Martin Carthy - Tranform Me Then Into a Fish

by Zena Grieg

published: 8 / 6 / 2025

Martin Carthy - Tranform Me Then Into a Fish

Label: Martin Carthy
Format: CD

Vibrant musical reimagining of his 1965 self-titled debut album from celebrated folk musician Martin Carthy

Review

Twenty-one years after the release of his ‘Waiting For Angels’ album, which met with critical acclaim, celebrated folk musician Martin Carthy, who turns eighty-four this year, has brought out a new LP, “Transform Me Then Into A Fish”. The recipient of an MBE in 1998 for services to folk music, a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield in 2002, Carthy is still in fine voice on ‘Transform Me Then Into A Fish’ (the title from album track ‘Ye Mariners All’), a vibrant mix of songs, featuring newly-recorded ones from his 1965 self-titled debut album. Guest musicians appearing on the album include his daughter Eliza Carthy, who co-produced the album with Ben Seal, and sitar player Sheema Mukherjee, who performed alongside the Carthys in the folk group Imagined Village. Highlights of this eleven-track collection include: the opener, an atmospheric rendition of ‘The Trees They Do Grow High’; ‘The Handsome Cabin Boy’ with a jaunty fiddle accompaniment by Eliza Carthy; a spirited interpretation of ‘A -Begging I will Go’; ‘High Germany’, highlighting Carthy’s intricate guitar play and expressive vocals; a reimagined interpretation of classic folk song ‘Scarborough Fair’ with an evocative accompaniment by Mukherjee, an interpretation which notably influenced Paul Simon’s later version; and the closer, the stripped-back, emotive ‘Spring Hill Mine Disaster’ with its eloquent fiddle backing by Eliza Carthy. ‘Transform Me Then Into A Fish’ is a colourful, atmospheric release by a legendary folk artist.

Track Listing:-

1 The Trees They Do Grow High
2 Ye Mariners All (with Eliza Carthy)
3 Lovely Joan
4 Dream Of Napoleon (with Sheema Mukherjee)
5 Eighteenth of June (with Sheema Mukherjee)
6 The Handsome Cabin Boy (with Eliza Carthy)
7 A-Begging I Will Go
8 High Germany
9 The Famous Flower of Serving Men
10 Scarborough Fair (With Sheema Mukherjee)
11 Spring Hill Mine Disaster (with Eliza Carthy)