Product Details
Sailing & Whaling Songs of 19th Century

Sailing & Whaling Songs of 19th Century
Paul Clayton

Price:

This item is not available for purchase from this store.
Click here to go to Amazon to see other purchasing options.


4 new or used available from $49.46

Average customer review:

Track Listing

  1. Maid of Amsterdam
  2. Old Stormalong
  3. Girls Around Cape Horn
  4. Paddy Doyle's Boots
  5. Spanish Ladies
  6. Sally Brown
  7. Dying Sailor to His Shipmates
  8. Ranzo
  9. Mermaid
  10. Johnny's Gone to Hilo
  11. Saturday Night at Sea
  12. Shenendoah
  13. Admiral Benbow
  14. Round the Corner
  15. Greenland Whale Fisheries
  16. Go Down You Blood Red Roses
  17. Turkish Revelee
  18. Boney Was a Warrior
  19. Lady Franklin's Lament
  20. Santy Anna

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #159211 in Music
  • Released on: 1994-07-18
  • Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

A classic--unpretentious and rollicking5
I, too, grew up listening to the record and am excited to see it's available on CD. It's a great collection of songs and a great introduction to the genre. It's a fun way to learn a bit of history. And they're sea chanties, for goodness sakes! The reviewer who was looking for sea chanties sung by a British chorus is nuts. Clayton sings it just the way I imagine some old sailor singing it 150 years ago. And I wouldn't want it any other way!

Not for the purist, but most of us aren't purists5
If authenticity is your main criterion for your choice of folk music, don't buy it. Paul Clayton sings clearly and beautifully. I'll admit to having a personal attachment to this album--when my children were young, I learned many of the songs and sang them as lullabyes. Songs like "Farewell and Adieu to You Spanish Ladies and Santy Anna, as sung in Clayton's style, are just as soothing as the old standbys. Not authentic, but lovely.

Shanties performed as folk songs3
All 20 of the well-engineered recordings on this CD are sung by Paul Clayton accompanied by a solo guitar. Many traditional and familiar shanty tunes are included, some of which have the lyrics modified to fit the whaling trade (as was actually the case).

Shanty lovers are likely to find this CD unusual in that the presentation of nearly every song is more of a folk-tune style than true shanty. As such, you really can't consider any of the offerings rousing by any stretch but some might find this a refreshing change and even quite enjoyable since Clayton's voice is both clear and pleasing throughout.

So, my advice is to look elsewhere for rousing shanties but you may want consider this CD if you enjoy folk music with a maritime flavor.