Vinyl reissue of classic, traditional English folk album from one of the genre’s most influential musicians.
This is a vinyl reissue of Martin Carthy’s debut eponymous album. The reissue is one of British folk music label Topic Records’ ongoing Topic Treasures series, commemorating the label’s 85th anniversary; its proud boast is to be the oldest independent record label in the world. The reissue represents the first vinyl release of the LP since a limited edition 50th anniversary reissue was produced for Record Store Day in 2015.
Now 82 years old and still gigging, Carthy is pure English folk royalty; back in the early 1960s, having been influenced by the music of Lonnie Donegan and, among others Big Bill Broonzy (from whom Carthy reputedly learnt the slapped thumb style of guitar playing), he was building a following through extensive gigging at folk clubs. His approach to folk music at the time was revolutionary and over time he became increasingly influential. Carthy’s work eventually saw him recognised for his contribution to the promotion and performance of traditional music when he was awarded the MBE in 1998.
‘Martin Carthy‘ was originally released in 1965, by Fontana Records (in both mono and stereo formats) and later reissued by Topic Records; in the intervening period it has become an essential reference for those wishing to learn about and/or become involved in traditional English folk music.
The album features Dave Swarbrick accompanying Carthy, playing fiddle or mandolin on a number of the tracks. The Carthy/Swarbrick partnership was key to the sound of the album and the duo arrangements, particularly those of guitar and fiddle, which were truly groundbreaking at the time have been much copied since; the arrangements were born in the studio, adding spontaneity and a freshness to the recordings.
The influence of Carthy on other musicians can’t be overstated; most famously both Paul Simon and Bob Dylan were impressed by Carthy’s repertoire of traditional songs. In a time long before sampling, having learnt songs such as ‘Scarborough Fair’ from Carthy, Simon and Dylan eventually made use of what they had learnt. In 1966, Simon and Garfunkel included ‘Scarborough Fair’ adapted with the addition of a canticle on their LP ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme‘; it also featured on the soundtrack to the 1968 movie ‘The Graduate’. The changes made by Simon and Garfunkel introduced anti-war sentiment to the piece. Dylan similarly used the melody and some lyrics from Carthy’s version of ‘Scarborough Fair’, in the 1963 song ‘Girl From the North Country‘.
Alongside ‘Scarborough Fair‘, other standout tracks on Carthy’s album include ‘High Germany‘, ‘Lovely Joan‘ and ‘The Two Magicians‘. All except two songs on the record are traditional songs; the exceptions being ‘High Germany‘ (Cecil Sharp) and ‘Springhill Mine Disaster‘ (Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl).
Is this a worthwhile reissue? Well, there are no additional tracks over and above previous releases of the record; however if this release introduces new people to this musically significant album, then that can’t be a bad thing. If you enjoy traditional English folk music and don’t already count this album in your collection, then this reissue offers an ideal opportunity to rectify that.
One should always be careful and maybe not comment on another’s album rating. But it is extraordinary here to think that “Martin Carthy”, one of the most influential and perfect English folk albums of all time, could be rated at anything less than a 10. Where did this 7 come from!
Hi Patrick. Thanks for taking the time to read the article and for your comment.
The rating relates to this album as a reissue; as you say the original album is so influential and I guess genre defining, there seemed little point in once again critiquing it from that perspective. As a reissue there is nothing new, no additional material, etc. to make people who already own it want to buy another copy. I think my views are summed up in the final paragraph of the article.