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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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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"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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"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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The Dubliners "Irish Favorites" 1996 CD

This is a 1996 American CD release which features twelve previously published tracks without any obvious remastering.  There is a mix of vocal and instrumental numbers.  Without doubt they were excellent performers in the Irish folk style.
The tracks on this album are Off to Dublin in the Green, Sunshine Hornpipe/The Mountain Road, Will You come to the Bower, Peggy Lettermore, Donegal Reel/The Longford Collector, Roddy McCorley, I'll Tell my Ma, The Mason's Apron, The Foggy Dew, The Old Orange Flute, Roison Dubh, and The Holy Ground.

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Broonzy and Seeger 1956 concert issued on LP in 1965

This LP was produced in 1965 on the Verve Folkways label (not to be confused with the Folkways label which eventually forced Verve Records to drop the word "Folkways" from their name) using a recording of the 1956 concert.
I understand that only selected portions of the concert appear on the LP possibly due to poor recordings of other parts. The LP lists 11 tracks but there is a twelfth (spoken) track featuring Seeger suggesting that
everyone can have a five-minute Zup party. The tracks are Broonzy and Seeger both singing "Midnight Special"; Broonzy performing "Backwater Blues", This Train is Bound for Glory", "Crawdad Hole", "The Glory of Love", "Willie Mae", "Why Don't You come Home, Bill Bailey" and "Alberta"; and Seeger sings "Green Corn", "Mrs McGrath", and plays two instrumentals - "Hillel Instrumental" (tootin' cane), and the lengthy, but very entertaining, "Goofin' Off Suite". Graphics of the LP cover and the rear are included in the download.

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