Massive archive of Alan Lomax recordings - going to waste / nothing online.

Forgotten Archive

An archive of BBC traditional folk programmes languishes on reel-reel tapes in a little known library. This is the Charles Parker Archive in Birmingham. The recordings are unique and not available anywhere else.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/5d429dc1-bf2a-4495-9ada-77970bc2ef92

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/a/A13532993

They were made by Alan Lomax for the series “A Ballad Hunter Looks At Britain”

http://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=MS+4000%2f5%2f3%2f1

http://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/CalmView/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=MS+4000%2f5%2f3%2f1%2f7

One hopes that the tapes are being stored in a climatically controlled environment and are not suffering from mould or sticky shed. Whilst it is understood that they have been digitised this is only to unreliable CD-R media. It is hoped that the CD-Rs are duplicated across different brands. Optical discs are not a good medium for archiving, their life span is too short.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky-shed_syndrome

The track lists are as follows:

A Ballad Hunter Looks At Britain - Alan LomaxA.L.Lloyd (1963)

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Prog 1

MS 4000/5/3/1/4        

Recording of a programme by Alan Lomax for the BBC Home Service called 'The Ballad Hunter looks at Britain: 1'. The first of eight programmes about British folk music in the company of Seamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy, called 'Come listen to my song'.

Track 1: Duration (min/sec): 2.18 Description of track:
Track 2: Duration (min/sec): 0.21 Description of track: Intoduction
Track 3: Duration (min/sec): 1.15 Description of track: Seamus Ennis
Track 4: Duration (min/sec): 1.09 Description of track: 'The bonny bunch of roses'
Track 5: Duration (min/sec): 1.41 Description of track: 'The Eire girl'
Track 6: Duration (min/sec): 0.48 Description of track:
Track 7: Duration (min/sec): 0.56 Description of track:
Track 8: Duration (min/sec): 2.22 Description of track: Scots Gaelic songs
Track 9: Duration (min/sec): 2.46 Description of track: The BBC's collection of folksongs The Copper family
Track 10: Duration (min/sec): 1.58 Description of track: Peter Kennedy and the songs of the travelling people
Track 11: Duration (min/sec): 0.38 Description of track: Ewan MacColl [cut short]
Track 12: Duration (min/sec): 1.38 Description of track: Ewan MacColl Sings the 'Lorry Driver's ballad'. Bruce Turner Plays clarinet
Track 13: Duration (min/sec): 1.12 Description of track: British folk music
Track 14: Duration (min/sec): 0.34 Description of track: Traveller's step dance
Track 15: Duration (min/sec): 0.37 Description of track: Shetland fiddle tune
Track 16: Duration (min/sec): 0.50 Description of track: Folk song styles
Track 17: Duration (min/sec): 0.49 Description of track: Hebridean group singing: leader-chorus style, in Gaelic
Track 18: Duration (min/sec): 0.25 Description of track: Mouth music
Track 19: Duration (min/sec): 1.40 Description of track: Irish singing style
Track 20: Duration (min/sec): 1.34 Description of track: English solo singing
Track 21: Duration (min/sec): 1.48 Description of track: Davy Stewart 'Macpherson's Rant'
Track 22: Duration (min/sec): 1.28 Description of track: 'She moved through the fair' sung by an Irish woman
Track 23: Duration (min/sec): 1.07 Description of track: Orkney band group
Track 24: Duration (min/sec): 0.58 Description of track: Skiffle band
Track 25: Duration (min/sec): 1.02 Description of track: Conclusion
Track 26: Duration (min/sec): 0.24 Description of track: Closing announcement

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There’s similar track lists for Prog 1 [copy], and Progs 2 through to 8

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