Saturday, February 07, 2026

Water Under The Bridge

I've been holding onto this record for a long time now because I'm not sure of what exactly it is. I like to think it's a Christmas record, but it's not really. There are too many songs that don't seem to have anything to do with Christmas on it. But on the other hand, there seems to be too many Christmas songs here to throw it in to the Christmas In July category and only record part of it. So I've decided to give you the whole thing and let you decide. Be sure to share your opinion of this oddity in the comments after you give it a listen. This is The Watersons-Frost And Fire (Topic Records (UK) 12T136, Mono, 1965). Enjoy!

1. Here We Come A-Wassailing
2. The Derby Ram
3. Jolly Old Hawk
4. Pace-Egging Song
5. Seven Virgins Or The Leaves Of Life
6. The Holly Bears A Berry
7. Hal-An-Tow
8. Earsdon Sword Dance Song
9. John Barleycorn
10. Harvest Song: We Gets Up In The Morn
11. Souling Song
12. Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand
13. Herod And The Cock
14. Wassail Song

MEGA

14 comments:

  1. An important English folk group. Good wiki article here:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Watersons

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  2. I think what makes this one so fascinating is that it’s not really a Christmas album so much as a seasonal one. It moves through the whole ritual year — wassailing, Easter, May Day, harvest, souling — with Christmas as just one stop in a much older cycle. That’s why it feels so different from typical Christmas records, but also why it fits here in a deeper way. Really grateful you shared the whole thing instead of pulling tracks — it only makes sense when you hear the year turn. Thanks for posting this, it’s a special one.

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    1. This one seems to be a hit, but I am really hesitant to include non-Christmas material here, especially in the season. But I'm glad it seems to be well liked.

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  3. Interesting in many ways...
    I can totally relate to this album.
    As a Choir member at one time, in voice practice, in many situations, one sings alone, or with others, with or without the accompaniment of a single instrument or two.
    A very welcomed share.

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  4. It definetly isnt just a Christmas album, but it is a beautiful one :)
    The Watersons were also popular, in the United Kingdom
    https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/27113/all

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    1. Looks like the UK was their homebase. Not sure they got much exposure here in the US. Heaven knows how I came across a copy of their debut record here.

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  5. Excellent share! I'm really glad I got to hear this. Thank you! -Organ

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  6. Also, thanks to Buster for the wiki article, it lead me to the BBC Play for Today featuring music by the Watersons https://archive.org/details/play-for-today/Play+for+Today+-+S03E12+-+Land+of+Green+Ginger+(15+January+1973).avi

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    1. There's an Orb track called Land Of Green Ginger, I need to look and see if there's a relationship there. Probably a sample of some sort.

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  7. Love the Watersons, but I'm a fan of British folk anyway. Thank you so much for this one.

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    1. Had you heard of this one before? I'd never seen or heard of it, but then I'd never heard of The Watersons either.

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