Now, for the novice: This album was a big bang 1965 Melody Maker Album of the Year that spawned Shirley and Dolly Collins’ Anthems Of Eden, No Roses by the Albion Band, Pentangle’s everything, Fairport’s Liege & Leif, Mike and Lol Waterson’s’ Bright Phoebus, Mr. Fox, Robin and Barry Dransfield, Steeleye Span, anything on the Fellside label, the Incredible String Band, Hedgehog Pie, Trees, solo singers like Vin Garbutt, Roy Harper, Pete Morton, and everything else, including my current Midwest Americana occasional craving for Marmite, a Theakston Old Peculiar, and a McVitie’s Digestive. Yeah, the village green grass is always greener.

But the songs that affect me most on this record are sung by Lal and Mike alone. On ‘Christmas Day Is Drawing Near’, Lal sings this moralising Christian song in a voice that suggests a heartbreaking submission to its sentiments. She surrenders to its mournful minor key, underlining the terrors of subservience. You hear the strange movements of the song’s melody in her songwriting in Bright Phoebus seven years later. That also said, and it’s just an idea, but these are the songs that birthed Richard Thompson’s brilliant song from Henry’s ‘The Old Changing Way’. That’s a rather nice pedigree. The Watersons on Chants de Marins IV: Ballads, Complaintes et Shanties des Matelots Anglais Pleasure and Pain Norma Waterson: Norma Waterson; The Watersons: A Yorkshire Christmas Her White Gown Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon Hilda’s Cabinet Band The Watersons on Richard Thompson et al.: Hard Cash; The Watersons: Frost and Fire (CD reissue) Cornfield Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon Country Life The Watersons: For Pence and Spicy Ale;

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Lal & Norma Waterson on The Watersons: The Definitive Collection Bellman The Watersons: For Pence and Spicy Ale;

The Watersons: The Definitive Collection Man in Need The Watersons on Richard & Linda Thompson: Shoot Out the Lights Man o’ War, The Mike Waterson: Mike Waterson; Then things get wonderfully weird: ‘The Holly Bears A Berry’ connects the plant with a “ dying and resurrected god” (Thank you, always, liner notes!). And, by the way, in Nordic mythology, that blind god Hod was deceived by that nasty fellow Loki to kill the really nice guy Balder with a mistletoe dart. Go figure. This latest version comes in a sleeve which is a replica of the original, with minor adaptations, complete with the original sleeve notes from A.L.Lloyd. For many, however, the fact that this vinyl edition has been re-cut at 45 rpm will be the most important factor. I am no sound expert, but having consulted producer and mastering maestro Tony Poole he confirms the fact that 45rpm will always be higher fidelity than 33 and a third, and the fact that each side of the album is less than 20 minutes long means optimal quality, notwithstanding the fact that the entire album only has vocal information and no bass or instruments which would need compressing. Jo Freya’s Lal Waterson Project: Lal Birds Will Still Be Singing, The Norma Waterson: Norma Waterson; And the seasonal circle continues: ‘Jolly Old Hawk’ mentions a “ twelfth most day”, which matches with those twelve days of Christmas, or the mysterious “ twelfth night”, which ritualistically attempts to counter the darkest days of the year. Supernatural stars and souls (and perhaps even Shakespeare’s ghost) hover over the tune.The Watersons: Early Days All I Have Is My Own (The Brisk Lad) Mike Waterson on The Watersons: Mighty River of Song Altisidora Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight: Once in a Blue Moon Amazing Grace The Watersons on Peter Bellamy: Both Sides Then; The Watersons perform in the original classic lineup – Lal, Mike and Norma Waterson and John Harrison.