Always [Box set, Original recording remastered]

June Tabor | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 18, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Topic Records
• ASIN: B0007NH2IS
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,819 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Seeds of Love (live) (previously unreleased)

2. The King Of Rome

3. Hard Love

4. Casey's Last Ride (live) (previously unreleased)

5. What Will We Do?

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. I Never Thought My Love Would Leave Me

2. Beat The Retreat

3. Fine Horseman (live) (previously unreleased)

4. The Overgate

5. The Fair Maid of Wallington

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. April Morning

2. Johnny o'Bredislee Glory Of The West (live) (previously unreleased)

3. Singing The Travels

4. Waiting For The Lark

5. 10,000 Miles

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Mrs Rita (previously unreleased)

2. All Tomorrow's Parties

3. Wind & The Rain / The Falls of Richmond (live) (previously unreleased)

4. Bonnie James Campbell

5. A Proper Sort Of Gardener

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Review

When Tabor sings a traditional tune, she does so with a Zen-like lack of ego that seems to make its subject...speak directly to us. Always is a thorough overview and includes enough rare tracks and unreleased recordings to satisfy even the most die-hard fan. --Sunday Times

Product Description

(4-CD box set) June Tabor is not just one of England's foremost folk singers, but one of the greatest interpretive singers in any field. This set contains key tracks from all parts of her career, many live and unreleased songs and collaborations with, among others, Maddy Prior, The Oyser Band and Martin Simpson. It is subtly lavish, 4 CDs in a long box format (6'' x 12'') with a 48 page full color booklet including historical photographs, a biographical essay and comprehensive notes on the songs. There are 67 tracks, 32 of which are previously unreleased - almost 5 hours of music. The whole package is much more than just a career retrospective, it is a fitting tribute to one of the great singers of our time.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic collection, February 28, 2005

By 

E. Blake "poodlebone" (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Always (Audio CD)

June Tabor is my favorite folk singer, and I own all of her individual CDs. I got an e-mail from Amazon.uk about this release and immediately went to the site and ordered it. It's a little cheaper if you order from the UK site, and mine arrived 5 days after I placed the order!

If you don't own any of June's CDs, or just have a couple, this set is a great introduction. It covers her entire career, from the Silly Sisters album with Maddy Prior right up to tracks recorded in 2004. If you're like me and already own her entire catalog, this set is still a must-have. It has many live & unreleased tracks and songs taken from various collections (many that I already have, but a bunch I'd never even heard of before). It's a great way to get all of the stray tracks together.

The booklet has a timeline of sorts, which includes exerpts from many interviews June has done over the years. There are also comments from June on every track in the collection.

The set contains 4 discs in individual jewel cases, all in a long box with the booklet.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Serious?, October 18, 2005

By 

Mark D. Prouse "Dustyart" (Riverdale (Bronx), NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Always (Audio CD)

Having almost every one of June Tabor's albums on vinyl, CD or both, I hesitated ordering this boxed set, because the song list included very few of my all-time favorites. What tipped the balance in favor of buying this was the generous inclusion of many previously unreleased studio and live tracks, and several selections from currently out of print recordings. These turned out to be well worth the hefty price, so my recommendation is intended for die hard June Tabor fans like myself. Overall, however, this collection is somber and so, so serious, with very few uptempo tunes to break the monotony, and I doubt that this set will win her many new fans. I realize that these kinds of songs are Tabor's forte, and every one of them has much to offer in both lyrical content and melodic beauty. I just wish there were a few more rhythmic tracks to give this project more variety. Some of the best tracks from Tabor's record with the oyster band, FREEDOM AND RAIN, were not chosen (my favorites of the left-out numbers are "Dark Eyed Sailor" and "Night Comes In"), and there are several duets with Maddy Prior from the two Silly Sisters albums that would have helped to bring some light and air to these proceedings. Thankfully, there are some tracks from the above releases, plus a few Tabor/Prior collaborations that are heard here for the first time. ALWAYS is a MUST if you are a major fan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A monumental retrospective., November 8, 2005

By 

Azoic (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Always (Audio CD)

June Tabor,is in my mind,one of the great interpretors of song.Some will say that she places too much focus on dark and sombre subject matter.I say that life is serious and who better to recite these words than this woman,a former Oxford librarian,who can imbue a lyric with the gravitas that the topic requires of it.Not only does Tabor choose relevant material,but her timing,emphasis,arrangements are impeccable.To use a term from Brian Eno,Tabor displays "a keen sense of the appropriate".You'll find no overproduction here.This four cd set is what I've been waiting for for years.It chronologically spans JT's career,all the way from her earliest days as a student at Oxford,to her latest chamber folk projects with Mark Emerson and Huw Warren.There is a good deal of otherwise unreleased material here.This music is timeless,and it will endure the test of time with grace.My life is better for having discovered this singer.