You Will Be Transported
Kenneth Freedman | Long Beach, CA USA | 03/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
A Seventies Folk Masterpiece
Robert R. Hudson | Grand Rapids, MI | 05/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1