Sea Shanties
Sea shanties have always had a purpose - to make men work by getting into a rhythm which would help them to carry out the unbelievably physically demanding tasks associated with sailing a large ship. So we have good words, good tunes and good rhythms, the very nature of the repetitions of phrases and melodies building up each shanty into a quite substantial piece of music. The subjects of these songs vary from sad to happy, from funny to tragic, witty to baudy - and often we can hear most of these types in a single song! This is clever stuff; strange stories and concepts are woven into musical patterns, the many verses adding impetus with each repetition.The shanties have been recorded by some of the leading singers of our generation. Based in Oxford (admittedly far from the sea!) these musicians bring years of experience to bear on wonderfully vivid performances, recorded live in a single day. The atmosphere is electric, the musicianship superb. I hope that you enjoy listening to this album. It was a joy to make.