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The Cruel Ship's Captain
Bryan Ferry has recorded The Cruel Ship's Captain for the various artist album 'Rouges Gallery: Pirate Ballads. Sea Songs & Chanteys' to be released on 22nd August 2006.
This song was probably first published as a broadside ballad in the mid 19th century. Many such songs were a form of popular protest against the cruelty and injustice of the times. Copies of the song, in sheet music, were sold on the street. They were often written anonymously. At sea, the captain was the absolute authority, with little or no restraints. A cruel captain could subject his crew to tortures we can hardly imagine today.
The album was produced by Hal Wilner who was also behind the Harry Smith project that Bryan Ferry took part in July 1999. Many of the artists from that show appear on this album like Nick Cave, Gavin Friday, Jarvis Cocker & Van Dyke Parks.
The album track listing:
Disc one:
"Cape Cod Girls," Baby Gramps
"Mingulay Boat Song," Richard Thompson
"My Son John," John C. Reilly
"Fire Down Below," Nick Cave
"Turkish Revelry," Loudon Wainwright III
"Bully In The Alley," Three Pruned Men
"The Cruel Ship's Captain," Bryan Ferry
"Dead Horse," Robin Holcomb
"Spanish Ladies," Bill Frisell
"High Barbary," Joseph Arthur
"Haul Away Joe," Mark Anthony Thompson
"Dan Dan," David Thomas
"Blood Red Roses," Sting
"Sally Brown," Teddy Thompson
"Lowlands Away," Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle
"Baltimore Whores," Gavin Friday
"Rolling Sea," Eliza Carthy
"The Mermaid," Martin Carthy & the UK Group
"Haul On The Bowline," Bob Neuwirth
"Dying Sailor to His Shipmates," Bono
"Bonnie Portmore," Lucinda Williams
"Shenandoah," Richard Greene & Jack Sh*t
"The Cry Of Man," Mary Margaret O'Hara
Disc two:
"Boney," Jack Sh*t
"Good Ship Venus," Loudon Wainwright III
"Long Time Ago," White Magic
"Pinery Boy," Nick Cave
"Lowlands Low," Bryan Ferry with Antony
"One Spring Morning," Akron/Family
"Hog Eye Man," Martin Carthy & family
"The Fiddler/A Drop of Nelson's Blood," Ricky Jay & Richard Greene
"Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold," Andrea Corr
"Fathom The Bowl," John C. Reilly
"Drunken Sailor," David Thomas
"Farewell Nancy," Ed Harcourt
"Hanging Johnny," Stan Ridgway
"Old Man of The Sea," Baby Gramps
"Greenland Whale Fisheries," Van Dyke Parks
"Shallow Brown," Sting
"The Grey Funnel Line," Jolie Holland
"A Drop of Nelson's Blood," Jarvis Cocker
"Leave Her Johnny," Lou Reed
"Little Boy Billy," Ralph Steadman
Type:
Miscellaneous
Song Musicians:
- Andy Newmark drums
- Bryan Ferry vocals & piano
- Kate St. John oboe
- Martyn Barker percussion
- Peter Stanley banjo
- Recorded in London at Sanctuary / Town House Studios
- Rory McFarlane bass
- Tim Roe Engineer
- Tom Hough Assistant Engineer
- Warren Ellis violin
The Cruel Ship's Captain is on the following Roxy Music & Solo albums:
View the lyrics.
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