Pirate Ballads and Sea Chanteys

Probably one of the best things to come from the Pirates of the Carribbean Trilogy was this masterpiece collection of old sea songs and work chanteys. The CD, which is a brainchild of Johnny Depp, features top artists recreating and interpreting the old sea songs to excellent effect. Bono and Sting are featured, as is Lou Reed and Gavin Friday.

The CD comes with a summary of each song, what the song means, how it was collected, and how important it was to the sea-faring community. Not all of the songs are about pirates, but they all deal with sailing the lonely, cold high seas, and the life that comes with that. There are songs about being a merchant, songs about whaling, chanteys about hauling sails, some drinking songs, and even sad songs about dying at sea. There are songs about going to war, the uncertainty of safe returns to home and family, and songs of broken hearts that drive young men to the sea.

But the best of all are the bawdry songs dealing with prostitutes and ship-board wenching. You can download little snippets of the songs here at Amazon, but if you like history, are fascinated by the old sailing ships, or just like pirates, you should get this CD.