British Folk

1966 … a very good year!

1966 really was an amazing year of music for me. The Seekers made a huge impact, as did The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Simon & Garfunkel. I have to also mention The Mamas & Papas, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Marianne Faithful …. where does it end? Well of course it doesn’t end, because there were so many other amazing recordings in 1966.

In 1966 I had started going to a local folk club so, as much as I loved the typical heavy rock sounds, I also loved a simple acoustic performance, hence my initial choice was Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game”. However, the  more I thought about it, the more 1966 has to be given to Judith Durham and The Seekers.

“Who Knows Where Time Goes”

Sandy Denny was a well known singer in the UK Folk/Pop scene in the 1970’s but, very sadly, died in 1978 after a fall down some steps. “Her death was ruled to be the result of a traumatic mid-brain haemorrhage and blunt force trauma to her head.” (per Wikipedia) She would have been 31 years old. I always loved her vocal tones and the way she used them.

For anybody interested, a search on this Blog for Sandy Denny will produce two more of her songs that I really like – “Solo” and “Full Moon”. Meanwhile, enjoy “Who Knows Where Time Goes”, recorded when she was the lead singer with Fairport Convention.

“The Shamrock and the Thistle.”

Many of you know that I have a significant library of music, covering a wide range of genres. Music has always been important to me and, while I have over 7000 tracks currently on my pc, I have a large number of vinyl albums yet to be converted to digital.

Back in the 1960’s, and on a Saturday evening, I would often be found at a local pub …. upstairs in a room used by the Peterborough  Folk Club.  The entertainment there was generally very good. English Folk Music appealed because if its simplicity (totally acoustic), and that there was often some kind of message in the song. Continue reading →

“The Lady of Shalott”

Anybody who can play a standard harp and sing at the same time is good from my perspective. When they can get (and hold) my attention singing a lengthy song in “olde English” some of which is a little baffling  to me, then they are really special.

“The Lady of Shalott” has undergone a number of changes over its considerable lifespan, but I believe Tennyson (the apparent original author) would be very happy to hear Loreena McKennitt’s take on his poem.

“Streets of London”

I saw Ralph McTell sing “Streets of London” at the Peterborough Folk Club back in the late 1960s, and here he is singing it 50+ years later. Not only has the song stood the “test of time” but the audience remembered it, and joined in, which was really nice. Continue reading →