My experience too Al. I put MacColl on a pedestal for his talent and I have a certain nostalgia feeling when I hear his voice, even if the variable accent could be cringeworthy at times.    But the rudeness and "worship us" attitude he and Seeger were happy to project is in sharp contrast to Jim's music of the people nonsense.

When Mrs Musket and I tied the knot a few years ago, I wanted "First Time Ever" as the music we walked back down the "aisle" to. After a lot of thinking, we chose The Stereophonics with Jools Holland and his rhythm and blues orchestra version. Mrs Musket asked to hear the original when we were choosing and after hearing Peggy, said "no effort, no mood, sterile. All the things you say about some classical singers except they don't sing flat."

To be fair, I like Peggy more than that and have her new album winging its way via Amazon. But Al's point is valid. You have to be enthusiastic about the provenance in order to appreciate the old traditional songs and some of those revered for it, but musically, it needs the treatment of more modern interpretations to turn it into music. That way, it can reach a far wider audience.

Listen to Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer interpreting a few Child ballads as an excellent recent example.



An aside..   After losing money booking Gary and Vera Aspey, we folded a once rather large established folk club in North Notts, thirty Years ago.