The Transports: The Silver Edition of Peter Bellamy's Classic Ballad Opera [Box set]

Peter Bellamy (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• 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: Free Reed Us Release
• ASIN: B0007YMUSE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,310 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Overture

2. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 1

3. Us Poor Fellows

4. The Robber's Song

5. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 2

6. The Leaves in the Woodland

7. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 3

8. I Once Lived in Service

9. The Ballad of Norwich Goal

10. Sweet Loving Friendship

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Black & Bitter Night

2. Raking the Embers

3. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 1

4. Us Poor Fellows

5. The Robber's Song

6. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 2

7. The Leaves in the Woodland

8. The Ballad of Henry & Susannah, Pt. 3

9. I Once Lived in Service

10. The Ballad of Norwich Gaol

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

A True Masterpiece of the Folk Revival is Released as a 25th Anniversary Set and 136 Page Booklet. Cd1 is the Original Album Remastered. Cd2 features Interpretations of that Album. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Seventies Folk Masterpiece, May 7, 2004

By 

Robert R. Hudson "blind bobby ray" (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Transports: The Silver Edition of Peter Bellamy's Classic Ballad Opera (Audio CD)

The British folk revival produced a handful of albums that stand as true monuments, classics that lifted the folk album to the highest level of artistry. The Watersons' Frost and Fire comes immediately to mind, as well as Ashley Hutchings' Morris On, Lou Killen's Ballads and Broadsides, and Vic Gammon's Tale of Ale. Peter Bellamy's most remarkable achievement may be that he produced two such classics: The Transports, Bellamy's outstanding ballad opera of 1977, is the first, and The Barrack-Room Ballads is the second. They are timeless.

The Transports, at the time, was a true perspective changer, a recording that leaves few listeners, once they have truly heard them with their hearts and imaginations, unchanged.

Thanks to the folks at Free Reed for remastering this disc and for recording a second disc of contemporary reinterpretations of Bellamy's powerful songs. Though the original is still unsurpassed, some of the new versions surprised me with their vitality and high quality.

For those unfamiliar with The Transports, it is a ballad opera, written by British folk performer Peter Bellamy. It is based on the true story of convict Henry Cabell and his wife, Susannah Holmes, who were transported to Australia on the "first fleet" -- the first of the convict ships that England send down under.

But this is not "opera" in the Wagnerian sense. The songs are sung by a virtual who's who of the British folk scene in the sixties and seventies: Martin Carthy, Nic Jones, A L Lloyd, Mike and Norma Waterson, June Tabor, Cyril Tawney, Dave Swarbrick, and the inimitable Bellamy himself. This import package is pricy but if you love English music, it's worth the expense.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Be Transported, March 18, 2006

By 

Kenneth Freedman (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Transports: The Silver Edition of Peter Bellamy's Classic Ballad Opera (Audio CD)

This is an amazing achievement, both in composition and ensemble performace. This "Folk Opera" tells a love story within the context of the first fleet to transport English convicts to Auastralia. Although one might easily believe these are actual folk tunes, they are not. Born out of the English folk/rock fusion movement of the 70s (Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention etc.) many wonderful performers collaborated in bringing this to life. Don't miss it.