REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

PETER BELLAMY WITH LOUIS KILLEN - Won’t You Go My Way?
Talking Elephant TECD283

There is nothing to be added to the very considerable amount that has been said over the years about these two. I never had the pleasure of hearing them perform live together, so this reissue of a 1971 recording is most welcome. Recorded in front of a live audience, it gives an interesting picture of the stage that these two giants of the folk scene had reached by then – although in truth, Louis is very much in a supporting role here, despite his billing on the cover. It also, in passing, says quite a lot about the folk scene back then.

Two things that strike you immediately are the way the two voices work together – they sound as if they were hatched out of the same egg – and the enthusiasm of the audience, whose chorus singing is gutsy and spot-on. It’s years since I’ve heard an audience sing so lustily – those were the days!

The songs themselves are, by and large, standards of the time and are all performed impeccably, ranging from sea shanties through some Irish acquisitions and a couple of Bellamy compositions, some Copper-sourced songs and Cyril Tawney’s Monday Morning to finish up with a gale force version of Yarmouth Town. Along the way, both performers demonstrate their musical maturity on whistle and concertina as well as indulging in a little light self mockery.

For those of us who loved Peter Bellamy’s singing (and I know that’s not everyone), this is a wonderful way to remind ourselves of what a phenomenal talent he was, and Louis’s tantalisingly understated contributions add piquancy to a very tasty dish.

John Waltham