Sea Shanties by High Tide

Sea Shanties, High Tide's 1969 debut album.

High Tide is an English band formed in 1969. The original lineup included Tony Hill (guitar, vocals), Simon House (violin, keyboards), who later joined Hawkwind, Peter Pavli (bass), and Roger Hadden (drums).

Their sound stems from a unique fusion of heavy rock, psychedelia, and folk influences, featuring a fantastic electric violin as a lead instrument paired with huge, distorted guitar riffs.

Their debut album, Sea Shanties (1969), is considered their masterpiece, and their second album, High Tide (1970), is an evolution of it, especially in terms of production. Unfortunately, drummer Roger Hadden's mental health issues led to the band's dissolution while working on their third album, and Simon House subsequently joined Hawkwind. There have been subsequent reunions, but they never quite matched the glories of their past. Their first two albums are their legacy in the world of progressive rock and hard rock and are now cult classics.

It's difficult to classify their music, the fruit of Tony Hill's creativity and Simon House's virtuosity. An album made of intense songs and lyrics that address the opposition to convention and conformism, all with dual lead vocals by Hill and House and a veritable wall of sound, blending hard rock, "proto-metal," and progressive rock with psychedelic accents. The guitar and violin licks are fantastic, with distorted guitar riffs and the electric violin both melodic and strident.
The rhythm section is superb, powerful and at times overwhelming.

- Futilist's Lament opens the album powerfully, with heavy riffs and Hill's intense low voice, along with fantastic progressions.

- Death Warmed Up is one of the top tracks, an instrumental with a fast-paced, driving rhythm, featuring a fierce duel between guitar and violin.
- Pushed, But Not Forgotten begins as a folk lullaby and then explodes with psychedelic heavy rock.

- Walking Down Their Outlook blends melodic folk rock and baroque riffs, with moments of psychedelia.
- Missing Out is a blues-influenced jam, with distorted vocals, vocal dissonances, and spectacular overlapping guitar and violin solos.
- Nowhere is an epic song that closes the album, featuring beautiful guitar and violin and a pounding rhythm, a powerful piece.

A sound that, considering the era in which it was composed and released, seems ahead of its time, a starting point for the progressive metal genre that didn't exist at the time.

The only flaw, in my opinion, is the production, which has improved in this 2023 remaster, but miracles can't be achieved...

A tough album, an absolute must-have for your collection, in my opinion.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.

Tracklist

1. Futilist's Lament (5:17)
2. Death Warmed Up (9:08)
3. Pushed, But Not Forgotten (4:43)
4. Walkin Down Their Outlook (4:58)
5. Missing Out (9:38)
6. Nowhere (5:54)

Duration 39:38

LineUp

- Tony Hill - guitar, vocals
- Simon House - violin
- Peter Pavli - bass
- Roger Hadden - drums