Search - Titanic-Epic Songs of the Sea :: Titanic-Epic Songs of the Sea

Set sail for a great musical experience!

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom | Minnesota, USA | 06/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I checked this album out of the library because it had "Sloop John B" and that "Titanic" song we used to sing around the campfire when I was in summer camp (a LONG time ago) and I wanted the words. I liked the album so much that I just had to have my own copy. Granted, this CD is obviously an attempt to cash in on the current Titanic craze, but I'll forgive them that, because it's a really great collection of sea songs, ranging from the 17th to the 20th century, performed by a variety of artists. Included are the usual chanteys such "What Shall we do with a Drunken Sailor" and "Blow the Man Down," that you'll find in lots of folk collections. But there are also ballads about more recent events, such as the sinking of the Thresher (atomic sub), the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Great Lakes ore ship), and the heroism of John F. Kennedy on "PT 109" (WWII patrol boat). The Edmund Fitzgerald ballad was especially meaningful to me, because I live in Minnesota near Lake Superior, where the E.F. sunk in 1975, so this song is local history. It was originally written and performed by Chippewa singer Gordon Lightfoot and was a #2 hit in 1976, right after the shipwreck happened. It is re-recorded here by Layne Brooks. Also interesting was "Sink the Bismarck," a patriotic British ballad from World War II, about sinking a German warship, which became a rallying battle cry for the Allies in those dark times. I had heard ABOUT this song before, but had never actually heard the song itself. What a treat! Not all the songs are about war and shipwrecks. "Calypso," written by John Denver and performed here by Art Green, sings the praises of Jacque Cousteau's scientific expeditions. Plus there are instrumentals that let you lie back and imagine the rolling waves. In short, finding all of these sea songs together on one CD is a real treasure! (The CD comes with historical notes.)"