octave (2011)
  10. Tinkerscuss: Mythago (2007)
  11. Lisa Knapp on Music and Migration III (2013)
  12. Promise & the Monster, Feed the Fire (2016)

Red Wine and Promises

  1. Tony Capstick: Tony Capstick Does a Turn (1978)
  2. June Tabor live on The Best of Mountain Stage Volume Two (1991)
  3. Grace Notes: Red Wine & Promises (1998)

The Scarecrow

  1. Tony Capstick: Tony Capstick Does a Turn (1978)
  2. June Tabor: Abyssinians (1983)
    Reissued on her compilations Aspects (1990), The Definitive Collection (2003)
    (Tabor writes: “The strength of visual image is worthy of Ingmar Bergman, as is the story: the Earth Mother is all-powerful here.”)
  3. The Fatima Mansions on their EP Evil Man (1992)
  4. Deb Sandland, Phil Beer and Jem McAuley on Heart of England (2000)
  5. James Yorkston: Someplace Simple (2003)
  6. The Witches of Elswick: Out of Bed (2003)
  7. Tinkerscuss: Mythago (2007)

To Make You Stay

  1. Tinkerscuss: Mythago (2007)
  2. Offa Rex: The Queen of Hearts (2017)

Songs From Once in a Blue Moon

Altisidora

  1. Karen Tweed & Ian Carr: Fyace (1997)
    This is a cover version of the Altisidora tune, not the words.

At First She Starts

  1. The Unthanks: Here’s the Tender Coming (2009)

Bath Time

  1. Freya Federation: Freya Federation (2000)

Cornfield

  1. Christine Collister: Songbird (1999)
  2. James Yorkston & The Big Eyes Family Players: Analogue Catalogue Sessions (2009)

Flight of the Pelican

  1. The Woodbine & Ivy Band: Sleep On Sleeping On (2015)

Midnight Feast

  1. Christine Collister: Blue Aconite (1997)
  2. Tanteeka (Andy Cutting, Jo Freya, Alice Kinloch, Oliver Knight): A New Tradition (1997)
  3. Denny Bartley: Midnight Feast (2002)
  4. James Yorkston: When the Haar Rolls In (2008)
  5. Lau vs. Karine Polwart: Evergreen (2010)

Some Old Salty

  1. Salt Fare, North Sea on Chumbawamba’s album Readymades has a vocal sample of Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight from Some Old Salty.
  2. A live version sung at Cropredy 1999 by Maddy Prior, Jacqui McShee, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie is on Cropredy - The Best and the Guests, the bonus CD of Free Reed’s Fairport unConventioNal (2002)
  3. Simpson · Cutting · Kerr: Murmurs (2015)

Stumbling On

  1. Eliza Carthy: Red Rice / Red (1998)

Songs From A Bed of Roses

Migrating Bird

  1. Grace Notes: Anchored to the Time (2001)

Other Songs by Lal Waterson

Anna Dixie

  1. Norma Waterson: Norma Waterson (1996)
  2. Debra Cowan: Greening the Dark (2019)

The Bird

  1. Jackie Oates: The Joy of Living (2018)

Black Horse

  1. Lisa Knapp: Hidden Seam (2013)

Hilda’s Cabinet Band

  1. The Watersons on Hard Cash (1998)

Marvellous Companion

  1. Jo Freya: Female Smuggler (2008)

The Piper’s Path

  1. Christy Moore: This Is the Day (2001)
  2. Freya Abbott Ferguson: Get Well Soon (2011)

Reply to Joe Haines

  1. Norma Waterson: The Very Thought of You (1999)

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Green Gilman who did most of the research. Garry Gillard also thanks Hilary Denham.