Seafaring Tradition

Waterson:Carthy comprise the family grouping of husband and wife Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy together with daughter Eliza, plus Tim Van Eyken. The vocal spotlight is shared fairly equally among all four while the instrumental colourings come from The guitar and banjo of Martin, violin of Eliza and melodeons of Tim Van Eyken ( not to forget Norma's triangle ! ) This album is called Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand and is a collection of traditional English folk songs with a nautical theme, an area of rich pickings. One exception is a version of a song written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Black Muddy River. The two songs sung by Tim Van Eyken are Twenty One Years On Dartmoor and Napoleon's Death, the latter of particular interest since it highlights the ambivalent feelings of the English working class towards Boney, where their patriotism eventually overcame their admiration for a guy giving a kicking to the aristos. The disk also includes a number of instrumental dance numbers but there is one track that stands head and shoulders above the general enjoyable level and that is Captain Kidd. Sung by Eliza and with fiery fiddle playing that Fairport era Swarbrick would have been proud of, this is the epic tale of the pirate captain that builds and builds to an unrepentant climax on the gallows.