G'day (again) Joe,

I mentioned in my post to the other thread that Martyn's tune is definitely neither Bill Berry's of Chris Kempster's. The tune is quite typical of the sort of tunes Martyn writes ... and works quite well. I imagine it is the source for all the UK and Irish variants cited in the other thread.

I just found my copy of Bill Berry's home-made CD and listen to Bill singing his tune ... I have to say that, of the four tunes I know for The Sailor Home From The Sea, this is the one I like least ... but it is only an unmanipulated home recording - and I confess to a long-standing preference for Chris's tune!

The fourth tune is a recent setting: credited to Kim Poole of the (now-defunct) Sydney Celtic/Australian group Taliesin, sung by Stephanie Osfield on their eponymous 1994 CD. Without transcribing the tunes and comparing them note-by-note or as an overlay, I would have to say that it most resembles Martyn's tune ... but sung in a much more complex way. I have also heard this version done by Margaret Walters of Walters & Warner and Margaret prefers it as being more feminine and I don't know that I agree!

I have heard Sweet Song for Katie on some old LP - possibly one of Gary Shearston's ... I need to dig through the layers of vinyl!

Regards,

Bob Bolton