28 December 2011

"Greatest Folksingers of the 'Sixties" CD Compilation - early 1990s?




This is a very good representation of the music that was very popular during the folk revival of the early 1960s and includes traditional and contemporary folksongs and also a few that could be called folk only by virtue of association. The material mainly comes from LPs of the Vanguard label and the artists are mainly North American and includes such greats as Ian & Sylvia (Tyson), Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joan Baez, Odetta, Phil Ochs, Doc Watson, The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan (early), Richard and Mimi (Baez) Farina, Tommy Makem, Judy Collins and the New Lost City Ramblers.
A great CD for reminiscing for us oldies or, for the youngers ones, a great sampler of the period.

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07 October 2011

Burl Ives "Wayfaring Stranger" LP 1970's

Burl Ives was a prolific collector and performer of folk songs from around the world with his professional career preceding the Second World War.
He was often labelled as the "Wayfaring Stranger" as it was his favourite theme and varied releases have been made under this title.
This LP titled "Wayfaring Stranger" issued in Australia sometime in the 1970s by Music for Pleasure was a re-release of the 1960 Hallmark HM514 LP "Return of the Wayfaring Stranger". (I think Hallmark was part-owner of Music for Pleasure).

It is not currently available. Most of the content is American traditional and the track list is:-

A1 John Henry
A2 Billy The Kid
A3 Mah Lindy Lou
A4 Mule Train
A5 The Worried Man Blues
B1 Greer County Bachelor
B2 Lilly Munroe
B3 Old Blue /Ballanderie
B4 Lord Randall
B5 Riders In The Sky
B6 Poor Wayfaring Stranger /Woolie Boogie Bee

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05 October 2011

Yetties "World of the Yetties" 1975 LP Compilation

The Yetties were a group who put out several LPs of English traditional songs with a strong focus on the County of Dorset. This LP is a collation of their more popular hits and also includes some well-known shanties. This LP was also postedsome years ago on Time has Told Me. It is a good clean rip and great listening. One track, "The King of the Fairies", was originally of a very low volume compared to other tracks. This was obviously intentional but it really was too low. Because of this, an amplified version is also included to match the other tracks. The LP artwork, front and rear is included in the download.

Track List
01. Out in the Green Fields
02. The Nightingale
03. McCann's Jig~The Lilting Fisherman~Drowsy Maggie
04. The Lark in the Morning
05. Spanish Ladies
06. Dancing on the Green (Rigs o'Marlow~cuckoo's Nest)
07. Can't You Dance the Polka
08. Lamorna
09. The King of the Fairies
10. South Australia
11. The Mallard
12. The Banks of Newfoundland
13. Dorset Four-hand Reel
14. Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl

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28 September 2011

"The Andy Stewart Collection" 1993 CD compilation

Andy Stewart (1933-1993) first came to international attention in 1961 with two major hits, namely the comic "Donald, where's yer Troosers" and "A Scottish Soldier" both penned by Stewart.  He was also a regular performer of Scottish folk songs and this 1993 CD compilation gives a fair representation of the breadth of his work. (He is not to be confused with Andy M. Stewart another Scottish singer and once a member of "Silly Wizard").

Tracks are A Scottish Soldier, Dr. Finlay, Campbeltown Loch, The Battle's O'er, The Highlandman's Umbrella, I'm off to Bonnie Scotland, Road to the Isles, Scotland Yet, Farewell 51st Farewell, Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre, Donald where's your Trousers, The Girl from Glasgow Town, Ho Roi my Nut Brown Maiden, Tuner of Glory, Wild Rover, The Road and the Miles to Dundee, Courtin' in the Kitchen, Lassie come and dance, I love to wear the Kilt, and Going Doon the Watter.

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27 September 2011

"Folk 60's" - a CD compilation of popular songs of the folk revival era

This is a 1990s CD compilation of some of the hit "folk" songs of the folk revival period.  There is a couple of traditionals but most are modern (at that time) composition.  Two tracks, namely "Wolverton Mountain" and "Red Rubber Ball", could scarcely be called folk. All great listening though but some minor defects on two tracks (cheap production).

Track List:
1. Green Green - New Christy Minstrels
2. Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
3. For Lovin' Me - Chad and Jeremy
4. 900 Miles - Dion
5. San Francisco Bay Blues - Brothers Four
6. Little Boxes - Pete Seeger
7. Sydney Town - Gary Shearston

8. Washington Square - The Village Stompers (a classic instrumental)
9. There is a Mountain - Donovan
10. There but for Fortune - Chad and Jeremy
11. The Bells of Rhymney - The Byrds
12. This Land is yourLand - New Christy Minstrels
13. Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle
14. Wolverton Mountain - Claude King
15. The Lowlands of Holland - Tina Lawton
16. Goodnight Irene - Les Paul and Mary Ford

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"Songs from the Heart" 2001 CD anthology

This is a CD compilation mainly featuring songs of the very early folk stalwarts of American Folk Music such as Woody Guthrie, Dave van Ronk, Elizabeth Cotton, Cisco Houston and Leadbelly (Huddie Leadbetter) but also featuring the later comers Phil Ochs and Mike Seeger.
The notes to the CD give a very apt description:-

The History of American Folk Music taps the mother lode of American folk music - Appalachian ballads, folk blues, mountain music, gospel songs, topical commentaries, protest songs and rootsy hybrids. Banjo pickers rub shoulders with blues guitarists, high lonesome hillbilly wailers with earnest protest singers, country blues gals holler next to old timey revivalists.

There would not have been any folk revival without many of these musicians providing the basic foundation for the later performers.  All good clean tracks.

Track List:
1. This land is your land - Woody Guthrie
2. Down South - Dock Boggs
3. Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotton
4. Darlin' Cora - Mike Seeger
5. Twelve Gates to the City - Dave van Ronk
6. House of the Rising Sun - Roscoe Holcomb
7. Linin' Track - Leadbelly
8. In my Time of Dying - Josh White
9. The Death of Queen Jane - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
10. What did the deep blue Sea say - Cisco Houston
11. Malted Milk Blues - Lucinda Williams
12. Ballad of Alfred Packer - Phil Ochs
13. The Intoxicated Rat - Ciscxo Houston
14. There's a Man going round taking Names - Leadbelly
15. Country Blues - Dock Bloggs
16. Little Birdie - Roscoe Holcomb
17. Sawanahana Tunnel - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
18. Wabash Blues - Mike Seeger
19. Spaceman - Phil Ochs
20. Please see that my Grave is kept clean - Dave van Ronk
21. There's a new World coming - Bernice Johnson Reagon

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02 May 2011

Johnny Mann Singers "Golden Folk Song Hits Vol 2" LP 1963

This was the second of this series (see previous posting for the first volume).  This album is very much a continuation of the approach with the first volume.  The tracks are of relatively "modern" composition with known authors with the exception of  the English traditional "(Kept her from the) Foggy Foggy Dew".
Other tracks are as shown on the front cover.
Again, this was a nice, clean LP that was a pleasure to rip.

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01 April 2011

The Johnny Mann Singers "Golden Folk Song Hits" 1962 (vol 1)

The Johnny Mann Singers were highly active between 1956 and 1974 mainly recording covers of popular hits in a brilliant chorale style winning five Grammy Awards.
Fortunately for us, Johnny Mann did not let the folk revival pass unnoticed putting out three volumes of "Golden Folk Song Hits".  This was the first in 1962.  His focus was on satisfying lovers of great singing rather than on producing an authentic folk music sound so his albums truly fit the theme of this blog - "folk for all".
Most folk fans will readily appreciate their renditions of folk songs but it will also appeal to all lovers of good singing. The songs are mostly of 'modern' composition e.g. Tom Dooley, Scarlet Ribbons, The Boll Weevil Song, Where have all the Flowers Gone with some traditionals.  For those who fondly remember The Kingston Trio, The New Christy Ministrels, The Journeymen, The Brothers Four and their like will love this album.  It has ripped nice and clean and is in proper stereo.  MP3s @ 192-224 VBR. Enjoy.

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11 March 2011

Harry Belafonte "Belafonte at Carnegie Hall" 1959 performance

Harry Belefonte became so well known for calypso music that it is often overlooked that he was, and always remained, primarily a folk singer albeit one who often adopted a populist approach to all his music for general concert goers.
On the 19th and 20th April 1959, he gave two performances at Carnegie Hall both with an identical program. Both concerts were recorded in full and tracks taken from each to produce a two LP set featuring all the concert numbers - a total of 19 tracks.  This LP set was issued the same year. It was sub-titled "The Complete Concert"
In 1989, a "Belafonte at Carnegie Hall" CD was issued but four original tracks were omitted presumbaly because they would not all fit on the one CD.  One of those tracks was"All my Trials"(described as a West Indies lullaby but it's also very much a lament) which seems a strange exclusion as it was quite a popular track in the 1960s receiving a lot of air play.
I stumbled over both the CD and the two LP set recently and I've used them both to again present the "complete concert".  Also included are images of the LP and CD covers and of the original LP liner notes.  There are also notes on the CD contents  Tracks are in the original LP order as follows:

"ACT I-MOODS OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO"
   1. "Introduction/Darlin' Cora"
   2. "Sylvie"
   3. "Cotton Fields"
   4. "John Henry"
   5. "Take My Mother Home" (omitted on CD)
   6. "The Marching Saints"
 "ACT II-IN THE CARIBBEAN"
   7. "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)"
   8. "Jamaica Farewell"
   9. "Man Piaba"  (Omitted on CD)
   10. "All My Trials" (Omitted on CD)
   11. "Mama Look a Boo Boo"
   12. "Come Back Liza"
   13. "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)"
"ACT III-ROUND THE WORLD"
   14. "Hava Nagila"
   15. "Danny Boy"
   16. "Merci Bon Dieu" (Omitted on CD)
   17. "Cucurrucucu Paloma"
   18. "Shenandoah"
   19. "Matilda"

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29 January 2011

Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger "Classic Scots Ballads" CD re-issue of 1961 LP

Ewan MacColl (1915-1989) was a prodigious performer of traditional folk songs.  He also wrote many modern folk songs, such as "The Travelling People" and "Dirty Old Town", topical songs, and also the Grammy winning "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (when performed by Roberta Flack).
Peggy Seeger (born 1935 New York) was, by 1959, effectively the de-facto wife MacColl (he was still legally married to his second wife). Have a good read of each of their Wikipedia entries - quite complex stories.  Incidentally, Peggy was a younger half sister of Pete Seeger and also younger full sister to Mike Seeger once of the New Lost City Ramblers.
This, the second of their joint albums, was released in 1961.  All tracks are British Isles traditionals either originating in Scotland or Scottish versions of English Ballads.

The tracks are Aikendrum, The False Lover Won Back, The Gairdener Chyld, The Maid Gaed to the Mill, The Elfin Knight, The Banks of the Nile, Hughie Grame, Johnny Lad, Mormond Braes, Glasgowe Peggy, The Moneymusk Lads, The Trooper and the Maid, I Loved a Lass, and Lord Thomas and Fair Annie.

This is a great album.  The tracks were digitally re-mastered for the CD release.  The CD graphics include the original LP notes for each of the songs and are included in the download.

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Harry Belfonte "Belafonte on Campus" LP 1967

Harry Belafonte's three folk albums have been largely forgotten with the exception of "Ballads, Blues and Boasters" which was belatedly released on CD in about 2007.

This album contains a mix of traditional and modern folk music as you will see from the track list.

But do not expect a real "folky" sound - these are "professional" studio tracks with full choral and orchestral backing to provide some very lovely music.  "The Hands I Love" is, IMHO, brilliant.

Graphics are included.
Tracklist:-
1 Roll on Buddy
2 The Hands I Love (Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night")
3 The Last Thing on my Mind
4 Delia
5 Far Side of the Hill
6 Waly Waly
7 Sail away Ladies
8 First Time Ever I saw your Face
9 Hold on to me, Babe
10 Those Three are on my Mind
11 Dog Song (Your Dog)

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11 January 2011

"Best of Scottish Folk" compilation CD 1996

Obviously a sister release to the prior "The Best of Irish Folk" again being a compilation of folk performers and folk songs of the folk revival period but this time having a Scottish theme.
Performers include Matt McGinn, Hamish Imlach, The McCalmans, Alex Campbell, The Ian Campbell Folk Group, Isla Cameron and Billy Connolly, the latter commencing his professional life as a folk singer with a patter later graduating to be the famed stand-up comedian who occasionally sing a folk song.
There are 24 great tracks including such gems as Owen Hand's I Loved a Lass, Archie Fisher's "Three Gypsy Laddies", Matt McGinn's "Rosin the Beau" (Resin the Bow), and Hamish Imlach's "McPherson's Farewell".

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10 January 2011

"Best of Irish Folk" compilation CD 1996

This CD was compiled in 1996 using digitally remastered tracks previously featured on various LPs of the folk revival period.  It includes an impressive line-up of Irish artists performing mainly "Irish" folk songs (a few imports have crept in).  There are 25 tracks in all and the artists include The Johnstons, The Ludlows, The Dubliners, Sweeney's Men, and Finbar and Eddie Furey.  Tracks include Rocky Road to Dublin, Spanish Lady, Henry Joy, Enniskillen Dragoons, and Curragh of Kildare

Overall, an excellent compilation especially for those who would like to sample the work of a range of Irish folk performers.

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