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the Hart of England
Oct. 6th, 2010 08:39 pmWhen I wrote last December of the death of English folk-music great Tim Hart, several commenters were kind enough to alert me that Hart's My Very Favourite Nursery Rhyme Record was about to be re-released on CD along with its sequel, Drunken Sailor and Other Kids' Songs, which I'd never heard.
Well, now I have the CD set and have heard the sequel, a record which I've been regretting not finding when it was new for over 25 years. Its selection is a little bit less famous than the first album, though it does have the likes of "Clementine" and "Cockles and Mussels". As a collection it's really quite on the same level of the first one, and I'm delighted finally to have it. As before, Hart and Maddy Prior provide most of the vocals, with one solo turn by the striking Melanie Harrold. Her almost reggae "Bobby Shaftoe" on the first album is more than matched this time by a delightfully energetic version of "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night". Harrold and Prior also provide the eerily distantly-miked answers to Hart's questions in a stunning "Who Killed Cock Robin?" No guest appearances by Bob Johnson or John Kirkpatrick this time; instead, we have two songs from the gravel-voiced Brian Golbey (also fiddler in the band), who does "Clementine" and an incredibly crusty "Widdicombe Fair".
Where the first album took the over-familiar and dull tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and made it the highlight of the album by sheer infusion of energy, this album does the same with the equally unpromising "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?" Hart must have known he had a winner with this one, because not only is it the title track, he made a promotional video. (I found this once before on YouTube, a couple years ago, but it was taken down. So watch this re-post while you still can, though the sound quality bites rocks.)While I'm at it, occasional videos of early Steeleye Span have been also appearing online. Here's one of an unfortunately cut-off performance, apparently from a house concert, of "The Lark in the Morning". (This had also been up on YouTube earlier, taken down, and reposted.) The first musician you see playing is Hart on his dulcimer. Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy share vocal duties; Peter Knight is the fiddler, and bassist Ashley Hutchings is sitting inconspicuously in a chair behind Maddy. The guy with the glasses isWarren Meers from Buffy just there to set up the microphone and listen. Lucky fellow.
Well, now I have the CD set and have heard the sequel, a record which I've been regretting not finding when it was new for over 25 years. Its selection is a little bit less famous than the first album, though it does have the likes of "Clementine" and "Cockles and Mussels". As a collection it's really quite on the same level of the first one, and I'm delighted finally to have it. As before, Hart and Maddy Prior provide most of the vocals, with one solo turn by the striking Melanie Harrold. Her almost reggae "Bobby Shaftoe" on the first album is more than matched this time by a delightfully energetic version of "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night". Harrold and Prior also provide the eerily distantly-miked answers to Hart's questions in a stunning "Who Killed Cock Robin?" No guest appearances by Bob Johnson or John Kirkpatrick this time; instead, we have two songs from the gravel-voiced Brian Golbey (also fiddler in the band), who does "Clementine" and an incredibly crusty "Widdicombe Fair".
Where the first album took the over-familiar and dull tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and made it the highlight of the album by sheer infusion of energy, this album does the same with the equally unpromising "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?" Hart must have known he had a winner with this one, because not only is it the title track, he made a promotional video. (I found this once before on YouTube, a couple years ago, but it was taken down. So watch this re-post while you still can, though the sound quality bites rocks.)While I'm at it, occasional videos of early Steeleye Span have been also appearing online. Here's one of an unfortunately cut-off performance, apparently from a house concert, of "The Lark in the Morning". (This had also been up on YouTube earlier, taken down, and reposted.) The first musician you see playing is Hart on his dulcimer. Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy share vocal duties; Peter Knight is the fiddler, and bassist Ashley Hutchings is sitting inconspicuously in a chair behind Maddy. The guy with the glasses is
