Forgotten Melodies #2: Sea Shanties

For this week's bonus episode, we have something very special for you - the second installment of our new series, Forgotten Melodies, which is all about folk music, featuring explorations of types of folk song and original recordings which put fresh spins on trad tunes!

In this episode we are talking all about Ben's absolute favourite kind of folk song, the Sea Shanty, as well as 'Songs of the Sea' more generally - including three brand new versions of classics of the genre, "Haul Away Joe," "Santiana," and "Spanish Ladies."

If you've never heard of a Sea Shanty then don't worry - as ever, Eleanor and Ben will talk us all through the song-types' musical features, and Martin will become increasingly befuddled by nautical terminology!

We'll be chatting through their history, too, from the roots of the form in African and African American work songs to which kinds of nautical musics were prohibited by the Navy, the reasons why shanties died out (and so quickly roared back into popularity) as well as other rum-soaked mysteries.

Such as, why did pirates definitely not play concertinas?

What does it take to make something 'ship shape and Bristol fashion?'

And what exactly does it take to stop a cat?

This one has it all: stolen wooden legs, sandy bottoms, and plenty of 'Drawing Room Safe' terminology that is very likely to make you giggle!

We really hope you enjoy it, and will see you on deck, sailor!

Once you've swabbed the galley, shivered your timbers, and paid the Shanty Man his dues, of course! Gyaaaargh!

The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.

Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...

Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.

With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?

Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast

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