The watersons

Only a few albums warrant being designated genre-defining and/or so important that they changed music…The Watersons’ Frost & Fire is one of them; it remains a revelatory and seminal album and this vinyl reissue by Topic Records is an essential purchase.

First released in 1965, The Watersons’ seminal traditional folk album ‘Frost And Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs’, is to be re-released by Topic Records with a vinyl pressing at 45RPM.

In partnership with Cambridge Folk Festival, BFI curators William Fowler and Vic Pratt have put together a selection of folk-related films to watch for free on the BFI website including documentaries featuring The Watersons, Kathryn Tickell, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and more.

On An Introduction to The Watersons and Waterson:Carthy, Topic records cover a 40 year period within 15 songs – a superb and timely retrospective of a vital shaping force in contemporary British folk. A collective musical vision of exhilarating purity, beauty, and power.

Bright Phoebus is a strange but wonderful beast of a record: a collection of entirely self-penned material from Lal & Mike Waterson who were previously known exclusively for performing traditional folk songs acapella via The Watersons. A splendid package that will restore the album to its rightful place in the permanent catalogue.

Jon Boden compiles The Ultimate Guide To English Folk, a lavish two-disc primer designed to appeal to experienced folkies and newbies alike. It is not the first such collection, but it is probably the most wide-ranging, lovingly compiled and inventively sequenced. One of the most important messages to take from this compilation is that while folk music in England is something of an extended family, it is by no means …

The Owl Service have compiled a mix titled ‘Modern Folk is Rubbish’ featuring some great music from the likes of Shirley Collins, The Pentangle, The Watersons and lots more. Listen here.

Stephanie Hladowski’s latest release ‘The High High Nest’ is a real gem of a record that manages to capture a sense of time and space that leaves you in awe.

Welcome to the Friday Folk Music Club when we feature videos, tunes and the occasional free folk music track that all convey the spirit of Folk Radio UK. In our first we feature: The Watersons, Sea of Bees, James Vincent McMorrow, John Fahey, Tim Eriksen, Spirit Family Reunion and Lisa Hannigan. Plus free tracks from Lucy Ward and Southern Tenant Folk Union!

I have just heard that Mike Waterson passed away in the early hours of this morning at 3.00 a.m. Our love and thoughts go out to his family. Mike’s singing voice is well known to anyone who has followed The Watersons through their history which began during the 1960’s English folk song revival.

Marry Waterson and Oliver Knight’s ‘The Days that Shaped Me’ is the result of nearly four years musical collaboration but is ultimately the result of a lifetime of experience. Read our review and hear excerpts below.