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| ROY BAILEY |
Fuse CFCD 399 |
What You Do With What You've Got |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, 61 mins, essential. Roy Bailey is one of
England's great musical treasures .This release is a best of collection featuring 14 tracks from various recordings made between 1975
and 1991 plus a live 1991 recording of Rolling Home. The songs
featured are by some of our greatest topical songwriters including Leon
Rosselson, Si Kahn, John Pole, Robb Johnson, Jack Warshaw, Fred Small and
others. Roy also updates the traditional song Hard Times Of Old England.
The arangements are varied ranging from the unaccompanied Patience
Kershaw to a full electric band on Send Me Back To Georgia with
the wonderful churning accordion of John Kirkpatrick. Other tracks feature
the guitar of Martin Carthy, the hammered dulcimer of Fi Fraser and
others. If you are already a Bailey fan you will have almost everything
here. If you have not heard him before prepare yourself for one of the
most eloquent voices in topical song. (FS)
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| ROY BAILEY |
Fuse CFCD 400 |
Business As Usual |
● CD $15.98 |
14 tracks, 51 mins., recommended
Bailey is a folksinger's
folksinger. As he says in the liner notes, these songs are all stories he
wants to tell - stories by some of the best in the business. Robb Johnson
penned 5 of the songs, including the opener Merrie Olde England
with its anthemic line business as usual. With simple guitar
accompaniment, Bailey leisurely leads us through songs by Bob Franke,
James Keelaghan and Dylan that seem to demand that we sing along.
Particularly nice is Leon Rosselson's love song Cobweb of Dreams
with Val Bailey on harmonies the way the two sang it 25 years ago. Bailey
sings of simple personal hardships and heartaches and love in a way that
speaks warmly to audiences everywhere. This clear and sonorous production
does him justice. No tricks here - just good songs. (DC)
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| ROY BAILEY |
Fuse CFCD 403 |
Past Masters |
● CD $15.98 |
18 tracks, 75 mins, highly recommended. Roy has a
knack of choosing songs that not only convey an important message but also
are excellent songs. This collection is a fine retrospective drawn from 5
albums recorded between 1975 and 1988 that are not currently available on
CD and includes John Conolly's Punch & Judy Man, Si Kahn's Curtains
Of Old Joe's House, Violetta Parra's Gracias A La Vida, Geoff
Pearson's War Without Bangs, Jim Woodland's Ghost Story and
others. Beautiful singing from Roy and superb accompaniments from Martin
Carthy, John Kirkpatrick, Sue Harris, Chris Leslie & others. (FS)
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|
ROY BAILEY | Fuse CFCD 404 |
Coda |
● CD $15.98 |
The newest from this superb English singer is to be his
last as he had decided to retire after nearly 40 years of producing some
superb performances of traditional and contemporary songs. This album
features one traditional song (Brigg Fair) and 15 contemporary
ones from the pens of Graham Morris, John Kirkpatrick, Karine Polwart,
Richard Thompson, Jacques Brel, John Connolly, Ewan MacColl and others.
Accompanying musicians include Karen Tweed, John Kirkpatrick, Martin
Carthy, Ashley Hutchings and others.
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| LES BARKER |
Mrs Ackroyd 004 |
Earwigo |
● CD $15.98 |
7 tracks, 54 mins., good
Les Barker is probably the most
talented wordsmith alive in the English folkscene. He can write
wonderfully evocative historical and cultural ballads. Of course, you'll
find none of that here, as this is a collection of comic pieces delivered
live (and well oiled) in 1987 at the Bromyard Folk Festival
- each an
excuse for some of the most 'in' of British in-jokes and the worst puns
imaginable. The audience eats it all up, as indeed this is pretty funny
stuff. Once. Maybe you and fourteen friends can get together and buy a CD
and pass it around... It would be a shame to miss the staggering
collection of London place-name puns in It Eppinged Long Ago or the
ridiculous mythic send-up Cohen the Barbarian. And the Rose of
Allendale will never be the same after the spirited rendering of
Barker's Nose of Allan Dale. Inspired lunacy, but not for
everybody. (DC)
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| LES BARKER |
Mrs Ackroyd DOG 011 |
A Cardi And Bloke |
● CD $15.98 |
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| LES BARKER |
Terra Nova 007 |
Probably The Best Album Ever Made By Anybody
In Our Str |
● CD $8.98 |
Budget priced introduction to the work of this brilliant and
hilarious English monologist, poet and songwriter drawn from the various
albums on his own Mrs Ackroyd label. The monologs and poems are done with
a live audience whose interaction with Les adds to the fun. His songs
include the moving Dachshunds With Erections, a couple of his
brilliant parodies of English folk songs Weddell Waddle Penguins
and Hard Cheese Of Old England, the latter performed straight faced
by Martin Carthy. Martin's daughter Eliza sings Les's Everything Glows
a satirical reworking of Cole Porter's Anything Goes about the
dangers of nuclear power.
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| SALLY BARKER |
Hypertension 296 165 |
Favourite Dish |
● CD $15.98 |
10 songs - mostly originals.
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| PETER BELLAMY | Fellside 162 |
Mr. Bellamy, Mr. Kipling & The
Tradition |
● CD $18.98 |
Two CD set for the price of one featuring this
brilliantly talented English performer. Peter was a great booster of
the work of English author Rudyard Kipling and took up the project
of setting many of Kiplings poems to music - sometimes using
traditional tunes and sometimes his own original tunes. The first CD
reissues Peter's 1982 Fellside album "Keep On Kipling"
plus six bonus tracks from his two Argo albums in the 70s when he
first started setting Kipling's work to music. The second CD
features some of Peter's last recordings cut live at the Cockermouth
Folk Club in January, 1991 and originally issued on cassette as
"Songs An' Rummy Conjurin' Tricks". Peter was in great
form on a selection of traditional songs, Kipling songs and songs
written by Bob Dylan and Bob Copper.
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| BLOWZABELLA |
Osmosys 001 |
Compilation |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, 75 mins, highly recommended Wonderful collection
of recordings drawn from the six albums cut by this English group for
Plant Life and Special Delivery between 1980 and 1990. Blowzabella were
primarily an instrumental dance group performing traditional tunes from
the British Isles, France, The Balkans and lots of other places as well as
original tunes in a similar vein. The group underwent several changes over
the years and by the end of their career were moving in a more jazzy
direction. The sound and feel was constant, utilizing hurdy gurdies,
bagpipes, melodeons, fiddles, etc to create an irresistible and exciting
blend that was very different to any other English group. Exhilarating
stuff! (FS)
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| BLOWZABELLA |
Osmosys 005 |
The Blowzabella Wall Of Sound |
● CD $15.98 |
Reissue of mis 80s Plant Life album by this talented English
group who perform traditional and original dance music from England,
Bulgaria, France, Scotland, etc with hurdy gurdys, bagpipes, saxophone,
bass guitar, melodeon, violin, whistle, etc. Their arrangements are exciting
and imaginative and the only unnecessary track on the album is their one
vocal effort which can safely be skipped over!
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| BLOWZABELLA |
Osmosys 010 |
A Richer Dust |
● CD $15.98 |
Reissue of 1988 Plant Life album.
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| BLOWZABELLA |
Osmosys 015 |
Bobbityshooty |
● CD $15.98 |
Reissue of 1984 album by this exciting instrumental group
performing traditional and original compositions with melodeon, accordion,
hurdy-gurdies, recorder, bagpipes, flutes, violins, bassoon, percussion,
saxophone, rauschpfeife and a whole lot more.
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| JIM BOYES |
No Masters Voice NMV 1 |
Out' The Blue |
● CD $17.98 |
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|
| BILLY BRAGG |
Elektra 60502 |
Talking With The Taxman About Poetry |
● CD $12.98 |
Incredible album by one of the great talents to emerge in
the 80s. This album is a bit more arranged than his previous albums - in
addition to Billy's shattering electric or acoustic guitar there is the
occasional second guitar, percussion, bass, mandolin, trumpet and even a
vocal chorus on one song but none of it obscures the strength and vitality
of Billy's vocals and his his brilliant lyrics. There are three songs of
national politics including the wonderful Ideologies with its sly
nod to Dylan's My Back Pages and the incredible There Is Power
In the Union a rewrite of a traditional song which ends up as one of
the most powerful performances on record in recent years. The rest of the
songs deal with different kinds of politics - sexual and family ties.
Listen to the brilliant Marriage with its closing line "And
Marriage Is When We Admit Our Parents Were Right". But there is no
point in picking favorites as every track is a gem and worth listening to
again and again. (FS)
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| BILLY BRAGG |
Elektra 60726 |
Back To Basics |
● CD $12.98 |
21 essential early Bragg recordings featuring tracks from
his first two LPs "Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy", "Brewing
Up With Billy Bragg" and the "Between The Wars" EP. Unlike
his later albums which featured several accompanying musicians this set,
for the most part, is Billy and his electric guitar only. Billy's singing
and playing are direct and powerful with little subtlety but a whole lot
of feeling and imagination. He is also one of the great songwriters of the
decade and this set includes such gems as A New England/ To Have And
Have Not/ The Man In the Iron Mask/ It Says Here/ Myth Of Trust/ Like
Soldiers Do and one of his best songs and an all time classic Between
The Wars. The songs range in sentiment from being tenderly romantic to
bitingly political but always have intelligence and imagination. If you
don't already have the original albums now's your chance to get them all
in one budget priced set. (FS)
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| BILLY BRAGG |
Elektra 60824 |
Workers Playtime |
● CD $12.98 |
1989 album by the splendid Mr Bragg features 11 new songs
with Billy accompanied by a small band on most tracks.
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| BILLY BRAGG |
Elektra 60960 |
The Internationale |
● CD $10.98 |
Elektra's "cuddly communist" returns with a new
seven song CD. And it's certainly out of left field, even for
Bragg, with the material nearly all covers of other artists or
collaborations. The subject matter is deadly serious, much more than his
usual mix of love, politics and the futility of life itself. There's an
acapella tribute to the late Phil Ochs, a duet with Dick Gaughan on The
Red Flag and an outstanding rendition of Eric Bogle's My Youngest
Son Came Home Today. This isn't, overall, Bragg's best or most
representative work, but it's certainly moving, well-produced and
well-intentioned. (JS)
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| BILLY BRAGG |
Elektra 61121 |
Don't Try This At Home |
● CD $17.98 |
Another solid outing of political commentary and hard-edged
folk-rock from a prolific urban poet with plenty to say. Bragg doesn't
think much of American politics or social underpinning. He's equally
incensed by uninformed English working class opinions. His songs are
well-crafted and direct. They demand to be listened to. Here are songs of
the angst of love and sex, racism, two-faced religion, war and blind
politicians. Tempos swing wildly from slow and intimate to loud and
thrashing. To his credit, Bragg is relying more and more on his softer
voice to convey important messages, although it's probable that the public
is now listening to him because he began by screaming from the rooftops.
An enjoyable album that grows on you and makes you think. (DC)
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| BILLY BRAGG |
Rhino 75962 |
Reaching To The Converted |
● CD $16.98 |
A retrospective of Billy's career featuring 17 U.K. chart
singles and non-album B-sides released between 1985-1997, mostly on the
Go! Discs label. Includes tracks like She's Leaving Home/ Days Like
These/ Accident Waiting To Happen/ I Don't Need The Pressure On/ Think
Again and more. It also includes a previously unissued version of Shirley
recorded in 1992. Includes lyrics to the songs and commentary by Billy.
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| BRASS MONKEY |
Topic TSCD 467 |
The Complete Brass Monkey |
● CD $15.98 |
18 tracks, 79 mins, essential. In 1983 Brass Monkey appeared
like a breath of fresh air in the somewhat moribund folk scene of the
time. This sadly short lived and brilliant group merged the talents of two
of Britain's finest solo folk performers - Martin Carthy (vocals, guitar
& mandolin) and John Kirkpatrick (vocals, concertina and melodeons)
with a trio of brilliant brass musicians - Howard Evans (trumpet &
flugelhorn), Richard Cheetham or Roger Williams (trombone) & Martin
Brinsford (saxophone, harmonica & percussion). Together they produced
one of the most exhilarating sounds to have come out of the British folk
scene in the 80s. Because of financial constraints and the performers
individual careers they only toured sporadically and recorded the two
albums featured on this disc before disbanding in 1987. The songs are
mostly traditional along with Richard Thompson's moody Bad News, an
original by John based on a chapter from Thomas Hardy's
"Far From The Madding Crowd" and a musical setting of Thomas Hardy's
anti-war poem Night Of Trafalgar. The instrumental pieces are also
outstanding and include a couple of lovely Shetland tunes collected from
John Stickle. Brilliant musicianship, marvelous singing, a lovely clear
recording and informative notes on the group by David Suff along with notes
on all the performances. An exceptional disc in every way. Even after
nearly 80s minutes you'll be clamoring for more. Maybe this CD reissue
will encourage a reunion! (FS)
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| BRASS MONKEY |
Topic TSCD 501 |
Sound & Rumour |
● CD $15.98 |
After 11 years this wonderful and innovative British folk
group is back. It featured the expected guitar, concertina and accordion
and the not so expected but wonderfully effective trumpet, trombone and
saxophone plus percussion. The vocals are handled by Martin Carthy and
John Kirkpatrick - sometimes as duets. The songs and tunes are mostly
English traditional - some you may have heard before but not like this.
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| ANNE BRIGGS |
Fledg'ling 3008 |
Sing A Song For You |
● CD $14.98 |
10 tracks, 40 mins, highly recommended
Multiple kudos to the good folks at Fledg'ling who have unearthed
some great unissued British folk treasures - first the Etchingham Steam
Band, then the Young Tradition/ Shirley & Dolly Collins collaboration
and now this beautiful unissued album recorded in 1973. Apparently Anne
was not satisfied with the vocals and her subsequent commitment to her
family prevented her from redoing them. Most singers would give their
right arm (or perhaps right tonsil!) to sound this good on an off day. Following her CBS album
"The Time Has Come" of all contemporary songs this disc is half traditional
and half original songs. A number of cuts feature her in the company of
Steve Ashley's electric group Ragged Robin with Barry Dransfield guesting
on fiddle from time to time! Several of the traditional songs are performed
acapella revealing once again her ability to get to the very
heart of the story and fill it with the kind of restrained decoration
usually associated with great Irish singers. The lovely Hills Of
Greenmor features Anne accompanying herself on bouzouki and the whole
electric band does an energetic job on Sullivan's John (also known
as Spancil Hill). The original songs are generally more interesting
than those on
"The Time Has Come" and I particularly like the title song Anne wrote for
her daughter and the traditional sounding Summer Is In. (FS)
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| ANNE BRIGGS |
Topic TSCD 504 |
A Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
| So what is all the fuss about Anne Briggs ? You may ask.
Well she is one of the very finest singers to have emerged from the
British folk revival in the 60s as well as being an influence on singers
as diverse as June Tabor and Christy Moore. Many of the songs she recorded
would later be taken up by many other singers. The 22 tracks on this
magnificent compact disc features all the recordings she made for Topic
between 1963 and 1971 including her full length album, an extended play
and tracks from two collections plus two rare lives
sides from Edinburgh Folk Festival recordings from 1963. Her singing is spine chilling - on the
surface simple and gentle but full of the kind of subtle decoration that
is more familiar in the singing of Irish singers. Most of the songs are
unaccompanied but a few feature her on guitar or bouzouki or with Johnny
Moynihan on bouzouki. She and Moynihan were responsible for introducing
this Greek instrument to the British Isles folk scene. The material is
stunning including a version of Young Tambling that never fails to
raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Other songs include The
Recruited Collier/ Lowlands/ Polly Vaughan/ Gathering Rushes/ The
Stonecutter Boy/ Blackwater Side/ Willie O'Winsbury/ Thorneymoor Woods/
Reynardine/ My Bonny Lad and others. It also includes a couple of
excellent original songs which pointed the direction to her next
recordings - an album for CBS which was an unsuccessful and disheartening
experience for Anne and led to her abandoning music - a great loss to the
folk world. The original recordings were cut on portable equipment but the
remastered sound here is superb and the disc comes with a detailed 36 page
booklet. (FS)
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