The Living and the Dead

This was a brilliant show to work on – such a great team of writers , directors, actors, producers, photographers, editors and sound designer.

We arranged and produced a number of traditional folk songs for the series, and tried to give a new interpretation to these songs, matching the atmosphere of the show.

The main theme and titles music for the series is a song called “A Lyke Wake Dirge”. The song has pagan pre-Christian origins and tells of the soul’s travels on its way from earth to purgatory. The singer on this is Howlin’ Lord who is a friend and occasional collaborator.

The song featured in Episode One is “She moves through the Fair”, which is a much-recorded and well-known tune of Celtic origin. The singer is Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack). She really is an amazing singer!

The song which features heavily on Episode Three is “The Reapers Ghost”, written in the 1930s by American singer/songwriter Richard Dyer Bennet. He based the song on a story he overheard in a rural pub in Norfolk about a man who walked behind a hayrick and was never seen again! The singer on our arrangement is Sean Cook (Spiritualised,Lupine Howl & The Flies).

The short section of song in Episode Four is called “The Lovers Ghost”. The singer is Elizabeth Fraser.

The soundtrack album for the series is no longer commercially available, but if you want a copy please get in touch with your email details and we’ll send you a copy for free.