The Reckoning

Album of the Year 2006

BBC Radio 2 Folk Music Awards

"For this is not fish you're eating, this is men's lives"

- Sir Walter Scott

The Reckoning. 2005 [click for larger image]

Topic Records TSCD551 2005

John Tams is one of our finest musicians and singers and one of our greatest songwriters. He can sing traditional material wonderfully and, at the same time, has written some of our best songs ever. Harry Stone, otherwise known as Hearts of Coal, and the beautiful Hugh Stenson and Molly Green are just two of his songs that have entered the canon in the last few years.

On this album, John deals the tradition – reworking several classic songs - and then adds his own unmistakable originals to produce a landmark new album.

To listen to How High The Price? / All Clouds The Sky /

St Hilda's Waltz click here.

To protect copyright this track cannot be downloaded.

How High The Price? /

All Clouds The Sky /

St Hilda's Waltz

How high the price
How deep the water
That makes widows out of wives
For this is not fish you're eating
This is men's lives...

All clouds the sky
The boats are leaving
One last goodbye
Dark waters call us on
The Northern Sea
Knows well the sound of grieving
How slight the fate
We put our trust upon

Then go we must
No longer can we tarry
The water's wide
Yet we must go and try
And like a bird on a silvery morning
Home to your side we will chance to fly

And the water shines like patent leather
We search for signs upon this lifeless ground
The reckoning sky calls down some heavy weather
We've come for fish, and fish need must be found

Then go we must
No longer can we tarry
The water's wide
Yet we must go and try
And like a bird on a silvery morning
Home to your side we will chance to fly

And we ride the flood and trust to glory
Some planks of wood no thicker than your thumb
It's all that keeps the telling of our story
From being lost or maybe being won

Then go we must
No longer can we tarry
The water's wide
Yet we must go and try
And like a bird on a silvery morning
Home to your side we will chance to fly

All clouds the sky
The boats are leaving
One last goodbye
Dark waters call us on
The Northern Sea
Knows well the sound of grieving
How slight the fate
We put our trust upon

Then go we must
No longer can we tarry
The water's wide
Yet we must go and try
And like a bird on a silvery morning
Home to your side we will chance to fly

Home to your side we will chance to fly.

1. Written In The Book

2. Safe House

3. Amelia

4. How High The Price? /

All Clouds The Sky /

St Hilda's Waltz

5. Bitter Withy

6. A Man Of Constant Sorrow

7. The Sea: Pretty Nancy /

A Sailor's Life / One More Day /

As I Looked East, As I Looked West

8. Including Love

John Tams vocals, acoustic guitar, button accordion, bass guitar,

5 string banjo
Barry Coope vocals, keyboards, harmonium, percussion, drums
Graeme Taylor electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 5 string banjo, dobro, ukelele
Keith Angel drums, percussion
Andy Seward string bass, bouzouki,

5 string banjo
Steve Dawson trumpet, cornet,

flugel horn
Roger Wilson acoustic guitar, fiddles

Methuen, 2001

Herman Heijermans's 1900 play is based on the true story of a Dutch fishing community whose men were sent to sea in a rotten boat. It was a campaigning play that led to a change in Dutch law. Lee Hall's new version of the drama transposes the action to turn-of-the-century Whitby, but the issues it deals with seem urgently contemporary.

Herman Heijermans.

The Good Hope (1900).

A new version by Lee Hall (2001).

Music and lyrics by John Tams.

Dir. Bill Bryden.

With Kenneth Anderson (Second Copper), Diane Beck (Jo), Emma Bird (Mary), Edward Clayton (First Copper), Chris Coe (Molly), Frances de la Tour (Kitty Fitzgerald), Alan Dunn (Trudger), Charlotte Emmerson (Clementine), Tom Georgeson (Christopher Makepeace), Charlie Hart (Trudger), William MacBain (Michael), Steve Nicolson (James), John Normington (William), Robert Oates (Harry), Trevor Ray (Dan), Sheila Reid (Sarah), Iain Robertson (Ben),

John Tams (Simon), Graeme Taylor (Jed), Keith Thompson (Tadge),

Linda Thompson (Susan), Howard Ward (Arthur).

How High The Price? /

All Clouds The Sky /

was originally written for this production

Cottesloe Theatre

(National Theatre):

Previewed 2 November,

Opened 8 November 2001,

Closed 5 February 2002.

'It is absolutely wonderful - a stunning piece of work.'

- Charles Dance, actor/director