"One of the things that Sandy Paton and I used to discuss was a hypothetical venture called Underproduced Records. A singer, with or without an instrument, and two mikes spaced about 8 feet apart. No mixing, no echo, no dubbing.Just music"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the majority of the Folk Legacy albums recorded in much that way anyway? I recently bought a big swathe of them - Jim Ringer, Kendall Morse, Norman Kennedy, Golden Ring and others - and you can hear the voices move occasionally in the centre (a dead giveaway that it's a true stereo recording, which my ears always appreciate).

Anyone interested in the "Underproduced Records" aesthetic should definitely check out Mapleshade Records, and the fascinating interviews with Pierre Sprey on his website. He is the most single-minded record producer I've ever heard of - he uses nothing but two Boundary Mics affixed to his own binaural wedge - and mixes direct to tape using his own self-made cables. The results speak volumes. The Mapleshade albums by Archie Edwards, Harvey Thomas Young, Tony Williamson and Danny Nicely are the most "so real you can touch it" folk recordings I've ever heard.