One of the most respectable figures in British folk and folk rock circles, Martin Carthy somehow remains more of a hidden treasure in comparison to such his colleagues as Ashley Hutchings and Dave Swarbrick both of whom shared a stage and record space with this singer-songwriter. Many people don’t even remember Carthy’s stints with STEELEYE SPAN and THE ALBION BAND, yet Martin’s solo work is well-loved, and though there’s only so many times one may want to listen to “Sovay” that’s became a staple of his repertoire, following its permutations through the years must be part of the pleasures “Along The Road Forever: Live At The BBC 1965-2022” – a forthcoming box set, comprised of twenty CDs – offers.
Out on July 17th, it documents the veteran’s decades-long dalliances with the Beeb, and goes even further than that, although, surprisingly, there’s no video material – despite the presence of such on YouTube. Factor in a signed photo, hardback book and other paraphernalia, and this indeed should feel like a treasure chest.
Along The Road Forever:
Live At The BBC
1965-2022
CD 1
Sounds Of The 70’s, Radio 1, 09/05/73:
1. Hanged I Shall Be
2. New St George
3. I’ll Go & List For A Sailor
4. Harvest Home / The Gas Almost Works
John Peel Session, Radio 1, 28/02/74:
5. Skewbald
6. Geordie
7. Prince Heathen
8. Lucy Wan
John Peel Session, Radio 1, 07/09/76:
9. Willie’s Lady
10. Unfortunate Tailor
11. King Knapperty
12. Searching For Lambs
John Peel Session, Radio 1, 07/12/77:
13. Willie’s Lady
14. Bonnets So Blue
15. William Taylor
16. Three Jolly Sneaksman
17. Brown Adam
CD 2
Live At Loughborough Festival 17/09/73:
1. Three Jolly Sneaksman
Live At St Albans Folk Club 1973:
2. Skewbald
3. The Rainbow
4. Geordie
5. Brigg Fair
6. Creeping Jane
7. Johnny Sands
8. All Of A Row
9. John Barleycorn
10. Three Jolly Sneaksman
Live At Folkweave, Radio 2, 27/03/75:
11. The Seven Virgins
Live At Cambridge Folk Festival 1977:
12. The Bedmaking + DJ Intro
13. The Worcestershire Wedding
14. Bruton Town
15. Lumps Of Plumb Pudding / Three Around Three
16. Johnny Sands
17. January Man + Toni Arthur Outro
CD 3
Live At Sidmouth Folk Festival 1978:
1. A May Day Song
2. Lord Randall
3. Bonnets So Blue
4. Johnny Sands
5. Willie’s Lady
6. The January Man
7. Three Around Three
Live At The Beach Store, Sidmouth Folk Festival, 06/08/79:
8. The Crafty Maid’s Policy (Sweet Joan)
9. The False Lover Won Back
10. The Gallant Poacher
11. Locks & Bolts
12. All Of A Row + Intro
13. The Rainbow
14. Geordie
15. The Siege Of Delhi
CD 4
Live At The Beach Store, Sidmouth Folk Festival, 06/08/79:
1. Maid On The Shore
2. Corduroy Trousers
3. Bonny Lass Of Anglesey
4. Lemaidie
5. John Barleycorn
Live At The 18th Cambridge Folk Festival, BBC2, 09/12/82:
6. Pigeon On The Gate
7. Primrose Lass
8. Jolly Tinker
BRASS MONKEY – Live In 1983:
9. Sovay
10. Bad News
11. Old Grenadier
12. Maid & The Palmer
13. May Song
14. Rambling Comber
15. Trowie Burn
16. Seventeen Come Sunday
CD 5
Live From Stagfolk Club 1981:
1. Jim Lloyd Intro
2. The Bedmaking
3. Johnny Sands
4. Lord Byron / The Battle Of The Somme
5. Lovely Joan
6. All Of A Row
7. Sheep Crook & Black Dog
8. The Baccapipes Jig / Old Tom Of Oxford
9. Willie’s Lady
Live At Fylde Folk Festival, 05/11/84:
10. A Stitch In Time
11. La Cardeuse
12. Reynard The Fox
Live At Fylde Folk Festival, 25/01/83:
13. The Siege Of Delhi
14. Corduroy Trousers
15. Long John
Live At Pontardwe Folk Festival 1983:
16. Swaggering Boney / Glorishears
17. Salisbury Plain
18. Reynard The Fox
CD 6
John Peel Session, Radio 1, 18/04/83:
1. The Devil & The Feathery Wife
2. Tatty Trousers
3. Lady Dysle
4. I Sowed Some Seeds
5. Long John
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 1, 09/07/87:
6. When I Was Young
7. Rufford Park Poachers
8. Hommage A Roche Proulx
9. Company Policy
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 1, 28/01/88 – with The Watersons:
10. The Derby Ram
11. Adieu, Adieu
12. The Poacher’s Fate
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 1, 15/09/88:
13. La Cardeuse
14. Aux Anciens Parapets
15. The Dominion Of The Sword
16. The Famous Flower Of Serving Men
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 07/10/87:
17. I Sowed Some Seeds + DJ Intro
18. Foster’s Fudge
19. Hard Times Of Old England + DJ Intro
20. The Indian Queen
CD 7
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 02/02/85:
1. The Green Wedding
2. Cold, Haily, Windy Night
3. Lowlands Of Holland
4. Funeral Party
5. Willie’s Lady
6. Oor Hamlet
7. Thorneymoor Woods
BBC Radio Sussex, 27/08/84:
8. The White Hare
9. Baccapipes Jig / Old Tom Of Oxford
10. Brown Adam
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 07/11/90:
11. The Trip We Took Over The Mountains
12. Sovay
13. Oh Dear Oh
14. Bows Of London
15. The Dominion Of The Sword
CD 8
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 12/10/88:
1. Carthy’s March
2. Arthur McBride & The Sergeant
3. All In Green
4. Porcupine Rag
5. A-Begging I Will Go
6. The Broomfield Hill
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 19/04/89:
7. Porcupine Rag
8. A-Begging I Will Go
9. Carthy’s March (Fades Into News)
10. Arthur McBride
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 1, 30/08/90:
11. Carthy’s March / The Lemon Tree
12. Oh Dear Oh
13. A Question Of Sport
14. Sovay
Live At Belfast Festival, Radio Ulster, Late 80’s:
15. Mrs Bermingham
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 17/09/97:
16. Sovay (take 3)
17. Lord Inchiquin (take 3)
18. The Brown Girl
19. Such A War Has Never Been
20. Carthy’s March / The Lemon Tree
21. Byker Hill
CD 9
Live At Glastonbury Festival, 25/06/95:
1. I Sowed Some Seeds
2. New Mown Hay
3. A Stitch In Time
4. Bill Norrie
5. La Cardeuse
6. The Tailor’s Britches
7. Geordie
8. Company Policy
9. Reel
10. Jack Tarr
11. Long John
CD 10
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 1, 29/01/95:
1. Mick Dam
2. Seventeen Come Sunday
3. The Swallow
4. Polly Bishop’s Slip Jig
5. Jacob’s Well
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 11/03/97 – Alternate Takes:
6. Creeping Jane (take 1)
7. The Wife Of Usher’s Well (takes 3 & 4)
8. Princess Royal (take 4)
9. I Sowed Some Seeds (takes 2 & 3)
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 17/09/97 – Alternate Takes:
10. Sovay (take 2)
11. Lord Inchiquin / Bride’s March From Unst / True Lovers’ Lament
12. Carthy’s March (take 1)
13. Interview (edit)
CD 11
Folk On 2, Radio 2, 11/03/97:
1. Creeping Jane (take 4)
2. Rufford Park Poachers
3. Geordie
4. The Wife Of Usher’s Well
5. Princess Royal (take 5)
6. I Sowed Some Seeds (composite takes 2 & 3)
Andy Kershaw Session, Radio 3, 17/10/04:
7. Jacky Tarr + DJ Intro
8. Martin Carthy Interview 1
9. The Famous Flower Of Serving Men + DJ Outro
10. The Foggy Dew
11. Martin Carthy Interview 2
12. The Royal Lament
CD 12
Sidmouth 1990, Radio 2 – with The Watersons:
1. Band Of Lace
2. Dido Bendigo
3. Collier Laddie
4. Lord Rothchild
5. The Prickle Holly Bush + Intro
Live At Sidmouth Festival 12/08/92:
6. The Bedmaking
7. King Henry
Live At The Rare Music Club, Bristol 04/01/97:
8. DJ Intro & Carthy Interview
9. The Trees They Grow So High
10. If My Love Will Be True To Me
11. Oh Albion
12. The Gardener
13. The Dominion Of The Sword
14. Young Collins
Live At Cambridge Festival, 07/99:
15. The Devil & The Feathery Wife
CD 13
Sidmouth Festival Recording, 08/99 For Mike Harding Show:
1. I Sowed Some Seeds
2. Clyde’s Water
3. The Royal Lament
4. The Bedmaking
5. Rufford Park Poachers
6. Creeping Jane
7. Princess Royal / Old Tom Of Oxford
8. The Tailor’s Britches
9. Hong Kong Blues
10. Three Jolly Sneaksman
CD 14
Sidmouth Festival Recording, 08/99 For Mike Harding Show:
1. Sir Patrick Spens
2. Oor Hamlet
3. The Famous Flower Of Serving Men
4. The Devil & The Feathery Wife
5. Geordie
BRASS MONKEY – Live At Butlin’s Spring Festival 1986:
6. Rambling Comber
7. Waterman’s Hornpipe
8. The Handweaver & The Factory Maid
9. Flower Of Taft / Lass Of Patie’s Mill
10. The Miller’s Three Sons
11. The Foxhunt
CD 15
60th Birthday Concert, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford 2001:
1. Bold Doherty
2. Sir Patrick Spens
3. Golden Grove
4. Bill Norrie
5. Hard Times Of Old England
6. When First I Came To Caledonia
7. Bright Shiny Morning
8. Jim Jones In Botany Bay
9. Swaggering Boney
10. Geordie
11. T Stands For Thomas
12. Bay Of Biscay
13. Midnight On The Water
CD 16
BBC Folk Awards, Radio 2, 16/02/05:
1. Bonny Woodhall
Talking Bob Dylan Blues – A Tribute Concert, 30/09/05:
2. Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
3. Scarborough Fair
Folk Britannia, Live At The Barbican, BBC 4, 22/04/06:
4. The 18th Of June
5. Champion At Keeping ‘Em Rolling
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – A Folk Tribute, Radio 2, 18/05/11:
6. Bob Dylan’s Dream + DJ Intro
Front Row, Radio 4, 25/05/11:
7. Farewell Lovely Nancy
In Tune, Radio 3, 29/02/12:
8. Sir Patrick Spens
9. Interview
10. Limbo
11. Princess Royal + DJ Outro
12. Scarborough Fair – with THE AURORA ORCHESTRA
Live At Cambridge Folk Festival 2013:
13. The Death Of Queen Jane
14. The Deserter
15. The Royal Oak
16. When I Was A Little Boy
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Radio 2, 19/02/14:
17. Died For Love
CD 17
Jools Holland Show, BBC Radio 2, 17/10/11:
1. Nothing Rhymed
World On 3, Radio 3, 20/06/14:
2. Queen Caraboo
3. Waking Dreams
4. Happiness
5. Monkey Hair
6. Died For Love
Bob Fisher, BBC Radio Tees, 20/12/17:
7. The Whale Catchers
8. High Germany
9. Flame Of Fire
In Tune, Radio 3, 16/01/20:
10. The Doffing Mistress
11. Waterman’s Hornpipe
12. The Rambling Comber
In Tune, Radio 3, 17/08/20:
13. Interview
14. John Barleycorn
Music Planet – At Home With The Carthys, Radio 3, 31/12/22:
15. Blackwell Merrymeet
CD 18
Extracted From Hullaballoo 1963:
1. Jug Of Punch
2. Duncan & Brady
3. Lowlands
4. My Girl
5. Dreadnaught
6. The Leaving Of Liverpool
7. Queen Of Hearts
8. Poor Howard
9. Row Bullies Row
10. Sweet Nightingale
From “Hallelujah” LP 1966:
11. Young Man Cut Down In His Prime
12. Wayfaring Stranger
13. Teach Me My God & King
14. Like The Snow
15. John Barleycorn
16. Rivers Of Babylon
London Folk Song Cellar, World Service, 1966 – with Dave Swarbrick:
17. The Marquess Of Tullibardine & Prog Intro
London Folk Song Cellar, World Service, 1966:
18. The Whistling Thief
19. Scarborough Fair
20. A-Begging I Will Go
London Folk Song Cellar, World Service, 1966 – with Rory McEwen:
21. The Trees They Grow So High
22. The Bonny Earl Of Moray
London Folk Song Cellar, World Service, 1966 – with Isla Cameron:
23. Marrowbones
24. So We’ll Go No More A-Roving
25. Old Maid’s Song
26. Bobby Shaftoe
27. All Around My Hat
28. The Bonny Miner Lad
29. Johnny, I Hardly Knew You
London Folk Song Cellar, World Service, 1966 – with Dave Swarbrick:
30. Marquis Of Tullibardine
Once More With Felix, BBC 2, 16/12/67 – with Dave Swarbrick:
31. Byker Hill
32. Early Morning Rain
Degrees Of Folk, BBC 2, 29/07/68 – with Dave Swarbrick:
33. Sovay
CD 19
Top Gear, 23/06/70:
1. I Was A Young Man
2. The Lark In The Morning
3. Rave On
4. The Blacksmith
5. Female Drummer
STEELEYE SPAN – John Peel Sunday Concert 26/06/71:
6. False Knight On The Road
7. The Lark In The Morning
8. Rave On
9. Three Reels: Dowd’s Favourite / Ten Pound Float / Musical Priest
10. Captain Coulson
11. Handsome Polly-O
12. Bring ‘Em Down / Haul On The Bowline
13. Four Nights Drunk
14. When I Was On Horseback
15. Female Drummer
16. General Taylor + Intro
17. Four Reels: College Grove / Silver Spear / Ballymurphy Rake / Maid Behind The Bar
Sounds Of The 70’s – Stuart Henry – 04/02/71:
18. Further Along
19. Bold Poachers
CD 20
Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance, BBC TV, 02/11/65:
1. The Ballad Of Jack Musgrave
Hallelujah 1966:
2. Newlyn Town Hall
Wonderful Copenhagen, Radio 1, 07/10/67:
3. Sovay
4. Three Irish Folk Dances
5. Streets Of Forbes
6. The Bonny Black Hare
My Kind Of Folk, Radio 2, 24/07/68:
7. Two Butchers
8. John Barleycorn
9. Streets Of Forbes
10. Snug In The Blanket
Country Meets Folk, Radio 1, 15/02/69 – with Dave Swarbrick:
11. Arthur McBride & The Sergeant
12. Byker Hill
13. Dill Pickles Rag
Folk On Friday, Radio 2, 05/02/71:
14. John Blunt
15. Brigg Fair
16. Interview
17. The January Man
18. Cold, Haily, Windy Night
John Peel Session, Radio 1, 22/05/72:
19. False Lover Won Back
20. King Henry
21. Trimdon Grange
Unknown TV Programme, 15/12/72
22. Flowers Of Edinburgh
23. King Of The Fairies
