High Tide – Sea Shanties

Released in 1969, Sea Shanties by High Tide is a blistering, genre-defying album that fuses proto-metal, psychedelia, and progressive rock into one of the most aggressive and forward-thinking debuts of its time. Powered by the explosive interplay between Tony Hill’s searing guitar and Simon House’s electric violin, the album is raw, loud, and unapologetically intense—often sounding more like a blueprint for doom and metal than its psych/prog peers.

Songs like “Futilist’s Lament” and “Death Warmed Up” are lengthy, feverish workouts that trade solos with wild abandon while still retaining structure and dramatic tension. The production is rough and the mood is dark, but there's a visionary energy running through the entire album that sets it apart from more polished contemporaries. Sea Shanties is an underground classic—an unrelenting, heavy, and unorthodox record that was far ahead of its time.

Reviews

“A ferocious outlier in the British prog scene, Sea Shanties combines unrelenting heaviness with avant-garde ambition. The violin/guitar duels alone make it essential listening—this is not your average psych-rock record.” – AllMusic

“High Tide didn’t just push the envelope—they shredded it. This album is a wall of noise, melody, and invention that’s still startlingly fresh decades later.” – Mojo

“There’s a sense of chaos barely held in check throughout the record, but that’s what makes it so thrilling. This is progressive music with the heart of a punk and the soul of a poet.” – The Quietus

“Imagine King Crimson jamming with Black Sabbath in a basement soaked in LSD and amplifier hum—that’s Sea Shanties. Dark, heavy, and totally unique.” – Shindig!

“One of the most uncompromising and exciting albums of the late ’60s, Sea Shanties has rightfully earned its cult status. A must-hear for fans of heavy prog.” – Record Collector