A little from the inside cover..Well a lot of a little really, very informative..


"English folk music is embedded in traditions founded over hundreds of years, whilst simultaeously constantly evovling, mixing and matching tunes and texts and adding new melodies and lyrics to those which have been long established. This collection presents the best of both worlds, with old and new sitting side by side in perfect harmony.

We begin with Oysterband's hypnotic rendition of the ancient folk song 'John Barleycorn'. The character John Barleycorn is the personification of the cereal crop barley and the song tells of its progression and transformation from seed into beer. John Barleycorn is included in the 1568 Bannatyne Manuscript, plenty of broadside editions exist from the seventeenth century and many have since written their own versions, including the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who, in 1782 chose to use the story as a celebration of the other alcoholic beverage that is made from barley, whiskey.

Just as the sailor in 'Across The Line' has 'sailed the whole world over, across the seven seas' this shanty embraces the same seafaring spirit with words that are thought to originate in Australia - 'I courted my sweetheart underneath the Kaori trees' - and a melody from Brazil (Clube Da Esquina No 2, written by Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges and Marcio Borges), and brass flourishes which were inspired by Benjamin Britten's 'Sea Interludes' This song has been assembled by the folk big band Bellowhead, a rapidly upcoming force in folk music which was put together by the eminent duo John Spiers and Jon Boden, who are heard later on this collection performing 'Go And Leave Me', a rather sweet Victorian ballad which was popular in the music hall.