Frost and Fire

Product Information

Frost And Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs is re-released on 28.10.2022 on Topic Records. Now, amid the historical, theological, and various version comparisons, it is important to note that these tunes, in the hands of The Watersons’ bucolic vocal antiquary, reflect a biblical coat of many colours beauty that reveals all ancient magical wisdom of limestone wear on any aged stone fence after a deep autumnal afternoon rain. Lal Waterson: Teach Me to Be a Summer’s Morning Plains of Mexico, The The Watersons: The Watersons;

The Watersons on New Electric Muse II King Pharim The Watersons: For Pence and Spicy Ale King’s Song, The (Joy, Health, Love and Peace) The Watersons: Mighty River of SongJo Freya’s Lal Waterson Project: Lal Birds Will Still Be Singing, The Norma Waterson: Norma Waterson; The Watersons: Frost and Fire (CD reissue) Cornfield Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon Country Life The Watersons: For Pence and Spicy Ale; Feeling part of a dynasty in musical terms is a great feeling' ". The Guardian. 12 May 2007 . Retrieved 6 January 2022. Norma Waterson on Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & Rendezvous: The Songs of Elvis Costello Bitter Withy, The The Watersons: Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy; And the seasonal circle continues: ‘Jolly Old Hawk’ mentions a “ twelfth most day”, which matches with those twelve days of Christmas, or the mysterious “ twelfth night”, which ritualistically attempts to counter the darkest days of the year. Supernatural stars and souls (and perhaps even Shakespeare’s ghost) hover over the tune.

Of course, ‘Harvest Song: We Gets Up In The Morn’ brings the song cycle to autumn. Then, ‘Souling Song’ touches the pulsed history of All Souls, All Saints, and (my much beloved) always spooky Hallowe’en. But the songs that affect me most on this record are sung by Lal and Mike alone. On ‘Christmas Day Is Drawing Near’, Lal sings this moralising Christian song in a voice that suggests a heartbreaking submission to its sentiments. She surrenders to its mournful minor key, underlining the terrors of subservience. You hear the strange movements of the song’s melody in her songwriting in Bright Phoebus seven years later. The Watersons: The Definitive Collection Betsy Belle Lal & Norma Waterson: A True Hearted Girl Bird, The Lal & Mike Waterson on The Watersons: Mighty River of Song;

Blog Archive

The Watersons on The Season Round Holly Bears a Crown, The The Watersons: A Yorkshire Christmas Holmfirth Anthem, The The Watersons: The Watersons; Blue Murder on The Watersons: Mighty River of Song Idumea The Watersons: Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy; Norma Waterson on A Woman’s Voice God Bless the Master The Watersons: Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy;

Mike Waterson on Round Cape Horn Marvellous Companion Christine Collister & Oliver Knight on Shining Bright; It’s easy to forget how folk collectors were also editors with agendas. In some ways, it doesn’t matter here. The Watersons’ voices don’t suggest any penchant towards pliancy. They reject any sentimentality and schmaltz. They are unabashed, unpretentious dirty projectors. Now, for the novice: This album was a big bang 1965 Melody Maker Album of the Year that spawned Shirley and Dolly Collins’ Anthems Of Eden, No Roses by the Albion Band, Pentangle’s everything, Fairport’s Liege & Leif, Mike and Lol Waterson’s’ Bright Phoebus, Mr. Fox, Robin and Barry Dransfield, Steeleye Span, anything on the Fellside label, the Incredible String Band, Hedgehog Pie, Trees, solo singers like Vin Garbutt, Roy Harper, Pete Morton, and everything else, including my current Midwest Americana occasional craving for Marmite, a Theakston Old Peculiar, and a McVitie’s Digestive. Yeah, the village green grass is always greener. The songs are roughly set around the calendar, as the album’s subtitle says, and as noted by A.L. Lloyd in his original liner notes:Blue Murder on The Watersons: Mighty River of Song Bright Shiny Morning Norma Waterson: Bright Shiny Morning; I mention these songs at length because I want you to seek them out, play them often, listen loud, immerse yourself in their silty, bloody layers, pass them on. I want to make sure they keep living, for new fans as well as old, and that they are never lost. The Watersons on Peter Bellamy: Wake the Vaulted Echoes Long Vacation Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: A Bed of Roses; If there’s a vinyl junkie on your holiday gift list this year (maybe even yourself, just saying), I can’t think of many better options than this new release of Frost And Fire. It’s available from Topic. If that’s not your thing, this one is available in lots of formats including various CD issues and on most streaming platforms. It’s an important album. Also a great one. The importance of Epiphany or Twelfth Night is represented by Jolly Old Hawk, before Mike takes the lead once more on Pace-Egging Song, as we move to Easter with Pace-eggers begging for eggs, (and strong beer), long a symbol in pagan belief as a symbol of life and renewal of life, especially at springtime. This is followed by the spring-time ballad Seven Virgins (The Leaves of Life). Sung with mournful beauty by Norma, the song relates to a visit made by Mary to visit her son ay Calvary, in the company of seven virgins, although as Lloyd notes, the parallels between the resurrection of Christ and the slaying and renewal of kings in pagan belief as portrayed in mumming plays is transparently obvious.