Although he typically recorded as a lone wolf, noted Massachusetts folksinger
Paul Clayton assembled a crew of friends and contemporaries for this 1959 Folkways collection of sea shanties and foc'sle (slang for forecastle, the crew's quarters) songs. The biggest name here, aside from the prolific
Clayton himself, was
Dave Van Ronk, whose deep, lusty voice was perfectly suited to this type of bawdy nautical fare. Rounding out
the Foc'sle Singers were folk scene veterans Bob Brill, Roger Abrahams, and Bob Yellin. A native of New Bedford, maritime folk was
Clayton's bread and butter and he had already explored the genre thoroughly on previous recordings, most notably his 1956 classic
Whaling and Sailing Songs from the Days of Moby Dick. For this recording, he and the crew deliver 20 spirited tunes largely culled from old BBC field recordings of English chanteymen. Classic work shanties like "Haul Away Joe," "Leave Her Johnny," and "The Black Ball Line" are delivered a cappella in the traditional call-and-response style with the various members taking turns at the helm. Their readings of these rough-and-tumble crew songs are filled with spirit and gusto, with
Van Ronk offering up some particularly gutsy performances throughout. But in the end it's
Clayton's easy way with the language of the sea that gives the record its delightful cadence. Powerful, playful, and spontaneous,
Foc'sle Songs and Shanties stands as one of the finest folk albums of its kind. ~ Timothy Monger