Lal Waterson and Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus

Credit goes to Faux Jr. for recommending this album. Lal Waterson and Mike Waterson were two of the six siblings who formed the English folk group The Watersons. They were part of the English folk music movement in the 1960s that introduced the world to much more well-known groups such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. They never found the success of those groups, but they were beloved in their home country until they disbanded in 1968. In 1972, sister Lal and brother Mike wrote and recorded the album Bright Phoebus. The album was ignored and received negative reviews upon its release, but it is now championed by artists including Billy Bragg and Arcade Fire. It has been extremely difficult to find for over 50 years due to legal issues, but was just released on streaming platforms. It features the close harmony vocals that were the trademark of the Watersons and musical accompaniment by members of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, including guitars by Richard Thompson. While the Watersons employed minimal instrumentation in the ’60s, this album is loaded with gorgeous chamber instruments, guitars, and horns. It is possible that the streaming version will also disappear, but for now we can all listen to this music that has been virtually lost for 50 years.

To learn more about The Watersons, check out their Wikipedia article.

To listen to all of the songs of the day, check out the Radio Faux Show Song of the Day playlist.

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