Saturday, April 23, 2016

I'm on a folk music jag . . .


. . . so I thought I'd share some of my current listening pleasures with you.

Let's start with a slow one.  This is Steeleye Span with the classic 'The Elf Knight', which goes way back to pre-medieval times.  (The lyrics are here, if you need them.)





Fairport Convention is another English folk rock group, contemporaries of Steeleye Span.  Here's their performance of the nineteenth-century 'Seventeen Come Sunday'.  (Lyrics here.)





Here's Steeleye Span again with the classic 'Sir James the Rose'.  They rock this one!  (Lyrics here.)





Finally, here's Fairport Convention with a modern composition by Ralph McTell that's profoundly moving;  'Red and Gold'.  (Lyrics here.)





I hope you enjoyed them as much as I do.

Peter

9 comments:

  1. Both the women in the first one looked like they wanted to be anyplace but up there singing! Strange!!!

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  2. Peter, you might want to search out some of John McCutcheon's work.
    Pretty well known folk singer.
    Very much a left wing liberal, but the man can sing and play most remarkably.

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  3. *Delurk*

    Another English folk band you might be interested in is Show of Hands. Particular favourites of mine are Roots, Country Life, Widecombe Fair, Cousin Jack, the Galway Farmer and Undertow.

    Chris

    *Relurk*

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  4. Lindisfarne is another English folk band that has been sort of forgotten these days, their song Driftin' Through is a favorite of mine.

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  5. John Renbourn and Pentangle-- also Clannad for celtic flavor. Been listening to Steeleye Span and Maddy Pryor(female lead vocalist) ever since the 80s when I first heard them.

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  6. It was a heated debate at work in 1977 as to who had the better voice Maddy Pryor or Annie Haslam of Renaissance. It was too close to call but I think you would enjoy Renaissance.

    Try Song for All Seasons, Mother Russia and The Black Flame.

    Gerry

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  7. You might enjoy the Finnish band Värttinä. THough you probably won't understand the lyrics :)

    e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSsghPdkMTs

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  8. Also some of the Imagined Village e.g. Space Girl - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ZgShUIfQc

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  9. Check out Bothy Band. Notable songs include Sixteen Come Next Sunday and Fionnghuala. And Kevin Burke has a great one called Mrs. Gilhooley's party.

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