Fantastic guys. Really enjoyed this. Forgive me for saying this but I always think of the folk tradition in terms of a holistic view of the complete British Isles, including Ireland and not just Britain. This is because of the cross-pollination that occurred between our islands. An example- the classic “Lord Franklin” (covered by Pentangle and many others) is based on English prose fused to an ancient Gaelic Irish melody. There are countless examples of such blendings. I did a program many years back for local radio “The thistle, the rose and the shamrock” showcasing this. Folk music is an art form here, revered as much as our rich literature tradition (Yeats, Wilde, O’Casey, Beckett, Behan etc). Folk music thrived here because of our reliance on the oral tradition to keep our native culture alive during the many centuries of occupation. Thanks for doing this vid guys it’s not often that a spotlight is shone in the VC on this area.
Yes, I forgot to fully explore that cross pollination, only touching on it briefly. I have a real dislike of when the term celtic is used for folk music which may well have originated in England but has travelled to Ireland via the Scottish highland clearances. Or the fact that some of these folk tunes originated in Scandinavia. It's exactly this history that makes the music so important to me. Also I wish I'd have acknowledged the importance of the travelling gypsy community for transporting the songs throughout the British Isles. As you said, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have a stronger tradition of folk music as a result of subjugation by the English. It became an important part of their identity which was being attacked by the English. Yes, some of that connection to their folk past might be as a result of the twee Victorian obsession with all things celtic, but clearly it was not far under the surface all the time. Here in England, we have a much more problematic relationship with our identity and as a result, our folk music. Anyway...All of that stuff would've needed far more time. Any chance those radio programmes are available to listen to? I also forgot to mention the great series, Wayfaring Stranger, made by Phil Cunningham for the BBC, which charted the development and spread of the Scots-Irish music to America and back again. I've got a mind like a sieve! Cheers
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 sure, I will dig them out and see if I can digitize them for you. It was a real labor of love- got to interview Andy Irvine, Dick Gaughan, Pecker Dunne and others.
I first saw Bert Jansch in a small club in a snooker hall in Huddersfield, very much when he was unfashionable (early 1990s), and a bit hard on his luck, but his playing was sublime. Gritty vocals, fluid, intricate fretwork. I became an instant fan.
Thank you guys, never went so deep in British folk, but I am so glad to have some albums that you show. Earlier today I played Fotheringay 😊 Cheers from Serbia!!! P. S our traditional folk music is amazing too
Hello guys, I'm listening to Dave Evans - The Words In Between per your suggestion. Originally on Ian A. Anderson's Village Thing label, great stuff! That cat could play acoustic guitar. I'm an old British folkie that happens to be American, I started collecting British folk albums in 1972. Somehow I missed this guy. Wanted to say that his voice sounds a bit like Nick Drake, but a better guitar player than Nick ever was. His voice also sounds like Rab Noakes, whom I admired deeply. Great video guys, please do some more on British folk.
Loved this. Hedy, oops Hedley was fascinating, I'm now a subscriber. Your collaborations are never boring including your yearly reminisces no matter how long they are. I enjoy the similarities with my own life experiences and the differences.
I bought a cd once from shirley collins by post and overpaid by about 20p and she sent me my change with an explanatory note…. so i got her autograph too xx (what a treasure as we say in these parts)
That was wonderful, guys. A real joy to see the mutual recognition of artists, your understanding of the cross-pollination, and the introduction by one to the other of the unfamiliar (if that makes sense). I wouldn't argue with your choices, save to say that if you had another hour or two to spare, a follow-up session might include some of the more 'fringe' artists whose music remained - or at least began - rooted in folk, but bled over into rock, jazz, even progressive areas: the hugely underrated Shelagh McDonald, for one ... and that great hippie troubadour Keith Christmas. Gay and Terry Woods (ex-Sweeney's Men and early Steeleye Span) are worthy contenders, too. That Electric Muse coincidence at the end was marvellous. Thanks again ... what a treat!
Re Nic Jones' early albums not being available, it is due to the master recordings being bought by a company called Celtic Music, who then just sat on the tapes because no one would pay them what they wanted. Nic Jones is only one of a number of artists whose works are in the vaults of CM. I saw Nic perform with his son (and my mate Belinda on piano) live. it was emotional. Something no one expected ever to see.
That was great, thank you. I came across 2 Humblebums albums where I live in a small town in Washington USA, Needless to say both UK Transatlantic. The New Humblebums and Open up the door. Best Regards, English Guy living in the USA.
You mentioned being a Donovan fan.. i am too - a huge Donovan fan. I have all of his albums including 'Donovan Live in Japsn 1973." It is a beautiful LP.. I love the song "The Ferryman's Daughter" on that album. I have all those early Pentangle albums but like the folky songs the best, not so much the jazzy infused songs. Never been a fan of jazz music so that is why I only got into Joni Mitchell from the 1960's up until about mid-1970's, (1974 or 1975,) when she started getting into jazzy arrangements more and more on her albums.
What a great guest. This was very educational especially on a genre that I have almost no knowledge of. I always enjoy listening to Hedley, such a wealth of information. Top notch video Mazzy and Hedley. I now feel smarter! Steve
Fantastic conversation, Mazzy, I really enjoyed this one. Discovering Shirley Collins in the early 2000s was a revelation for me, as was listening to Anne Briggs for the first time. So it was great to see you both enthusing about this fascinating era - and I'm sure Hedley would be able to rustle up a mean Yorkshire Pudding sometime. Take care, John.
Ye were awesome! a pleasure to talk about music beyond the standard popular R&R. gonna head out to the Ye Olde Record Store here in New England to hit the folk section. stay well everyone!
Great show! You could do more of this but you would still only be scratching the surface in terms of this music influencing all that comes after. Brilliant!
Watched every minute and loved it. I learned so much. I can tell I've only scratched the surface with a couple of ISB, Fairport, and Steeleye Span records. I especially enjoyed the info about the early 1900s roots of folk in the UK. I want to read both of the books you guys showed. Oh and there's one more to the teaching joke. Those that can do. Those that can't teach. Those that can't teach, teach PE. & Those that can't teach PE go into administration. Take care guys great job!
Mazzy, I think that this was one of your best videos, ever. Wonderful to see Hedley as your guest. Great documentary on the Watersons called "Travelling For a Living". It was included with their box set, Mighty River of Song. That is a good book that Hedley showed by Rob Young covering some of whatwas talked about starting with Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp "Electric Eden: Uncovering Britain's Visionary Music". I was not familiar with the Earth reissue series, especially for the Bert Jansch albums. Thanks for this topic, really enjoyed it. - Chris
Kings Lynn! Town of my birth. Vaughn Williams also took folk tunes and matched them up with hymn words, which formed much of the hymn book of the Church of England: Hymns Ancient and Modern
Really enjoyed this video. My introduction was with “Fairport Chronicles”, (a gift from a dear old friend who managed Houston’s Cactus Records back in the day) which led me to Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard and Linda Thompson, Nick Drake, The Chieftains, Renaissance, Steeleye Span, and more. A couple of years ago during the pandemic I made a list of my top 100 favorite albums of all time. The Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” was #4. And all three Drake albums were included on the list too.
Brilliant video guys! Prog was what first got me into music - that was, and still is, my first love, but that was followed very quickly by folk and initially electric folk in particular (always liked to use that term to distinguish between the electrification of traditional song, and folk-rock which is self written material in a folk vein. Steeleye were my introduction, along with the Electric Muse comp that you showed at the end (got the original book too). Nice to see Anne Briggs and John Renbourn get some love. Always thought that Renbourn seems unjustly to be in the shadow of Jansch. Also excellent to see Anthems in Eden, No Roses (a stone cold classic of any genre), and particularly the Steve Ashley. I don't think Hedley mentioned that that album featured the very first recording by The Albion Country Band. It's very difficult to list just 10 acts, but for me personally I would have had Steeleye in there - while they didn't have a Thompson, Swarbrick or Denny - I think they have been a far more consistent band, particularly in the last 30 years and are still doing excellent albums. Martin Carthy could also feature along with The Young Tradition and Peter Bellamy solo (check out his folk-opera The Transports), Robin & Barry Dransfield, and bands like Trees, Hedgehog Pie, Five Hand Reel, JSD Band, Lindisfarne & Jack The Lad - and virtually at the top of the list The Albion Band! Their 3 albums - Battle of the Field, The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like The Sun are, again, classics. In the singer-songwriter field, you mentioned Al Stewart, but Roy Harper should also get a mention. Rambled a bit here - sorry - but going to end with a bit of controversy that'll probably see me kicked out of the VC - Nick Drake is shown almost universal love everywhere, but I've never really got on with his music - too fey and precious for my liking! I'll get my coat...
Love the king comments. Just like our rambling. I get you take on Nick Drake but sometimes that airy fairy sound works perfectly for me. We could have gone on so much longer here. Thanks for your comments. ✌🏽
So great to hear about all that music. I got my first John Martin album last week. I knew of him, just had never heard him. A friend gave me a copy of Solid Air, Wow, fantastic. I was waiting for one of you to show some Ed McCurdy and his bawdy English folk songs. Also thought you might do a bit on Sea Chanties, but I guess that’s another video. Great to see you two, together again for the first time. Thanks for sharing
I was going to watch this in 2 go's but I couldn't stop. I love 95% of the things shown and the other 5% I didn't know. I was hoping that The Unthanks would be mentioned, they are a must listen. Robert Kirby is the strings bloke, I have a comp of his work 'When The Day Is Done'. The Y in Ye is an old spelling of 'th' (supposedly). This was a fascinating watch, great stuff!
Brought these two albums when they were released back in 1969 and saw them live too Sunforest and Bridget St John, Ask me no Questions classic of the times, both very valuable albums to buy I was told by a record collector, Anthem’s of Eden I also got in 1969 thanks for the enthusiasm you have for this album, Nick Drake was on an Island sampler, Nice Enough to Eat and can remember hearing that track and thought it was unusual for that album, Time had told me from Five Leaves Left also another track from a great band Dr Strangely Strange, Kevin Ayers Joy of a Toy deserves a mention too imo!
Davy Graham and Shirley Collins Folk Roots was released on RSD in September this year. Pressed at Optimal from the original tapes. Sounds great and cheap as chips to buy. Wonderful video.
Wonderful collaboration & discussion. Really enjoyed this one. It's perfect for a Sunday morning. I'm with you Mazzy - Jansch is a personal favorite. I have a strong connection to his music. I love his voice, his sound … everything. I am a HUGE fan of Earth Recordings. They've done a wonderful job with the Jansch releases (as well as others). Did you pre-order Crimson Moon? It's one of my favorites. There are a handful of bands/artists shown here that caught my interest. That Dave Evans has been on my want list ever since I played around on the Earth Records site. Thanks for this one --- it was great!
So great you are really into Jansch. This is a video I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Hedley was the perfect collaborator as I learned a lot myself. Thanks for watching Emma. ✌🏻
Highly enjoyed this. I love Fairport as well as Thompson and Denny's work after. Otherwise, past a few Steeleye Span and Albion Band songs i've heard and liked, my knowledge in this area is limited. Know some of the names but not much of the music. This video made me eager to looked into Pentangle others you two discussed. Top stuff this.
Martin C. Strong put together 2 books.. The Great Folk Discography Vol. 1 and 2. Pioneers and Early Legends and The Next Generation does a wonderful job of covering everyone from Richard Dyer-Bennet to Nanci Griffith. Highly recommended. My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in performance in Cotati at The Inn Of The Beginning. Beautiful show in a fairly dreadful space. When we saw John Hartford there he played the ceiling and the floor! It was almost embarrassing to see such great artists in such a funky place. This is an essential video!!
Best video ever! OK, that may be an exaggeration, but British Isles folk/folk-rock (best term I could come up with to include Eire as well as the UK) is one of my major passions. We haven't interacted all that much as yet, Mazzy, but I'm sure you'll recognise me as that Brit who complains every time you leave Richard Thompson out of a listing of the 20 best etc. :) Kinda surprised you didn't know the Watersons, or Anne Briggs, Mazzy, but there's so much great music out there, none of us can know it all. While I'd at least heard of Dave Evans, I don't believe I've ever heard one of his albums. I certainly plan on changing that situation. As well as the Watersons, one has to mention the Copper Family when talking about proper trad a capela folk. And if you want something less serious, let's not forget the hilarious Kipper Family. Hedley seems to be a man after my own heart (albeit I don't know why, as my heart is a bit older than his). I can't believe I wasn't already a subscriber. I've long considered English (in particular) folk-rock to be a criminally underrated genre on the VC. If I remember correctly (I'm not going to take the time to check right now) The Electric Muse grew to at least 3 box sets (on CD at least). Taking the baton from them, was a friend of mine who for a short while ran a website called Woven Wheat Whispers, which offered digital downloads of all sorts of folk related stuff, from pure traditional, all the way to the stranger, experimental side of things. I always liked the term, Wyrdfolk, but that seems to have fallen out of favour these days. Sadly, after being attacked by hackers several times, he gave up & closed the business. Anyway, in conjunction with the Coldspring Records label, he put together a Double CD set, called John Barleycorn Reborn (2006, released on vinyl in 2018), which brought the Electric Muse concept into the 21st Century. Since then, there have been several more double CD sets, the latest of which came out a few weeks ago. That first one, at the very least, is absolutely essential! You let me down on the box sets, though. I felt sure you'd have the 19CD Sandy Denny Studio Outtakes - Home Demos - Unheard Songs - Complete Studio Recordings box set from 2010 (I can't believe that it's 10 years old already!) I don't know about that "too much" comment about Sandy. I have the 19CD box, the one Hedley showed and at least 3 others, not to mention all the individual albums. :D If you don't have the 4CD box set of Shirley Collins - Within Sound that Fledg'ling Records put out in 2002, you really should, and yes, Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band - No Roses is also essential. Great news for English folk-rock fans: Mandy Morton has just signed the contract for an upcoming Spriguns box set on vinyl & CD.
Great news re Spriguns - I can stop looking for a copy of Magic lady so! My bank manager will be pleased. I have a Portuguese copy of Time will pass, on Decca, from the year of issue which remain surprisingly affordable.
Good call. Classical music always drew from folk song, and the use of folk music amongst classical composers towards the end of the 19th Century was rife. Bartok, Smetana, Greig and a host of others were all at it.
Aside from the commercials every 3 min. this was a real winner, learned so much. Shirley Collins/Dolly, and Dave Evans are now new obsessions. Hadley came loaded for bear, an adult portion of good, not from the kids menu. Commercials made this almost unbearably long.
Hedley looks like he had a bath and ironed a shirt. The Seeger Version of 'First time...'' is an essential listen, horrendous, the Peter, Paul and Mary version almost as shocking. Then made so sublime by Flack. Has a song ever been transformed or saved as well as this? A friend of mine was with Graham in 1960/61, busted for weed in Scotland?, ended up being deported. By all accounts an amazing guitar player, some fine lines on that Collins Lp, still very unknown. His HAT lp is an Lsd trip gone badly belly up, worth buying just for the cover. Hedley is a good resource for this genre!!
Love this, great information and tips. May I make an impotent protest about adverts every five minutes however. They ruin this wonderful content. Do you really need the monetization?
I learned so much this time. Watching your channel I regret not grabbing more soul and funk records when I worked in record stores throughout most of the 1970s
Very good video, and much appreciated. Question (for Mazzy especially): one occasionally reads some music writer or another referring to Fairport as the 'English Jefferson Airplane'. Your thoughts? Personally, I can see why they would say that, but I'm certain whatever similarities are purely coincidental. It is hard to imagine anyone in Fairport dropping acid. Much more likely one of them would be encountered in a pub drinking ale, or at a friend's row house sharing a spot o' tea. Also, no mention of Jackson C. Frank. An American of course, so not specifically ye olde folk music, but he lived and played gigs amongst the London folk milieu during the mid-sixties, as did Paul Simon, who produced Frank's only album on Transatlantic, a record so rare that when it was re-released they had to use Jansch's battered, old original to reproduce the cover art. A truly fine album of Frank's very own compositions. BTW: Martin Carthy (Norma Waterson's husband) provided the source for Paul Simon 'borrowing' (without acknowledgement) Carthy's arrangement of the traditional ballad Scarborough Fair.
I think Fairport were closer to the first JA album and a bit of Pilliow but they both went in very different directions. JA kept sone folk roots but when more into psychedelic and live longer jams. Fairport kept more folky and of course very English
hail ye mazzy...loved this history lesson...as you were mentioning sandy denny, the voice that came to mind for me is the irish folk singer maura o'connell...if you've never heard her before, please do yourself a favor...absolutely beautiful....and speaking of absolutely beautiful...the cathartic melancholy and introspective intelligence of nick drake, who you guys mentioned...so good...thank you both for all of this...for all of these...peace...rocky
Yes, Maura O'connell has a lovely voice. She headed to Nashville and appears as a backing singer on a host of country records. I really like her album Stories, which was released on Hannibal Records...There's that Joe Boyd connection again.
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 joe boyd does get around (ha)...and stories is wonderful...but the one that always gets me is helpless heart...so breathtaking...and then there's her album naked with friends which she does completely a cappella...won't find too many on the pop charts these days able to pull that off...stay well hedley...peace always....rocky
Hi Mazzy that was great very knowledgable staff but no mention of the Unthanks sisters well worth a listen I think from Northumberland ,thanks again.Tony.
My initial thought was to end with showing a couple of modern folk artists, and the Unthanks would have been one of them. They did a great programme for the BBC about English dancing. I love it when you hear the clog dancing on their recordings.
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 yes they have a great Northumbrian twang,radio 3 did a programme on the live of Anne Briggs fascinating stuff the forgotten folk singer.
Fantastic guys. Really enjoyed this. Forgive me for saying this but I always think of the folk tradition in terms of a holistic view of the complete British Isles, including Ireland and not just Britain. This is because of the cross-pollination that occurred between our islands. An example- the classic “Lord Franklin” (covered by Pentangle and many others) is based on English prose fused to an ancient Gaelic Irish melody. There are countless examples of such blendings. I did a program many years back for local radio “The thistle, the rose and the shamrock” showcasing this. Folk music is an art form here, revered as much as our rich literature tradition (Yeats, Wilde, O’Casey, Beckett, Behan etc). Folk music thrived here because of our reliance on the oral tradition to keep our native culture alive during the many centuries of occupation. Thanks for doing this vid guys it’s not often that a spotlight is shone in the VC on this area.
Yes, I forgot to fully explore that cross pollination, only touching on it briefly. I have a real dislike of when the term celtic is used for folk music which may well have originated in England but has travelled to Ireland via the Scottish highland clearances. Or the fact that some of these folk tunes originated in Scandinavia. It's exactly this history that makes the music so important to me.
Also I wish I'd have acknowledged the importance of the travelling gypsy community for transporting the songs throughout the British Isles.
As you said, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have a stronger tradition of folk music as a result of subjugation by the English. It became an important part of their identity which was being attacked by the English. Yes, some of that connection to their folk past might be as a result of the twee Victorian obsession with all things celtic, but clearly it was not far under the surface all the time.
Here in England, we have a much more problematic relationship with our identity and as a result, our folk music.
Anyway...All of that stuff would've needed far more time.
Any chance those radio programmes are available to listen to?
I also forgot to mention the great series, Wayfaring Stranger, made by Phil Cunningham for the BBC, which charted the development and spread of the Scots-Irish music to America and back again.
I've got a mind like a sieve!
Cheers
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 sure, I will dig them out and see if I can digitize them for you. It was a real labor of love- got to interview Andy Irvine, Dick Gaughan, Pecker Dunne and others.
A couple of years ago I supported Ashley Hutchings. Lovely bloke. Real love of English folk music and passionate in his knowledge.
I first saw Bert Jansch in a small club in a snooker hall in Huddersfield, very much when he was unfashionable (early 1990s), and a bit hard on his luck, but his playing was sublime. Gritty vocals, fluid, intricate fretwork. I became an instant fan.
Thank you guys, never went so deep in British folk, but I am so glad to have some albums that you show. Earlier today I played Fotheringay 😊
Cheers from Serbia!!!
P. S our traditional folk music is amazing too
Hello guys, I'm listening to Dave Evans - The Words In Between per your suggestion. Originally on Ian A. Anderson's Village Thing label, great stuff! That cat could play acoustic guitar. I'm an old British folkie that happens to be American, I started collecting British folk albums in 1972. Somehow I missed this guy. Wanted to say that his voice sounds a bit like Nick Drake, but a better guitar player than Nick ever was. His voice also sounds like Rab Noakes, whom I admired deeply. Great video guys, please do some more on British folk.
No mention of the Jackson C Frank album surprises me, who was a huge influence on many of those other folks covered.
I remember listening to the Electric Muse as a teen. Years later a band I was in was included in the New Electric Muse. I was stunned.
Loved this. Hedy, oops Hedley was fascinating, I'm now a subscriber. Your collaborations are never boring including your yearly reminisces no matter how long they are. I enjoy the similarities with my own life experiences and the differences.
I bought a cd once from shirley collins by post and overpaid by about 20p and she sent me my change with an explanatory note…. so i got her autograph too xx (what a treasure as we say in these parts)
Great collab here. Hedley is always deep in his knowledge. The professor is in. Thanks for doing this!
That was wonderful, guys. A real joy to see the mutual recognition of artists, your understanding of the cross-pollination, and the introduction by one to the other of the unfamiliar (if that makes sense). I wouldn't argue with your choices, save to say that if you had another hour or two to spare, a follow-up session might include some of the more 'fringe' artists whose music remained - or at least began - rooted in folk, but bled over into rock, jazz, even progressive areas: the hugely underrated Shelagh McDonald, for one ... and that great hippie troubadour Keith Christmas. Gay and Terry Woods (ex-Sweeney's Men and early Steeleye Span) are worthy contenders, too. That Electric Muse coincidence at the end was marvellous. Thanks again ... what a treat!
Re Nic Jones' early albums not being available, it is due to the master recordings being bought by a company called Celtic Music, who then just sat on the tapes because no one would pay them what they wanted. Nic Jones is only one of a number of artists whose works are in the vaults of CM. I saw Nic perform with his son (and my mate Belinda on piano) live. it was emotional. Something no one expected ever to see.
That was great, thank you. I came across 2 Humblebums albums where I live in a small town in Washington USA, Needless to say both UK Transatlantic. The New Humblebums and Open up the door. Best Regards, English Guy living in the USA.
You mentioned being a Donovan fan.. i am too - a huge Donovan fan.
I have all of his albums including 'Donovan Live in Japsn 1973."
It is a beautiful LP.. I love the song "The Ferryman's Daughter" on that album. I have all those early Pentangle albums but like the folky songs the best, not so much the jazzy infused songs. Never been a fan of jazz music so that is why I only got into Joni Mitchell from the 1960's up until about mid-1970's, (1974 or 1975,) when she started getting into jazzy arrangements more and more on her albums.
What a great guest. This was very educational especially on a genre that I have almost no knowledge of. I always enjoy listening to Hedley, such a wealth of information. Top notch video Mazzy and Hedley. I now feel smarter! Steve
This was a great conversation and a rare treat to get such a deep dive on folk in the VC! Too much to comment on, but really enjoyed this.
Fantastic conversation, Mazzy, I really enjoyed this one. Discovering Shirley Collins in the early 2000s was a revelation for me, as was listening to Anne Briggs for the first time. So it was great to see you both enthusing about this fascinating era - and I'm sure Hedley would be able to rustle up a mean Yorkshire Pudding sometime. Take care, John.
Ye were awesome! a pleasure to talk about music beyond the standard popular R&R. gonna head out to the Ye Olde Record Store here in New England to hit the folk section. stay well everyone!
Have a ye olde happy day ✌🏽
Great show! You could do more of this but you would still only be scratching the surface in terms of this music influencing all that comes after. Brilliant!
Watched every minute and loved it. I learned so much. I can tell I've only scratched the surface with a couple of ISB, Fairport, and Steeleye Span records. I especially enjoyed the info about the early 1900s roots of folk in the UK. I want to read both of the books you guys showed. Oh and there's one more to the teaching joke. Those that can do. Those that can't teach. Those that can't teach, teach PE. & Those that can't teach PE go into administration. Take care guys great job!
Maddy Prior's voice has definite healing properties.
Absolutely 🎶
Mazzy, I think that this was one of your best videos, ever. Wonderful to see Hedley as your guest. Great documentary on the Watersons called "Travelling For a Living". It was included with their box set, Mighty River of Song. That is a good book that Hedley showed by Rob Young covering some of whatwas talked about starting with Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp "Electric Eden: Uncovering Britain's Visionary Music". I was not familiar with the Earth reissue series, especially for the Bert Jansch albums. Thanks for this topic, really enjoyed it. - Chris
Kings Lynn! Town of my birth. Vaughn Williams also took folk tunes and matched them up with hymn words, which formed much of the hymn book of the Church of England: Hymns Ancient and Modern
Really enjoyed this video.
My introduction was with “Fairport Chronicles”, (a gift from a dear old friend who managed Houston’s Cactus Records back in the day) which led me to Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard and Linda Thompson, Nick Drake, The Chieftains, Renaissance, Steeleye Span, and more.
A couple of years ago during the pandemic I made a list of my top 100 favorite albums of all time. The Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” was #4. And all three Drake albums were included on the list too.
Brilliant video guys! Prog was what first got me into music - that was, and still is, my first love, but that was followed very quickly by folk and initially electric folk in particular (always liked to use that term to distinguish between the electrification of traditional song, and folk-rock which is self written material in a folk vein. Steeleye were my introduction, along with the Electric Muse comp that you showed at the end (got the original book too). Nice to see Anne Briggs and John Renbourn get some love. Always thought that Renbourn seems unjustly to be in the shadow of Jansch. Also excellent to see Anthems in Eden, No Roses (a stone cold classic of any genre), and particularly the Steve Ashley. I don't think Hedley mentioned that that album featured the very first recording by The Albion Country Band. It's very difficult to list just 10 acts, but for me personally I would have had Steeleye in there - while they didn't have a Thompson, Swarbrick or Denny - I think they have been a far more consistent band, particularly in the last 30 years and are still doing excellent albums. Martin Carthy could also feature along with The Young Tradition and Peter Bellamy solo (check out his folk-opera The Transports), Robin & Barry Dransfield, and bands like Trees, Hedgehog Pie, Five Hand Reel, JSD Band, Lindisfarne & Jack The Lad - and virtually at the top of the list The Albion Band! Their 3 albums - Battle of the Field, The Prospect Before Us, and Rise Up Like The Sun are, again, classics. In the singer-songwriter field, you mentioned Al Stewart, but Roy Harper should also get a mention. Rambled a bit here - sorry - but going to end with a bit of controversy that'll probably see me kicked out of the VC - Nick Drake is shown almost universal love everywhere, but I've never really got on with his music - too fey and precious for my liking! I'll get my coat...
I’m with you on the Drake issue. I have one track “Northern sky” and that’s all I need from Mr Drake.
Love the king comments. Just like our rambling. I get you take on Nick Drake but sometimes that airy fairy sound works perfectly for me. We could have gone on so much longer here. Thanks for your comments. ✌🏽
I am picturing this conversation in front of a roaring fire and enjoying a few brandy's
So great to hear about all that music. I got my first John Martin album last week. I knew of him, just had never heard him. A friend gave me a copy of Solid Air, Wow, fantastic. I was waiting for one of you to show some Ed McCurdy and his bawdy English folk songs. Also thought you might do a bit on Sea Chanties, but I guess that’s another video. Great to see you two, together again for the first time. Thanks for sharing
This is such great music. Been wanting to cover some of it for a long time ✌🏽
@@mazzysmusic - I looked up that woman singer Hadley was raving about. There is a US current repress by.... 4 Men’s With Beards, figures
Blimey Mazzy, you're a full time job at the moment...very welcome though!
I was going to watch this in 2 go's but I couldn't stop. I love 95% of the things shown and the other 5% I didn't know. I was hoping that The Unthanks would be mentioned, they are a must listen. Robert Kirby is the strings bloke, I have a comp of his work 'When The Day Is Done'. The Y in Ye is an old spelling of 'th' (supposedly). This was a fascinating watch, great stuff!
I thank ye ✌🏽
Brought these two albums when they were released back in 1969 and saw them live too Sunforest and Bridget St John, Ask me no Questions classic of the times, both very valuable albums to buy I was told by a record collector, Anthem’s of Eden I also got in 1969 thanks for the enthusiasm you have for this album, Nick Drake was on an Island sampler, Nice Enough to Eat and can remember hearing that track and thought it was unusual for that album, Time had told me from Five Leaves Left also another track from a great band Dr Strangely Strange, Kevin Ayers Joy of a Toy deserves a mention too imo!
Davy Graham and Shirley Collins Folk Roots was released on RSD in September this year. Pressed at Optimal from the original tapes. Sounds great and cheap as chips to buy. Wonderful video.
I assume a UK release ? I’ll look out for it 😎
Wonderful collaboration & discussion. Really enjoyed this one. It's perfect for a Sunday morning. I'm with you Mazzy - Jansch is a personal favorite. I have a strong connection to his music. I love his voice, his sound … everything. I am a HUGE fan of Earth Recordings. They've done a wonderful job with the Jansch releases (as well as others). Did you pre-order Crimson Moon? It's one of my favorites. There are a handful of bands/artists shown here that caught my interest. That Dave Evans has been on my want list ever since I played around on the Earth Records site. Thanks for this one --- it was great!
So great you are really into Jansch. This is a video I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Hedley was the perfect collaborator as I learned a lot myself. Thanks for watching Emma. ✌🏻
Unhalfbricking : a perfect album
Highly enjoyed this. I love Fairport as well as Thompson and Denny's work after. Otherwise, past a few Steeleye Span and Albion Band songs i've heard and liked, my knowledge in this area is limited. Know some of the names but not much of the music. This video made me eager to looked into Pentangle others you two discussed. Top stuff this.
Martin C. Strong put together 2 books.. The Great Folk Discography Vol. 1 and 2.
Pioneers and Early Legends and The Next Generation does a wonderful job of covering everyone from Richard Dyer-Bennet to Nanci Griffith. Highly recommended.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in performance in Cotati at The Inn Of The Beginning. Beautiful show in a fairly dreadful space. When we saw John Hartford there he played the ceiling and the floor! It was almost embarrassing to see such great artists in such a funky place.
This is an essential video!!
I used to drive up to Cotati for shows there in the 70s. Saw Gene Clark there and a bunch of others. ✌🏽
Great video, thanks I really enjoyed it and learned a fair bit too.
Best video ever! OK, that may be an exaggeration, but British Isles folk/folk-rock (best term I could come up with to include Eire as well as the UK) is one of my major passions. We haven't interacted all that much as yet, Mazzy, but I'm sure you'll recognise me as that Brit who complains every time you leave Richard Thompson out of a listing of the 20 best etc. :)
Kinda surprised you didn't know the Watersons, or Anne Briggs, Mazzy, but there's so much great music out there, none of us can know it all. While I'd at least heard of Dave Evans, I don't believe I've ever heard one of his albums. I certainly plan on changing that situation.
As well as the Watersons, one has to mention the Copper Family when talking about proper trad a capela folk. And if you want something less serious, let's not forget the hilarious Kipper Family.
Hedley seems to be a man after my own heart (albeit I don't know why, as my heart is a bit older than his). I can't believe I wasn't already a subscriber. I've long considered English (in particular) folk-rock to be a criminally underrated genre on the VC.
If I remember correctly (I'm not going to take the time to check right now) The Electric Muse grew to at least 3 box sets (on CD at least).
Taking the baton from them, was a friend of mine who for a short while ran a website called Woven Wheat Whispers, which offered digital downloads of all sorts of folk related stuff, from pure traditional, all the way to the stranger, experimental side of things. I always liked the term, Wyrdfolk, but that seems to have fallen out of favour these days. Sadly, after being attacked by hackers several times, he gave up & closed the business.
Anyway, in conjunction with the Coldspring Records label, he put together a Double CD set, called John Barleycorn Reborn (2006, released on vinyl in 2018), which brought the Electric Muse concept into the 21st Century. Since then, there have been several more double CD sets, the latest of which came out a few weeks ago. That first one, at the very least, is absolutely essential!
You let me down on the box sets, though. I felt sure you'd have the 19CD Sandy Denny Studio Outtakes - Home Demos - Unheard Songs - Complete Studio Recordings box set from 2010 (I can't believe that it's 10 years old already!) I don't know about that "too much" comment about Sandy. I have the 19CD box, the one Hedley showed and at least 3 others, not to mention all the individual albums. :D
If you don't have the 4CD box set of Shirley Collins - Within Sound that Fledg'ling Records put out in 2002, you really should, and yes, Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band - No Roses is also essential.
Great news for English folk-rock fans: Mandy Morton has just signed the contract for an upcoming Spriguns box set on vinyl & CD.
Great news re Spriguns - I can stop looking for a copy of Magic lady so! My bank manager will be pleased. I have a Portuguese copy of Time will pass, on Decca, from the year of issue which remain surprisingly affordable.
Good call regarding early Sandy Denny demos. Stunning, and a lot of very nice guitar work.
Czech composer Antonin Dvorak used American folk music when he composed his "New World Symphony".
Good call. Classical music always drew from folk song, and the use of folk music amongst classical composers towards the end of the 19th Century was rife. Bartok, Smetana, Greig and a host of others were all at it.
Excellent video! There's a second Fotheringay album which was shelved at the time and got released a few years ago.
Aside from the commercials every 3 min. this was a real winner, learned so much. Shirley Collins/Dolly, and Dave Evans are now new obsessions. Hadley came loaded for bear, an adult portion of good, not from the kids menu. Commercials made this almost unbearably long.
Hedley looks like he had a bath and ironed a shirt. The Seeger Version of 'First time...'' is an essential listen, horrendous, the Peter, Paul and Mary version almost as shocking. Then made so sublime by Flack. Has a song ever been transformed or saved as well as this? A friend of mine was with Graham in 1960/61, busted for weed in Scotland?, ended up being deported. By all accounts an amazing guitar player, some fine lines on that Collins Lp, still very unknown. His HAT lp is an Lsd trip gone badly belly up, worth buying just for the cover. Hedley is a good resource for this genre!!
Great video both. Really enjoyed this.
Love this, great information and tips. May I make an impotent protest about adverts every five minutes however. They ruin this wonderful content. Do you really need the monetization?
Great video. Thank you.
Great video.
I told you that Hedley plays dirty, Mazzy. Throws a curve ball straight out of the blocks. A low blow.
I learned so much this time. Watching your channel I regret not grabbing more soul and funk records when I worked in record stores throughout most of the 1970s
Very good video, and much appreciated. Question (for Mazzy especially): one occasionally reads some music writer or another referring to Fairport as the 'English Jefferson Airplane'. Your thoughts? Personally, I can see why they would say that, but I'm certain whatever similarities are purely coincidental. It is hard to imagine anyone in Fairport dropping acid. Much more likely one of them would be encountered in a pub drinking ale, or at a friend's row house sharing a spot o' tea. Also, no mention of Jackson C. Frank. An American of course, so not specifically ye olde folk music, but he lived and played gigs amongst the London folk milieu during the mid-sixties, as did Paul Simon, who produced Frank's only album on Transatlantic, a record so rare that when it was re-released they had to use Jansch's battered, old original to reproduce the cover art. A truly fine album of Frank's very own compositions. BTW: Martin Carthy (Norma Waterson's husband) provided the source for Paul Simon 'borrowing' (without acknowledgement) Carthy's arrangement of the traditional ballad Scarborough Fair.
I think Fairport were closer to the first JA album and a bit of Pilliow but they both went in very different directions. JA kept sone folk roots but when more into psychedelic and live longer jams. Fairport kept more folky and of course very English
hail ye mazzy...loved this history lesson...as you were mentioning sandy denny, the voice that came to mind for me is the irish folk singer maura o'connell...if you've never heard her before, please do yourself a favor...absolutely beautiful....and speaking of absolutely beautiful...the cathartic melancholy and introspective intelligence of nick drake, who you guys mentioned...so good...thank you both for all of this...for all of these...peace...rocky
Yes, Maura O'connell has a lovely voice. She headed to Nashville and appears as a backing singer on a host of country records.
I really like her album Stories, which was released on Hannibal Records...There's that Joe Boyd connection again.
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 joe boyd does get around (ha)...and stories is wonderful...but the one that always gets me is helpless heart...so breathtaking...and then there's her album naked with friends which she does completely a cappella...won't find too many on the pop charts these days able to pull that off...stay well hedley...peace always....rocky
Hi Mazzy that was great very knowledgable staff but no mention of the Unthanks sisters well worth a listen I think from Northumberland ,thanks again.Tony.
My initial thought was to end with showing a couple of modern folk artists, and the Unthanks would have been one of them. They did a great programme for the BBC about English dancing. I love it when you hear the clog dancing on their recordings.
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 yes they have a great Northumbrian twang,radio 3 did a programme on the live of Anne Briggs fascinating stuff the forgotten folk singer.
Their Wyatt effort was unimpressive, or a disaster, although well done for having a go at some of his masterpieces.
For American viewers ‘a googly’ is an off-break disguised as a leg-break. I thought I’d better make things clear.
Thanks!
Sadly Norma Carthy, nee Waterson of the Watersons passed away last week after a long illness.
Get the Anne Briggs CBS LP, amazing beautiful release.
Amy Belle live Scotia bar Glasgow 2008 singing Dirty Old Town. Bert Jansch to explore. Thanks.
This is a wonderful Norma Waterson album. It should be available to stream on Qobuz etc www.amazon.com/Norma-Waterson/dp/B00000062Y
Ye is just pronounced "the". The Y is a substitute for an old letter known as a "thorn".