For me, the thing to remember about the ballads is, whether they are of 'common origin' or not, it is 'the common people' who have kept them alive down the centuries as "good stories" - the non-literate Travellers being undoubtedly the most important
For a singer, analysing them can be an added pleasure but, apart from the historical social, folkloristic and vernacular issues, they virtually sing themselves and the more you 'do' to them, the more barriers you create to making them work
The wine analogy isn't a bad one, though only god knows why 'The Guardian' should be singled out - the pretentiousness surrounding a drink you either like or don't is a world wide affectation and a running joke.
It seems to me that some academics have created an unnecessary mystique around the ballads without understanding their basic function or the people who sang them.
When impoverished and non-literate Traveller, John Reilly, turned up with a stunning repertoire of ballads, including the centuries disappeared, 'Maid and the Palmer' there was a murner of disbelief rom academics and claims that 'he must have learned them from print'; utter nonsense - of course.
Travellers have been a major source of many of our rarest ballads
Duncan Williamson's stunning repertoire of ballads and stories was greeted with the same scepticism.
It reminded me of the story of how, after making passionate love, a titled lady asked her husband: "Do poor people do this, my love?"
The reply came, "Yes my dear"
She responded, "Well, it's too damned good for them"
Jim Carroll