The Holly Bears the Crown


The Holly Bears The Crown is an album by The Young Tradition with Shirley and Dolly Collins and other guest musicians. The trio "The Young Tradition" sang a cappella folk songs in a style similar to the Copper Family.
This album was recorded in London in 1969. A few weeks later musical and financial differences caused the break-up of The Young Tradition. Following the break-up, the record company refused to issue the album, which did not appear until 1995. By then Royston, Peter and Dolly were dead. Guest musicians Adam and Roderick Skeaping, here credited as 'The Skeapings', were members of "Musica Reservata" and had played on Shirley Collins albums. The only tracks on which everyone appears are the first song and the last. Peter Bellamy later carved out a successful solo career; both Shirley and Dolly Collins also had successful careers both before and after.
Two tracks are Shirley and Dolly Collins without the others. These later appeared on a compilation called The Classic Collection in 2004.
AllMusic described it as "a rarity -- a Christmas album you'll want to play year round," rating it four stars.

Track listing

  1. "Prologue from "Hamlet""
  2. "The Boar's Head Carol"
  3. Shirley Collins and Heather Wood – "Is It Far To Bethlehem?"
  4. "Lullay My Liking" From a fifteenth-century text
  5. "The Cherry Tree Carol"
  6. "Shepherds Arise"
  7. Shirley and Dolly Collins – "I sing of a Maiden That Is Makeless". From the fifteenth century Sloane MS.
  8. "Interlude: the Great Frost" . A winter scene in Jacobean London
  9. The Young Tradition with Dolly Collins and the Skeapings "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day". A shortened version of the song.
  10. "A Virgin Most Pure". A carol printed in 1822.
  11. "The Coventry Carol". A song taken from the Coventry Mystery Plays
  12. "The Holly Bears the Crown"
  13. "March The Morning Sun". Written as a Carol for Saint Stephen's Day
  14. "Bring Us In Good Ale" song dated to about 1460.

Personnel