Songs and Lives
Portraits of Traditional Singers from Britain
by Steve Winick
The "Portrait" album — a recording that features a cross-section of a singer's repertoire, a detailed biography in the sleeve notes, and sometimes spoken selections on the record is becoming a standard way of representing traditional singers. This is particularly true in Britain; Alan Lomax's portraits of Jeannie Robertson and Harry Cox, which I have reviewed in recent issues, are only the tip of the iceberg of British portrait CDs, which attempt to present songs in the context of lives. I've recently received five portrait CDs from two English record companies, all worth having for traditional song enthusiasts.
A classic in the genre of portrait albums, Now is the Time for Fishing [Topic TSCD511] presents songs and speech from Norfolk fisherman Sam Larner. It was originally released in 1961 on the Folkways label and appears on CD in exactly the same form, with the same songs, the same cover art, and the same sleeve notes. The only enhancement is in the sound quality, which has been improved considerably. Larner's songs and speech are fascinating. He sings particularly full versions of "The Bold Princess Royal" and "No, Sir, No," as well as a brilliant long ballad called "The Ghost Song," in which a sailor kills his pregnant girlfriend only to be torn in three pieces by her ghost (the ballad is also known as "Fair Worcester City"). His voice is smooth and warm on these tracks, though elsewhere it is rough and salty. Other sung highlights include lively versions of "Maids When You're Young, Never Wed an Old Man," "Butter and Cheese and All," and "Pleasant and Delightful." Larner takes obvious pleasure in singing his songs, sometimes laughing as he sings. His enjoyment is completely infectious, making him one of the most "fun" of English traditional singers. The spoken bits are likewise enjoyable. A track featuring navigational rhymes and other spoken sea lore is an interesting window on the sailor's lifestyle. There's also a stunning reflection of changing times in Larner's description of 1884: "That was the worst fishing was ever known in Yarmouth. There were so many herring caught that they couldn't get a price." Compare this with a bad fishing year a hundred years later! The only negative thing I have to say about Now is the Time for Fishing is that Topic was needlessly slavish in its devotion to the original LP. The label has access to many more tracks of Larner's singing, and could have picked a few more to add to the album, particularly as the notes make clear it was not intended as a unified artistic statement but as a cross-section of Larner's repertoire. The notes could have been updated to include Larner's late-in-life impact on the folk revival and his death. Even errors in transcription (e.g. south nor'east for east nor'east) are retained on the new release. So, while it is a welcome addition to what's available on CD, it could have been a little better.
There are four more recordings reviewed in this article in Dirty Linen #91 (Dec '00/Jan '91).
