Passion, fire, commitment and Kipling
P. Bryant | Nottingham, England | 03/19/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I noticed that the only Peter Bellamy albums available in the US seem to be this one and The Transports - both excellent but too much of an investment for the casual buyer. Peter was a wonderful English singer of traditional folk songs who in his commitment, passion and singlemindedness can only be compared to Martin Carthy. But not everyone will love his voice, which was a fairly extreme instrument, very strident, rarely pretty, and often unaccompanied. He wanted the drama of the song to grab you round the throat . He began singing in the mid-60s and quickly formed a three-part harmony group called The Young Tradition which was brilliant, unforgettable, essential, and completely ignored on this box set. They lasted all of two and a half years and he was on his own again. He then discovered Kipling, which became his major obsession until his sad death. He found that many of Kipling's extraordinarily powerful but almost ignored poems could be given traditional tunes and turned into mesmerising songs. So when Peter wasn't singing trad material, he was from 1970 onward singing his Kipling/trad creations. Brilliant albums followed - "Oak, Ash and Thorn", "Merlin's Isle of Gramarye", and especially "The Barrack-Room Ballads" - full of mystery and heartbreak, very powerful songs of a possible past. In many people's eyes he peaked with his "ballad opera" "The Transports", a fine song-cycle, written by Peter and performed by several of the greats of the English folk revival. None of these triumphs, however, won him a large audience. He was always too raw, too unadorned. In the 1980s he was performing to audiences of 50 or less. I once was in an audience of nine. It was a pity, but hardly surprising. As I say this cd box set is really for existing fans who will be thrilled at the vast amount of previously unreleased material and the love and care which has gone into the whole package. It's great and very unexpected. Beginners should certainly start with "Oak Ash and Thorn" or "Won't you Go My Way", any of the solo records from the 1970s. But they're all out of print, of course. If you do track them down, you'll hear a singer with more heart and more fire than a dozen others put together."
A masterpiece
Neil Bostock | Middletown, NY United States | 11/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An extraordinary collection of the work of a largely unheralded genius. I followed Bellamy's career from the Young Tradition days onward through his magnificent solo albums, and the seminal Transports collection. His voice was not to everyone's taste, but that can be said of many other singers. His was an extraordinary instrument. The sad circumstances of his death often make this difficult listening, especially on those live cuts from late in his career, when the audiences sound sparse indeed, as compared to the roaring applause following the YT's Bright Morning Star from the late 60's. It is not difficult to imagine how he must have felt as his style and vision fell out of favour. There are, however, treasures aplenty here, and it is a magnificent document of a great life, well lived and well sung. It is also one of the most comprehensive and well-organized box sets I have ever seen, in any genre of music. Buy this record."
An outstanding collection of English folk music
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 06/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an extraordinary 3-CD set of songs by English folksinger Peter Bellamy, who made his mark in the trio called Young Tradition, then found infamy and obscurity in his solo career, the best of which is gathered here for our pleasure. Bellamy was ostracized from the Left-leaning British folk scene when he began to devote himself to singing the works of Rudyard Kipling, an author who many saw as an exemplar of English imperialism. Bellamy, however, concentrated on Kipling's artistry, and found a rich (and largely untapped wellspring of well-wrought poetry, material he turned into songs that were often performed a capella, or with minimal accompaniment. He sang songs from many other sources as well, and this collection shows strengths as a folklorist, and the power of his deep, gruff vocals. This is powerful stuff, and if you give this set a good, attentive listening, you will emerge a devoted fan. A lot of rare, hard-to-find material, gathered together in a delightful package. Definitely recommended. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue music guide)"
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1