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Depp joined forces with film Director Gore Verbinski and got Hal Willner to produce this album called Rogue’s Gallery. Apparently Verbinski and Depp drew up the list of artists and Willner was the mastermind behind “matching maverick musicians with extraordinary material to the project.” His research collected some 600 potential songs before narrowing it down before recording started in March of this year. Regular Fly readers will know Hectic has a soft spot for the English folk songs and sea shanties so this is big treat for me.

With a massive 43 track double CD there are inevitably some tracks that look out of place and no doubt are ‘friends’ of the compilers. That said, don’t take it away from them for upping the profile of the genre that was/is the rap music of the sea ‘industry’.

Some of the best tracks are via Loudon Wainwright III and son Rufus, Kate McGarrigle and family friends Richard and Teddy Thompson. Loudon (did I ever tell you I met him once on the Victoria Line?) gets two goes here, ‘Turkish Revelry’ and ‘Good Ship Venus’ (the last one is particularly X-Rated).

Apart from rubbing shoulders with Mr. Wainwright, I got to briefly meet David (Pere Ubu) Thomas last year. He’s another artist that has dabbled in the shanty. Not that I’d have thought that there was a big tradition in his Cleveland home town but his individual styling stands out on the avant-garde ‘Dan Dan’ (even if it is short) and the inevitable (but greatest hit?), ‘What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor’.

Sailor’s have been know to enjoy a drink and Three Pruned Men sound like they’ve had a drop on ‘Bully In The Alley’. ‘Coast Of High Barbary’ is another ‘drunk’ song and if Spank Rock/LaCrate think they can shock with B-more, try ‘Baltimore Whores’ by Gavin Friday(remember folks, size doesn’t matter).

Bill Frisell gets a short instrumental to extend the eclecticism of the set whilst The Carthy’s get involved on ‘The Mermaid’ (Martin), ‘Rolling Sea’ (Eliza) and ‘Hog Eye Man’ (and Family); very good sing-song that last one.

Artists not particularly associated with Fly site but who particularly suit the songs are Nick Cave on ‘Fire Down Below’) and ,more surprisingly, Bryan Ferry (The Cruel Ship’s Captain) puts in his best performance for me since ‘The Strand’ period. And another one that’s a surprise is Sting (in his most Geordie) on ‘Blood Red Roses’. As an aside, news has it that Sting’s next album will be an album of 16th century lute music!

Who else would have been good on this project? Off the top of my head, you’d probably need to get the rest of the Wainwright’s in on the act, Martha and Anna McGarrigle, Tunng and Eighteenth Day Of May would do a good job also, even another Wychwood Festival star, Seth ‘Lady Of The Sea’ Lakeman.

Support this and we might get to hear the remaining 17 tracks that have already been recorded as a Volume II. The comparison of shanties to rap could equally apply to punk, metal or reggae to my mind. I’ve still not come to terms that a multi-dollar box office hit like Pirates Of The Caribbean has produced such a brilliant musical offspring. If you’ve not picked up on this, I love this collection. Can’t wait for the remix project either.

Reviewed - Various - Rogue’s Gallery - Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs And Chanteys (Anti-) Release Date: 21st August 2006
CD 1
1. Cape Cod Girls - Baby Gramps
2. Mingulay Boat Song - Richard Thompson
3. My Son John - John C. Reilly
4. Fire Down Below - Nick Cave
5. Turkish Revelry - Loudon Wainwright III
6. Bully In The Alley - Three Pruned Men
7. The Cruel Ship’s Captain - Bryan Ferry
8. Dead Horse - Robin Holcomb
9. Spanish Ladies - Bill Frisell
10. High Barbary - Joseph Arthur
11. Haul Away Joe - Mark Anthony Thompson
12. Dan Dan - David Thomas
13. Blood Red Roses - Sting
14. Sally Brown - Teddy Thompson
15. Lowlands Away - Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle
16. Baltimore Whores - Gavin Friday
17. Rolling Sea - Eliza Carthy
18. The Mermaid - Martin Carthy & the UK Group
19. Haul On The Bowline - Bob Neuwirth
20. Dying Sailor to His Shipmates - Bono
21. Bonnie Portmore - Lucinda Williams
22. Shenandoah - Richard Greene & Jack Shit
23. The Cry Of Man - Mary Margaret O’Hara

CD 2
1. Boney - Jack Shit
2. Good Ship Venus - Loudon Wainwright III
3. Long Time Ago - White Magic
4. Pinery Boy - Nick Cave
5. Lowlands Low - Bryan Ferry w/Antony
6. One Spring Morning - Akron/Family
7. Hog Eye Man - Martin Carthy & family
8. The Fiddler/A Drop of Nelson’s Blood - Ricky Jay & Richard Greene
9. Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold - Andrea Corr
10. Fathom The Bowl - John C. Reilly
11. Drunken Sailor - David Thomas
12. Farewell Nancy - Ed Harcourt
13. Hanging Johnny - Stan Ridgway
14. Old Man of The Sea - Baby Gramps
15. Greenland Whale Fisheries - Van Dyke Parks
16. Shallow Brown - Sting
17. The Grey Funnel Line - Jolie Holland
18. A Drop of Nelson’s Blood - Jarvis Cocker
19. Leave Her Johnny - Lou Reed
20. Little Boy Billy - Ralph Steadman

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“The ocean. It’s all about the vast blue that engulfs two thirds of the planet. The human being cast against that abyss creates an interesting bit of perspective. I think the sailors of the time were dancing with death, and these were their tunes. They resonate with people on some internal level that is not immediately obvious because it’s not in our memory, it’s in our blood. It operates on a cellular level. It’s what makes us feel so alone.” —Gore Verbinski
Directory of Shanty & Sea Song Recordings - UK www.shanty.co.uk