Album Notes

We have performed together the music of our English and Scottish homelands for more than thirty years. Many of our performances on both coasts of North America, in Canada, and in Britain have featured sea shanties and forbitters. Over the years we have sold many of our sea music recordings, now on the two CDs Deepwater Shanties and Deepwater Songs. Often fans have complained that too many of the songs we sing are not on our recordings. After considerable prodding we returned to the studio to record seventeen of those songs on Deepwater Return.

Thanks to our buddy, Ron Goldberg who helped us make a “pre CD” to convince us that we could still do it. Then Neil J. Young once again acted as co-producer, recording engineer, and great friend throughout. We benefited so much from the support and wisdom provided by Lewis Santer, who reviewed early cuts and steered us in the right direction.

The following supporting musicians added so much:
Ray Bierl: - Great singer, guitar player, fiddle player, and friend-who added fiddle tracks to Rose of England and Adieu Lovely Nancy.
Peter Heelen: - Our favorite Bay Area Uellean pipe player, who gave that chilling effect to the Death of Wolfe.
Lewis Santer: - Fantastic luthier, recording artist, and musician who played octave mandolin on Rose of England and octave mandolin and guitar on Wait Till The Clouds Roll By

Then our super chorus of San Francisco Bay Shanty Singers in alphabetical order:
Denny Franklin friend, doctor, radio operator, super bass singer; Jim Nelson friend, great shanty singer and banjo player; Larry Hanks friend, ultimate bass singer and super folkie; Peter Kasin, friend, shanty man extraordinaire, amazing fiddler, and Ranger at the Hyde Street Pier; Richard Adrianowitz, friend, shanty researcher, great musician, and golden voiced shantyman; and Ricky Rackin friend, former resident of the Castle Folk Club, super concertina player, and musical director of Nauticas.

All the best
Holdstock and Macleod