Roast Beef of Old England (Traditional Sailor Songs)

Jerry Bryant | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Essay
• ASIN: B00004UDET
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,042 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Light along the toasted cheese there Killick", November 9, 2000

By 

rick spencer (Mystic, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roast Beef of Old England (Traditional Sailor Songs) (Audio CD)

Patrick O'Brian would have been proud to know that such a well researched and presented musical companion piece to his Aubrey/Maturin novels had been produced. He may have been distressed at first to discover that it was the Americans who had done it, but certainly would have forgiven them. This recording is wonderful, whether or not the listener is a fan of O'Brian's series. A familiarity with the characters aboard Jack Aubrey's ships makes it all the more enjoyable. This is not the high blown music of Stephen Maturin and his captain or of the High Lords of the Admiralty, but rather the songs and tunes so dear to the hearts of the common sailors the likes of Killick and Bonden. This is the music of the lower decks, the forecastle and the pubs of Portsmouth, Plymouth and London. The songs are well researched, arranged and presented to please the ear of scholar and casual listener alike. A truly authentic sound of the Royal Navy as it did battle with "Boney." A marvelous insight into the history of the songs that gave voice to the fighting sailor of the day. I recommend this recording highly.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Continuing Enjoyment, May 5, 2006

By 

Helen Connor (Abu Dhabi & Canberra) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roast Beef of Old England (Traditional Sailor Songs) (Audio CD)

I've owned this CD for a few years now, and it hasn't become stale yet.

Being a 'younger' person with generally 'younger' preferences in music, and yet still a person thoroughly devoted to Patrick O'Brian and all his works, on first listening I was doubtful.

Another two or three spins around the CD player, though, and I was hooked. Crisp, clear and obviously as historically accurate as they can be, these songs give delight even now.

Best use? Volume dialled up to eleven for the morning drive to work, bellowing along at the top of my voice - and often the bottom of my range! Heart of Oak, Roast Beef of Old England, The Shannon and the Chesapeake - uproarious. Sailor's Jacket is the foot-tappingest instrumental; it still sets my toes a-jumping. And the sweeter songs? Give them plenty of wellie .. Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy is fabulous.

Other big numbers: A Jolly Sailor's True Description of a Man-of-War, A New Sea Song (Sweethearts & Wives) - which has some fabulously 'historically accurate' narrative within (POB readers will know whereof I speak! ;-} - and Distressed Men-of-War - another song referred to within the POB Canon.

Heartily recommended.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great collection but lacking spirit, January 21, 2005

By 

The Admiral (New Smyrna Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roast Beef of Old England (Traditional Sailor Songs) (Audio CD)

I'm trying hard to really like this CD as there are many good shanties, all of them well-performed and apparently well-researched. The vocals are very clear and the harmony quite good throughout. Alas, most of this offering leaves me flat. Nearly all the songs feel as if they are being sung without spirit. It's almost as if the performers were given the lyrics and just read them all to a pre-defined "shanty" style. For example, you just don't sing a line like "we'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors" without emphasizing any of the words, especially the words rant, roar and true, as I believe the real sailors would have done. (Note: I did find that using a surround sound setting as opposed to regular stereo added some depth I felt was missing from the vocals).

All the songs are presented acapella (historically correct for the era) and several very fine fiddle and pennywhistle instrumentals punctuate the 24 tracks (`St. Patrick's Day', `Drops of Brandy', `Nancy Dawson', `Sailor's Hornpipe'/'Rickett's Hornpipe', `Nelson's Victory'/'Hull's Victory', `The Banks of the Nile'/'Sailor's Cravat', `Chevy Chase', `Sailor's Jacket'). If you are looking for the old standards like `Drunken Sailor', `Rio Grande', `Blow the Man Down', etc., they aren't here (except for `Spanish Ladies'). This is by design as Bryant's whole point was to offer a collection of authentic early 1800's shanties sung aboard the ships of the Royal Navy. In that respect, the CD is a gold mine for fans of the genre.

If you really enjoy your sea shanties authentically performed, you probably won't be disappointed as there are many here you won't find elsewhere. But if you are looking for a rousing performance of the same, you may be left wanting.