Its not nice making comments about a song you haven't heard. Music and interpretation can lend an intensity that is quite unimaginable.

However readers of the BS section will know that I feel protective of New Labour, cos I'm shit scared of the tories getting in again.

Karl, I always feel abit sorry for - Colin Irwin (who inherited Karl's MM job) - to some extent too.

Someone said about Harold MacMillan that he wrote memoirs that savoured of Talleyrand, whilst under his guidance the British Empire politely left the room and left him staring up his own arse. Cruel...... but in some ways poor old Karl chronicled the folk revival in a similar sort of way.

Karl is a good writer. His reviews were brilliant - vividly descriptive, and for the main part laudatory and supportive of all folksingers. Unfortunately it was at this time the Chieftains were recording 25 minute laments, and Martin Carthy - not to be outdone, was creating the style that so many of his country men find incomprehensible, folk club audiences were enjoined to clap along to jigs and reels til their hands bled - whilst an unheeding nation danced to disco and reggae.

Somewhere along the line the audience lost interest - sometimes politely, sometimes not, and left us all..........