Sea Shanty CDs available in association with amazon.com
Rogues Gallery - various artists. What happens when the high-powered Hollywood crowd start making pirate films and fall in love with sea shanties? Turn the likes of Johhny Depp and the makers of the Pirates of the Carribean loose and you get a CD set like this! A 43-song, two CD set of fun shanties, sea songs, drinking songs recorded by the likes of Sting, Richard Thompson, Bono, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, and the list just goes on! There's never been anything like this before.
Irish Pirate Ballads and Other Songs of the Sea -- Dan Milner.
Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings -- various artists. 32 tracks.
Shanties and Songs of the Sea by Johnny Collins. No trade-offs between authentic sound and musical and production quality on this one. You get the best of everything!
Air Mail Music: Sea Shanties. Johnny Collins and the Windjammers. This is really two CDs in one: The folksy guitar-accompanied arrangements of the Windjammers on old standards make you think you're in a pub somewhere in an old fishing town. Johnny Collins and his chorus alternate with a more authentic sound on some musically quite intriguing shanties.
Sailor's Songs & Sea Shanties -- various artists. Wow! What a great collection, by some of the most famed UK folk-singers. Features Ewan MacColl and includes tracks from the Watersons and Peter Bellamy.
Roast Beef of Old England -- Starboard Mess. A popular CD featuring a wide array of traditional sailors' songs, but no shanties. A great CD nonetheless!
Sea Shanties Volume I. Various artists.
Sea Shanties Volume II. Various artists.
Sailing and Whaling Songs by Paul Clayton. Clayton's wistful story-telling style makes for a different yet somehow appropriate approach to this music. If you're in the mood for a good voice nicely accompanied on guitar, think about this one for something that might get you listening to the lyrics in a new way.
American Sea Shanties and Songs -- various artists. From the Library of Congress collection.
Blow Ye Winds in the Morning by the Revels. I love this CD! Traditional sea songs and shanties mixed with historical British and maritime songs and instrumentals, including a couple of nautically-themed children's rhymes. Excellent musical and recording quality, with interesting and authentic arrangements.
Blow the Man Down -- various artists. My favourite, and one of the best shanty CDs ever! A great collection of the many of the most popular shanties and sea songs, sung by those who are best at it. Performers include Ewan MacColl, Cyril Tawney, Louis Killen, Ian Campbell, the Watersons, as well as traditional folksingers who've spent much of their lives working at sea. Most of the songs are treated quite authentically, drawing on the power of the songs themselves and great singing by the leaders and in the choruses. When they're arranged with instrumentation they're well arranged and played. The result is a very listenable CD that captures the true maritime tradion.
Blow Boys Blow. One of the best collections of shanties and sea songs. It features some of the best folk singers of the British Isles, including several who worked at sea for much of their lives and have the songs as part of their own experience.
Sea Songs and Shanties from the Last Days of Sail. Various artists.
Away You Santy! -- Traditional Sea Songs and Chanteys. Wickford Express.
Seven Seas. William Pint and Felicia Dale.
Hearts of Gold. William Pint and Felicia Dale. A folk album with a tall ship theme. Includes a number of traditional songs: the French Canadian rowing/paddling song "C'est L'Aviron", the euphemistic "Marco Polo" (Hob Y Derri Dando), and the sea song "Bay of Biscay". There are two shanties, the first being a version of "Essiquibo River" dolled up with lots of instrumentation. What makes this album worth getting for me is the great version of "Juliana", (called "London Julies" on this CD). This great shanty is very rarely recorded, and this version is done in a reasonably authentic and very listenable manner.
Round the Corner. William Pint and Felicia Dale.
Songs of the Tall Ships/Cruising 'Round Yardmouth. by Starboard List.
West-Sud-West - Shanties and Sailors' Songs De Buddelschipper.
Folk Music In Sweden, Vol. 15: Songs Of Sailors & Navvies Various artists.
