The Carthy Chronicles

Rating

Album: The Carthy Chronicles: A Journey Through the Folk Revival [Box]
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Scarborough Fair
2)	Byker Hill
3)	Cold Haily Windy Night
4)	Skewbald
5)	Creeping Jane
6)	Old Horse
7)	Question of Sport, A
8)	Lovely Joan
9)	Maid and the Palmer, The
10)	Begging Song
11)	I Was a Young Man
12)	Prince Heathen
13)	Prickle Holly Bush
14)	Lord Franklin
15)	Lemady / Arise And Pick A Posy
16)	Famous Flower of Serving Men
17)	Glorishears
1)	New St. George, The
2)	Carthy's March / The Lemmon Tree
3)	I Haven't Told Her, She Hasn't Told Me
4)	My Girl
5)	Boys of Bedlam
6)	Oh Had I a Golden Thread
7)	AMC Song (Azicatal)
8)	Wimoweh - (excerpt)
9)	Young Banker
10)	Postman's Knock, The
11)	Constant Billy
12)	Lakes of Cold Flynn
13)	Irish Washerwoman / The Ash Plant
14)	Arthur McBride
15)	The Royal Forester / Bald-Headed End Of The Broom
16)	Nafarroa
17)	Wren, The
18)	King, The
19)	Joy Health Love and Peace
20)	Hunting the Wren
21)	Hunting the Cutty Wren
22)	Byker Hill
1)	Nothing Rhymed
2)	Lord of the Dance
3)	Rivers of Babylon
4)	History Lesson
5)	January Man
6)	Ballad of Alfie Hinds
7)	Humane Turnkey, The
8)	Farewell, Farewell
9)	Dust to Dust
10)	Stitch in Time
11)	Trindon Grange Disaster
12)	Palaces of Gold
13)	Springhill Mine Disaster
14)	Coal Not Dole
15)	Perfumes of Arabia
16)	Such a War Has Never Been
17)	Wife of the Soldier, The
18)	Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, The
19)	Ant and the Grasshopper, The
20)	Company Policy
21)	Monday Morning
22)	Rave On
23)	Oor Hamlet
24)	Harry Lime Theme, The
1)	Jack Orion
2)	Leaves of Life
3)	Duncan and Brady
4)	Geordie
5)	Sir Patrick Spens
6)	King Henry
7)	Sovay the Female Highwayman
8)	Man of Newlyn Town
9)	Bows of London, The
10)	Lucy Wan
11)	Lord Randall
12)	Whale Catchers, The
13)	Rufford Park Poachers
14)	John Barleycorn
15)	Hard Times of Old England
16)	Hard Cheese of Old England
17)	Over the Hills and Far Away
18)	Farmer's Servant, The
19)	False Knight on the Road
20)	Elfin Knight, The

Album: The Carthy Chronicles: A Journey Through the Folk Revival [Box]
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Scarborough Fair
2)	Byker Hill
3)	Cold Haily Windy Night
4)	Skewbald
5)	Creeping Jane
6)	Old Horse
7)	Question of Sport, A
8)	Lovely Joan
9)	Maid and the Palmer, The
10)	Begging Song
11)	I Was a Young Man
12)	Prince Heathen
13)	Prickle Holly Bush
14)	Lord Franklin
15)	Lemady / Arise And Pick A Posy
16)	Famous Flower of Serving Men
17)	Glorishears
1)	New St. George, The
2)	Carthy's March / The Lemmon Tree
3)	I Haven't Told Her, She Hasn't Told Me
4)	My Girl
5)	Boys of Bedlam
6)	Oh Had I a Golden Thread
7)	AMC Song (Azicatal)
8)	Wimoweh - (excerpt)
9)	Young Banker
10)	Postman's Knock, The
11)	Constant Billy
12)	Lakes of Cold Flynn
13)	Irish Washerwoman / The Ash Plant
14)	Arthur McBride
15)	The Royal Forester / Bald-Headed End Of The Broom
16)	Nafarroa
17)	Wren, The
18)	King, The
19)	Joy Health Love and Peace
20)	Hunting the Wren
21)	Hunting the Cutty Wren
22)	Byker Hill
1)	Nothing Rhymed
2)	Lord of the Dance
3)	Rivers of Babylon
4)	History Lesson
5)	January Man
6)	Ballad of Alfie Hinds
7)	Humane Turnkey, The
8)	Farewell, Farewell
9)	Dust to Dust
10)	Stitch in Time
11)	Trindon Grange Disaster
12)	Palaces of Gold
13)	Springhill Mine Disaster
14)	Coal Not Dole
15)	Perfumes of Arabia
16)	Such a War Has Never Been
17)	Wife of the Soldier, The
18)	Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, The
19)	Ant and the Grasshopper, The
20)	Company Policy
21)	Monday Morning
22)	Rave On
23)	Oor Hamlet
24)	Harry Lime Theme, The
1)	Jack Orion
2)	Leaves of Life
3)	Duncan and Brady
4)	Geordie
5)	Sir Patrick Spens
6)	King Henry
7)	Sovay the Female Highwayman
8)	Man of Newlyn Town
9)	Bows of London, The
10)	Lucy Wan
11)	Lord Randall
12)	Whale Catchers, The
13)	Rufford Park Poachers
14)	John Barleycorn
15)	Hard Times of Old England
16)	Hard Cheese of Old England
17)	Over the Hills and Far Away
18)	Farmer's Servant, The
19)	False Knight on the Road
20)	Elfin Knight, The

Performer Notes

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel includes: Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Bert Jansch, Three City Four, Brass Monkey, Wood Wilson Carthy, Dave Swarbrick, Steeleye Span, Howard Evans, John Kirkpatrick, Plain Capers Band, The Albion Band, The Watersons, Band Of Hope, June Tabor, Rory McEwan, Ashley Hutchings, Oskorri, Les Barker, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Sidney Carter, Dave Goulder, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Berthold Brectht.
Producers: Neil Wayne, Nigel Schofield.
Compilation producer: Neil Wayne.
Includes a 100 page booklet with biography, discography, a photo archive, and liner notes by Martin Carthy, Nigel Schofield, Colin Irwin, John Kirkpatrick, John Peel, Dave Swarbrick, and John Roberts.
It would be far too easy to simply call this the definitive Martin Carthy compilation. Given its length -- four CDs plus a CD-ROM -- it would seem to cover all the high spots. In fact, it goes far deeper, looking at his career not chronologically, but splitting the albums into Classic Carthy, Carthy in Company, Carthy Contemporaries, and Child: Carthy. It's an approach that works well and which also discovers plenty of hidden gems that have never seen the light of day before, from early live performances to tracks by his first band, Three City Four, that have never been reissued on CD. It all underscores the fact that Carthy is a major force in English -- and British -- folk music, someone who deserves every plaudit he's ever been given, whether for his understated guitar technique or his thoughtful interpretations of traditional songs, illustrated here on the first and last discs. And while his reputation rests heavily on that traditional arrangement of material, he's done a good share of modern work, too, whether his own, all-too-infrequent compositions like "Company Policy," Dylan, Richard Thompson, or even Gilbert O'Sullivan. From solo work to duets with fiddler Dave Swarbrick, the bold Brass Monkey, and Waterson:Carthy, the man plowed a lot of furrows and the compilers of this set have gone over them all with a very fine-toothed comb. Add to that an excellent booklet, and one has an outstanding set and a well-deserved tribute to one of the great folk figures. ~ Chris Nickson

Professional Reviews

Q (6/01, p.127) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Not just a fitting tribute but a treasure trove for fans...with a host of rare recordings...to complement such perennials as 'Famous Flower Of Serving Men' and 'Lord Franklin'. Why can't all box sets be like this?"

Dirty Linen (8-9/01, p.57) - "...Hours of enjoyment..."

Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.70) - Ranked #9 in Mojo's "Best [10] Box Sets & Compilations of 2001".

Mojo (Publisher) (4/01, p.91) - "...A joy to listen to...this sterling retrospective will intrigue, thrill and delight anyone fascinated by what lies at the edges of British music of the rock era."