Ye Olde British Folk Revival & Folk-Rock Albums

[JustFortheRecord]

No mention of the Jackson C Frank album surprises me, who was a huge influence on many of those other folks covered.

[markwhyatt]

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.

[ilijaradovanov]

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

[albarton]

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.

[markwhyatt]

A couple of years ago I supported Ashley Hutchings. Lovely bloke. Real love of English folk music and passionate in his knowledge.

[NotedArchived]

Great collab here. Hedley is always deep in his knowledge. The professor is in. Thanks for doing this!

[NotEnoughRecords]

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.

[bobparadis]

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.

[ronaldlongendyke]

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.

[TheCappedCruiser]

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!

[paulemery]

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.

[stevecarlsonvinylcommunity]

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

[baggyhi-fi]

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.

[elliottcrews]

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!

[bencostello]

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.

[robertlonergan]

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!

[christopherkibler]

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

[charlesjefferis]

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!

[soundsfromthewestcoast]

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...

[cheapcheerfulrecordcollect]

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