THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MARTIN CARTHY COLLECTION EVER ASSEMBLED – 20 CD SET WITH LIVE & SESSION PERFORMANCES RECORDED FOR THE BBC OVER A 57 YEAR PERIOD
INCLUDES 80-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK WITH AN ESSAY BY CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHER CLINTON HEYLIN, COVERING MARTIN'S WHOLE LIFE IN MUSIC
WITH UNSEEN PHOTOS, MANY FROM MARTIN'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE, SEPARATE SESSION NOTES BY RENOWNED CARTHY CHRONICLER KEVIN BOYD & A PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED BY MARTIN
Though he eschews such terms himself, few would deny that Martin Carthy MBE is the godfather of English folk – a singer, tradition bearer and guitar stylist of colossal quality and influence with 60 years of celebrated recorded work as a solo artist, as a duettist with Dave Swarbrick and with his daughter Eliza Carthy, and as a member of ground-breaking ensembles Steeleye Span, the Albion Country Band, Brass Monkey, the Watersons, Waterson: Carthy & Wood, Wilson, Carthy.
All of these collaborations and more are represented in this stunning collection from Martin’s extraordinarily extensive career of interactions with the British Broadcasting Corporation – as a studio session guest and concert performer over a span of 1965–2022, across BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 & 4 and BBC television, with early performances from 1960s regional channel ABC TV as a bonus. What survives of Martin’s BBC output is perhaps a fraction of what once aired over the course of nearly 56 years of moments on the usually ephemeral medium of broadcasting, yet its range and heft is remarkable – an alternative career history and testament to a truly singular artistry: 22½ hours, 328 tracks (two thirds from a master source) of which there are 237 distinct items of repertoire.
The troubadour, the folk-rocker, the guitar hero, the acapella master, the champion of songs from the people, the voice of history, the wit and raconteur, Martin Carthy seemingly walked the road forever, never strayed far from the folk clubs and never sold out. This limited edition set – lovingly curated by Colin Harper – includes a lavishly illustrated 80-page hardback book with essays by Clinton Heylin & Kevin Boyd, a 1971 Keith Morris photograph signed by Martin & 20 discs of audio magic mastered by Pete Reynolds. With your hosts John Peel, Suzy Klein, Andy Kershaw, Jim Lloyd & further denizens of Broadcasting House, here is Martin Carthy providing, time after time, plentiful evidence for those who would – despite his protestations – call him a legend.