To be honest, I don't know who owns the material. I've had some conversations that suggest that the material was often released without any permission from the artists. Certainly I'd doubt if many royalties were ever paid. The early Jack Elliott and Guy Carawan recordings were actually from "77" label records and put on eps from the 10" LPs 77 had just issued. They were both on Charing Cross Road at a certain time, although Collector moved out to Greenford a little later in its life. I'll ask Shirley Collins next time I see her as maybe she knows. You're right it would be good to issue some of this material on CD. Jimmie MacGregor may know too and I'm in touch with him so I'll ask him next time I speak. I wonder if the masters still exist? I have some excellent copies of most of the catalogue and certainly good enough to work with.

Alistair Banfield