The Watersons
Frost And Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs
Topic Records
28 October 2022
First released in 1965, The Watersons’ debut album, Frost And Fire, is re-issued on vinyl on 28 October 2022 via Topic Records (pre-order). To celebrate the release, we also have a great giveaway (details at the end of this review).
The history…
Some, possibly only a few, albums unquestionably warrant being designated either genre-defining and/or so important that they changed music, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band by The Beatles, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, King Of the Delta Blues Singers from Robert Johnson immediately spring to mind, whilst others are merely pretenders to the throne. For those who are unaware of the album, Frost And Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs sits firmly within the former category.
Originally recorded in 1965, the release was Melody Maker Record Of The Year, and its effect was truly seismic, not only on the folk world itself but also on the nascent folk-rock, folk-jazz scene. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that it spawned, or, as a minimum, influenced, the likes of The Albion Band, Robin & Barry Dransfield, Fairport Convention, Mr. Fox, Pentangle, Steeleye Span and Richard Thompson. Its musical tentacles can even be recognised reaching out in the music of the likes of Traffic and Jethro Tull, and its impact is still acknowledged by contemporary artists such as Angeline Morrison.
When the album was first released it was the debut album from The Watersons, then a new group on the folk scene from Hull who had previously played skiffle music before turning to folk music, briefly as The Folksons, comprising sisters Norma and Lal Waterson their brother Mike and cousin John Harrison. Singing mainly traditional songs from the British Isles, with little or no accompaniment, their performances were garnering much attention, with their distinctive four-part vocal sound taking the music world by storm.
One person smitten by their sound, after seeing a brief performance at The Troubadour, was Bill Leader, who arranged for them to meet up, the next day, with Gerry Sharp, the then head of Topic Records, with whom they signed. The recording itself, as Mike Waterson relates in J.P.Bean’s excellent Singing From The Floor, was undertaken in Leader’s Edwardian flat in Camden, assisted by A.L. (Bert) Lloyd. Mike also recalls that as a group they were interested in what they called ‘calendar custom’ songs, and that when Lloyd was told “yes, but we don’t do enough of them”, he sent them reams of them. Lloyd’s contribution did not end there, however, as he was also responsible for writing the extensive sleeve notes which accompanied the release.
The music…
In essence, this is a concept album, taking the listener through a calendar year, season by season, when the lives of common, rural folk were dictated by the simple need to survive and the accompanying ancient rites and ceremonies which they undertook in order to both propitiate and celebrate, recorded in songs where both “pagan and Christian elements are inextricably tangled”.
With the exception of the thirteen drum beats on Hal-an-Tow, provided by Leader, the entire album consists of unaccompanied vocals, vocals of unrivalled power, depth and brilliance.
The seasonal song cycle begins in winter, with Here We Come A-Wassailing, as wassailers would visit villages offering songs with wishes for good luck, luck which could only be effected by the villagers offering some type of sacrifice, in the form of food “give us hungry wassailers a bit of bread and cheese” or money “I’ve got a little purse and it’s made of leather skin, A little silver sixpence it would line it well within“, thus helping to ensure a successful apple harvest resulting in “…cider running out of every gutter hole.”
The pagan ritual of worshipping animals, in this case, the slaughtering of a prodigiously-sized ram, is the subject of The Derby Ram, a song for New Year, sung here by Mike. Humour abounds,
“Yes the horns that on this tup they grew, well they reached up to the moon,
A little boy went up in January and he never got back till June”…
“And all the women of Derby come begging for his ears
To make ’em leather aprons to last ’em forty years”,
but the luck-visit custom is clearly present in the final lines of the song,
“And now my story is over, and I have no more to say
Please give us all a New Year’s box and we will go away”
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.
Resurrection features also in another spring carol, The Holly Bears a Berry (The Sans Day Carol), the vocal harmonies here soaring to sublime heights, as they do on the track which closes side one of the L.P. the epic Hal-an-Tow which ushers us into summer.
“Hal-an-tow, jolly rumble O
We were up long before the day O
To welcome in the summer,
To welcome in the May O
The summer is a-coming in
And winter’s gone away O”
Side two begins with Earsdon Sword Dance Song, another breathtaking example of exquisite vocal harmony before Mike delivers his awe-inspiring solo rendition of John Barleycorn. With Harvest Song: We Gets Up in the Morn our journey brings us to autumn and the celebration of the harvest safely gathered in, celebrated by the Harvest Home supper; this song is a particular favourite in the eastern counties where blowing the ‘harvest horn’ was customary.
“Here’s the farmer’s daughter dear brews us plenty of strong beer
Which is enough to cheer up any soul
Each man shall drink and say heaven bless this happy day
When we crown the harvest with a flowing bowl, flowing bowl
When we crown the harvest with a flowing bowl”.
The period of Hallowe’en, All Saints and All Souls, end of October, early November is reached, a mystical time when it was believed the dead returned, temporarily, and is marked on the album with Souling Song. Another luck-visit custom song in which ‘soulcakes’ were given in return for song in order to feed the returning dead.
Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand, a solo offering from Lal is followed by another, very short, carol Herod and the Cock, based on the story of St.Stephen proving the birth of Christ by causing the chicken in King Herod’s dish to rise and crow ‘Christ is born’, before our annual cycle completes full circle, ending as it began, with Wassail Song and the wassailers beseeching “Drop a bit of small silver into our old bowl”
The 45 rpm vinyl format …
This latest version comes in a sleeve which is a replica of the original, with minor adaptations, complete with the original sleeve notes from A.L.Lloyd. For many, however, the fact that this vinyl edition has been re-cut at 45 rpm will be the most important factor. I am no sound expert, but having consulted producer and mastering maestro Tony Poole he confirms the fact that 45rpm will always be higher fidelity than 33 and a third, and the fact that each side of the album is less than 20 minutes long means optimal quality, notwithstanding the fact that the entire album only has vocal information and no bass or instruments which would need compressing.
What the ears tell us is that the sound from this vinyl edition is absolutely stunning. Solo vocals are compellingly magnificent, but when the voices join in harmony things reach an altogether different plane. To say that it seems as if the quartet are literally with you in the room would be an understatement. On Hal-an-Tow, for example, although the thirteen drum beats are expected, the clarity and impact, when they do appear, is frightening. If you are the type of listener who appreciates releases on labels such as Mobile Fidelity or Tone Poet, then this is certainly for you; if you are not, then I respectfully suggest that this version will give more pleasure than the 2007 CD reissue.
Conclusion…
One of the easiest ones ever to write. Frost And Fire remains a revelatory and seminal album and this latest edition is an essential purchase.
Frost and Fire Giveaway
Courtesy of Topic Records, we have three vinyl albums of Frost and Fire, each of which will be accompanied by a rare set of badges featuring The Watersons (see image).
The album can be Pre-ordered here: https://thewatersons.lnk.to/frostandfire
To enter the giveaway simply email us here: info@klofmag.com. In your email include “Frost and Fire” in the subject along with your name and address in the body of the message. Last entries by 10 am on Friday 18 November 2022.
*Terms & conditions apply:
- Only one entry per household.
- A winner will be chosen at random on 18 November 2022.
- The winner will be informed soon thereafter.
- Your information will not be shared with any other parties other than the winner’s name and address details which will be forwarded to Topic Records so the album and badges can be sent to them.
Folk Radio UK’s full terms can be found here.