The Watersons: Mike Waterson (vocals, guitar); Pete Ogley (vocals, banjo); John Harrison (vocals, mandolin); Nancy Kerr (vocals, fiddle); Saul Rose (vocals, melodeon); Eliza Carthy, Jim Boyes, Lal Waterson, Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, Peter Bellamy, Royston & Heather Wood, Rachel Waterson, Heather Brady, Dave Brady, Jill Pidd, Barry Coope, Lester Simpson, Eleanor Waterson, Maria Gilhooley (vocals); Oliver Knight (guitar); Steafan Hannigan (banjo, pipes); Ralph Jordan (bouzouki); Dave Swarbrick (fiddle); Oliver Brookes (cello); Alan Lumsden (serpent); Sophia Wilson (oboe); Felix Warnock (bassoon); Tony Engle (saxophone); Steve Heap (cornet); John Adams (trombone); Alex West (tuba); Chris Parkinson, Martin Green (piano); Barnaby Stradling (bass guitar, percussion); Sam Thomas (drums, percussion); Bill Leader (drums); John Tams (cymbals).
Ensemble: Gabriel's Horns.
Arranger: Dolly Collins.
Now this is a box set. The Watersons are the true first family of Great Britain when it comes to traditional Celtic folk music. This four-CD, one-DVD deluxe package is a grand overview of the various Waterson incarnations over a couple of generations. The box traces the careers of Lal, Mike, and Norma Waterson through their earliest groups, like the Folksons with Pete Ogley and John Harrison in 1964. "Blood Red Roses," is a performance from a live gig, and was previously unreleased. It is true that it's only a fragment of the song, but it does offer, even if just a snippet, a view of the entire Waterson universe as it was contained even then. The sound of straining at the margins is everywhere evident. Tracks from the Folk Songs of Britain: Songs of Courtship LP from 1965 and long out of print is here, as well as cuts from the Early Days and Frost and Fire albums also from that year, and Folk Union One from 1966. There are also cuts from Yorkshire Garland -- also out of print, and the TV documentary Traveling for a Living (the video of which is included in its entirety on the enclosed DVD). If anything, this single DVD is a startling overview of the range and ambition of the Watersons from the outset: there were no boundaries to the song collecting antics of Mike Waterson and John Harrison, and it is reflected in the wildly diverse traditional and obscuro offerings on this disc. Disc Two commences in 1974 with the first appearance of Norma's husband, the inimitable guitarist and vocalist Martin Carthy as a member of the Watersons, thus marking the group's most well-known lineup. There are several previously unissued gems here, too, including gorgeous readings of the "Pace-Egging Song," "Boston Harbour," and "Sweet William." Other cuts are taken from the classic For Pence & Spicey Ale, and Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy, and solo outings by Norma and Lal with Maria Gilhooley on True Hearted Girl, and solo offerings from Mike, as well. There is a plethora of unreleased live tracks here to round it all out. Disc Three boasts a wealth of live unissued tracks, though there are cuts from the reunion efforts Green Fields and Sounds of Yorkshire. In addition, there are previously unavailable solo cuts by Mike and Carthy, as well as an appearance by the group on Peter Bellamy's Both Sides Then outing. Finally, the last slab in this package turns its gaze on the final Hard Cash album, in addition to numerous festival, concert hall, and radio program visits by the group and individual members, and moves into more current territory with Norma's fine solo albums, the addition of Carthy and Norma's daughter, Eliza Carthy, to the group, and the formation of Waterson: Carthy and Blue Murder, which features all of the Watersons, as well as Lester Simpson. There are a number of solo cuts as well from Lal's beautiful duet with Maria Gilhooley on Ewan MacColl's "Just A Note," and Eliza's stunning "Stumbling On." In all, this box is almost too much of a good thing. It is wonderfully packaged with a fantastic set of liners by compilation producer and comUncut (3/04, p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The Watersons' vocal sound stood apart, and created an energy as exciting as anything in rock'n'roll..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/04, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The key component shining through it all is their rampant, irresistible love of performance."
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Mighty River of Song Review
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