''Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man'' is an album by

Waterson–Carthy Waterson:Carthy were an English folk group originally comprising Norma Waterson on vocals, her husband Martin Carthy on guitar and vocals and their daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and vocals. They have a repertoire of predominantly British trad ...

. There is more instrumental accompaniment on this collection than on any previous Waterson–Carthy album. Tracks 13 and 16 could even be mistaken for the work of Brass Monkey. Despite the title, almost all the songs have a Christian flavour. "Diadem" has phrases which suggest that the figure being adored is some kind of "Green Man" rather than Christ. They have mostly avoided familiar carols, and even where the words as well-known, they have selected unfamiliar tunes. Running time 59 minutes 47 seconds. The album was recorded and released on the

Topic Records Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.M. Brocken, ...

label in 2006.

Track listing

#" New Year Carol – Residue" (Traditional) (2:57) #:The meaning of the title "Residue" is unknown: the traditional song is titled "

Levy-Dew "Levy-Dew", also known as "A New Year Carol" and "Residue", is a British folk song of Welsh origin traditionally sung in New Year celebrations. It is associated with a New Year's Day custom involving sprinkling people with water newly drawn from ...

", and this variant may be a

mondegreen A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes w ...

. #"Sugar

Wassail Wassail (, , most likely from Old Norse ''"ves heill"'') is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation ei ...

" (Traditional) (2:12) #:From the collection of Rev. John Broadwood. #"St George" (John Kirkpatrick) (2:50) #:Kirkpatrick's song is similar to words in the Mummer's Play #"May Song" (Traditional) (2:44) #:From Fred Hamer's collection, combining the "Night Song" and the "Day Song" into one. #"Christ Made a Trance" (Traditional) (2:32) #:Solo from Martin Carthy. A grim Passiontide vision of Christ's pain #"When Jesus Wept The Falling Tear" (W Billings) (2:24) #:Sung as a round. (

William Billings William Billings (October 7, 1746 – September 26, 1800) is regarded as the first American choral composer and leading member of the First New England School. Life William Billings was born in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of 14, t ...

(1746 - 1800, Boston) is regarded as the first American choral composer.) #" Cherry Tree Carol" (Traditional) (4:20) #:A song for Epiphany. #"Reaphook and Sickle" (Traditional) (2:48) #:A song for the end of harvest #"Jack Frost" (

Mike Waterson Michael Waterson (17 January 1941 – 22 June 2011) was an English writer, songwriter and folk singer. Biography Waterson was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. After being orphaned at an early age, he was brought up there, wit ...

) (4:33) #:Eliza sings lead. A description of a frosty scene #" While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" (Words:

Nahum Tate Nahum Tate ( ; 1652 – 30 July 1715) was an Irish poet, hymnist and lyricist, who became Poet Laureate in 1692. Tate is best known for ''The History of King Lear'', his 1681 adaptation of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', and for his libretto for ...

/ Tune: Traditional) (5:17) #:Sung to one of the many traditional tunes found in Yorkshire - this version was collected from the singing of

Walter Pardon Walter Pardon (4 March 1914 – 9 June 1996) was an English carpenter, folk singer and recording artist from Knapton, Norfolk, England. He learned songs and tunes from older members of his family and remembered and performed them at a time whe ...

. #"On Christmas Day It Happened So" (Traditional) (2:43) #:From Hamer's "Garners Gay". Sung by Tim van Eyken. A ploughman is punished for ploughing on Christmas Day. #"Time to Remember the Poor" (Words: John Fielding / Music: H. T. Dyring) (4:40) #:A poetic plea for charity. #"Jacobstowe Wassail" (Traditional) (2:50) #:A Wassail song from the Devon village of

Jacobstowe Jacobstowe is a village and civil parish on the west bank of the River Okement, about north of Okehampton in the West Devon district of Devon, England. The village is in the A3072 road that links Copplestone with Lamerton Cross, at the jun ...

, from the Baring-Gould collection. #"Awake Awake" (Traditional) (4:06) #:Not the same song as the one by Steelye Span. #"

Diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...

" (Traditional) (3:28) #:From Yorkshire. Christ portrayed as a king. #"Jolly Old Hawk" (Traditional) (2:51) #:A Somerset carol from

The Twelve Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...

family of songs. #"Gloryland (Baptist hymn)" (Sankey) (3:40) #:A flowing, soaring description of heaven.

Musicians

Norma Waterson Norma Christine Waterson (15 August 1939 – 30 January 2022) was an English singer and songwriter, best known as one of the original members of The Watersons, a celebrated English traditional folk group. Other members of the group included h ...

(vocals, triangle) *

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson. Life and care ...

(vocals, fiddle, mandolin) *

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...

(vocals, guitar) *

Tim Van Eyken Tim van Eyken (born 7 March 1978) is an English guitarist and melodeon player of Belgian descent. Career Van Eyken first started playing penny whistle after seeing James Galway on television. He graduated to playing for his mother, then a member ...

(vocals, melodeons) :also for "The Devil's Interval": :*

Jim Causley Jim Causley is an English Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and musician from Devon who specializes in the Folk Music of England, traditional songs and music of the West Country. Journalist Colin Irwin (journalist), Colin Irwin has called him ...

(vocals) :*Emily Portman (vocals) :*Lauren McCormick (vocals) :also: :*Martin Brinsford (percussion) (on 4,8,13 and 16) :*Alice Kinloch (trombone, tuba) (on 4,8,11,13 and 16) :*James Killingsworth (bass, cello) (on 4, and 13) :*Tom Allan (trumpets) (on 4,8,11,13 and 16) :*

Oliver Knight Oliver Knight (born 1969) is a British singer-songwriter and sound engineer. He is son to folk singer-songwriter Lal Waterson and George Knight. He is brother and stage partner to folk musician Marry Waterson. Early life Oliver Knight was born i ...

(cello) (on 4,8,11,13 and 16)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Heathens And The Old Green Man Waterson–Carthy albums 2006 albums Topic Records albums