Continuing with my trend of folk-related music, tonight I’m checking out Martin Carthy’s Sweet Wivelsfield (1971). Carthy is an English folk singer and guitarist, and has reportedly been an inspiration to the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Richard Thompson. This album was produced by a founding member of Fairport Convention and former Steeleye Span memeber, Ashley Hutchins. Martin Carthy was also a member of Steeleye Span, an English folk/folk rock group on multiple occasions, and I enjoy them a fair deal. I’m excited to give this a listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Shepherd O Shepherd” starts out with some really pleasant English folk guitar, painting a nearly baroque soundscape with the deep, punchy guitar work with vocals that seemingly glide from one syllable to the next. Oh wow, the vocals are super pleasant, almost taking on the form of a lullaby, with the plucky guitar work creating a lot of feeling of forward movement throughout the tune. Really sweet track, and I’m excited to listen to more.
“Billy Boy” starts out with some super pleasant folk guitar, which has a rhythmic slap of the bass strings to give an almost pulsating sound to the track, while the high notes on the guitar seemingly glide from one note to the next. Oh wow, the guitar work is quite nice – it almost sounds like there are at least two guitars, though I’m presuming there’s only Carthy’s fingerpicking and intricate melodies producing this effect. Really sweet track.
“Three Jolly Sneaksmen” really takes on the sort of baroque folk sound with the guitar that makes the tune sound as though it’s survived through multiple generations of different folk musicians repertoire. This almost has a child-like whimsy to it that makes it sound like a lullaby of sorts – super sorts. Carthy’s accent also comes through quite a bit in his vocals, which adds a ton of flavor and personality to the music, marking the tunes origins likely in Britain. Really sweet tune.
“Trimdon Grange” starts out with some chords that ring out a bit longer than have seemingly been allowed thus far into the album. Oh wow, the bass note has a really great droning sound while the high notes gently shift around to create a melody of sorts. Oh wow, the vocals have a really enchanting sound, as they seem to almost be layered with an exact or near exact replica of the original line, something that reminds me of what John Lennon reportedly used to do with his vocals, which gives the vocal performance a quality very similar to that of the guitar work – both droning, as well as containing a gently moving melody. I’m quite enjoying this tune. You can’t help but relax while listening to this tune – I feel much more at ease than when I started this tune, and I thought I was already relaxed. Great track.
“All of a Row” starts out with some really interesting meandering folksy vocal lines with a British accent and baroque tinge, while the acoustic guitar takes on a seemingly more gentle approach compared to the beginning of the album – super sweet. Oh wow, the vocals seem to continue going on in a really awesome way, like a never ending story of sorts. Great tune.
“Skewball” sounds different almost immediately, either with a different guitar or possibly an electrified acoustic guitar, and I’m really digging it. There’s a really percussive sensation in the guitar work in this one, with repeated slaps of the bass strings on every beat while a gentle melody continually seems to ring out of the high strings. This song nearly sounds like it’s taking you for a ride between the guitar work and vocal performance. The guitar work vaguely reminds me of “Uncle John’s Band” by the Grateful Dead from Workingman’s Dead (1970). Great track.
“Mary Neal” starts out with just vocals from Martin Carthy, and I’m extremely interested at this point. I didn’t necessarily expect an a cappella tune on this album, but this is sweet. The tune has a very English folksy feel, almost like something you could imagine an old wary countryside traveler singing as they travel through Europe circa 1400. Wow, this is super sweet. There’s very nearly a desolate sea shanty quality to it. Super interesting and great track.`
“King Henry” jumps right in with some super harmonic and bright guitar chords. Oh wow, there’s almost the sound of a bagpipe of some sorts I think in this one, adding to an underlying layer of the melody, with the bass strings of the guitar taking on a droning quality and the high notes taking on a galloping melody of sorts. I’m really into the album at this point; this is sweet. Oh wow, I really dig how many verses this track seems to contain, with a bunch of different vocal lines that also seem to gallop from one to the next. There’s some instrument that I thought might have been bagpipes though I’m not quite sure at the moment, which is doing a ton of really tasty work in the background of the tune, creating a lot of forward movement in the soundscape – it might even be a hurdy gurdy, though I’m only speculating as I can’t find an answer, it could just be a different guitar part, as it does sound quite different from the acoustic guitar. Really interesting and sweet tune.
“John Barleycorn” is another a cappella tune, which brings a ton of flavor to the album as a whole with a ton of traditional folksy feel, to the point of which the album almost feels medieval or from a lost age and time. Oh wow, this vocal melody is quite pleasant, with a sound you can imagine others at a bar joining in with. Great tune.
“The Cottage in the Wood” has a super flavorful guitar part at the beginning of the tune, which almost gallops from one movement to the next as the vocals mimic the melody from the guitar work. Oh wow, this tune is sweet – I feel as though I’ve been picked up by the folksy playing in the album and have been along for a ride, and only now is it brought to my attention as the playing seems to be winding down and getting tied together in a super folksy manner. Oh wow, I really dig how the vocals and guitar work seem to separate from one another and meet back up after both venturing apart, creating a really nice feeling of resolution. Oh wow, the guitar work is quite nice as the song and album are coming to a close – super tasty. Great tune and really pleasant way to wrap up the album.
Wow, this album was super interesting and quite pleasant to listen to, especially to wind down my night. If you dig traditional British folk music to any degree, or even medieval folk or baroque folk music, or if you want to hear someone who might have inspired the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, or Richard Thompson, you might want to give this one a listen. Super interesting throughout, and incredibly folksy, and a very pleasant experience. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I do sincerely hope you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A