Who's Ewan MacColl?

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 05:01 AM

About 28 years ago I did some mechanical work for gypsies or travellers, and they knew all the McColl radio ballads about them, although they weren't singers. That impressed me, life imitating art.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Shambles
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 06:51 AM

Yes but who was Stalin?

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Shambles
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 07:00 AM

Ewan MacColl and Stalin

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Shambles
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 07:06 AM

Joe Stalin

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 07:04 AM

Although Jimmy Miller / Ewan MacColl is always associated with Salford and Scotland, he spent most of his life down in the South. I don't know where he lived in his Stratford East (E. London) / Joan Littlewood days, but he and Peggy lived at Langley Park, Beckenham, Kent (now Greater London) from the 60's on - quite a posh area for a socialist !

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Noreen
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 07:30 AM

Socialists aren't allowed to live in 'posh' areas, Dave?

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: GUEST,Alex
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 08:47 AM

Just to say that Kirsty died recently after being run over by a speed boat type thing while swimming, I think,in the USA. Her songs are definately worth listening to. (Don`t come the cowboy with me is one that springs to mind) regards Alex

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 09:11 AM

Noreen - I don't give a damme where people live. Ewan did however, on several occasions, make quite rude remarks about people who lived in "posh" houses - once even when we were round at Stanley Avenue for one of his Sunday morning "open sessions" - it caused some raised eyebrows at the time.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Mr Red
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 11:10 AM

I was told by Tam Kearny (Fiddlers Green FC Toronto) that EmacC listed songs in one of his books as "from the singing of Jimmy Miller" - and by inference (& implication) "trad". I also heard Jim Lloyd review his last album and he credited EmacC as co-writer of "A Stitch in Time" which I regarded as strange to the point of falshood - why did Martin Carthy never credit EmacC every time he sang so proudly? The power of fame - if you want famous people to popularise your song they gotta write the song for you. Feet of Clay would describe my view of the great man -

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 03:01 PM

Ewan listed lots of his songs 'from the singing of WILLIAM Miller' his dad. Some songs are listed as 'from the singing of Betsy Henry of Auchterarder' his mum. Jim Mclean

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Sep 21 - 02:39 AM

I find it strange that few criticise the "no reels"Dance movement, that was led by Flowers and Frolics and the OSB,
Thia was a group of people WHO HAD A RESTRICTIVE ATTITUDE TO Dance REPERTOIRE.
Ewan has been criticised for Restricting Song Repertoire,Jim Carroll maintains that his restriction only applied at The Singers Club Venues

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Brian May
Date: 28 Sep 21 - 02:57 PM

Interesting though that he chose Britain's darkest hour to desert . . .

Having served 24+ years I must confess I have little sympathy for deserters.

Interesting I met him in about 1968 and neither liked him or his attitude. Peggy was lovely.

I didn't realise he had deserted. Undoubtedly a musical genius, for me, the flaws outweigh his skills.

NOTE: 'for me', I'm not trying to influence anybody else - you're as entitled to your opinions as I am to mine.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Sep 21 - 03:26 PM

Brian May, I too am a military veteran, but I can’t hold his desertion against Ewan MacColl. His politics, his personal situation, the way the UK government managed the manpower crisis by imposing conscription on Day One — all that puts his relationship to the armed forces, the war effort and the nation so far beyond my ken that I could never understand, let alone judge. Especially now, literally generations after the fact.

Let’s let the songs speak for the man.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Sep 21 - 04:10 PM

I listened to a BBC programe, which touched on the subject of his so called desertion
peggy seegers words" he told me he was called in by his colonel, he went home for a weekend when he came back his regiment had been sent off to europe without him, so he went to the higher ups and said wheres the regiment, they have gone off to europe so why wasnt i with them ,well you were in to political activism too early we are not sending you abroad, he was put on potato peeling, he described potato peeling week after week so i reckon he probably left because of that,. he talked very little about the war and i never asked him"Peggy Seeger
      
As far as i am concerned that puts a different complexion on his so called desrtion
I will also state that when i first met him i did not like him, Idid not know him well, but i decided rightly or wrongly to avoid him. Idid book them once for a club i ran and they were very good, i later did a support gig for them and again they played to a full house and were very good
despite my dislike of him at that time I met him, i find this harping on his so called desertion unfair.
my father was also in the communist party, and went on the run,but when Stalin joined the war fought in Africa as an Electrician in tanks, he talked little about the war and could not handle doing anything electrical as it brought back bad memories.
Ewan was a great songwriter and a very good performer, despite my initial dislike of him. I realise with hindsight he did an awful lot of good for the uk folk revival dare i say.....in some ways we could do with him now.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Sandman
Date: 29 Sep 21 - 04:38 PM

It seems that Ewan was prevented from fighting because he had been a left wing political agitator, the powers that be, the military establishment decided he should not be allowed to fight.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Brian May
Date: 02 Oct 21 - 03:46 PM

Fair enough.

Can I just thank The Sandman and Charmion for being prepared to DISCUSS this and acknowledge other's opinions and put forward their own.

That's civilised and respectful. We don't need to tear each other's guts out just because we don't agree.

For the record, I like Ewan's songs, I just didn't like him. He probably didn't like me either and neither of us lost any sleep over it I reckon.

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 04:10 AM

SONGS WRITTEN BY EWAN MACCOLL

Ewan MacColl died 22 October 1989, aged 74

Wikipedia:Ewan MacColl     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewan_MacColl
Wikipedia:Songs written by Ewan MacColl    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_written_by_Ewan_MacColl
   
More Songs written by Ewan MacColl     https://www.songfacts.com/songs/ewan-maccoll
Songs recorded by Ewan MacColl     https://www.song-list.net/ewanmaccoll/songs

Many Diverse Recordings of Ewan MacColl songs on YouTube
Dirty Old Town & nbsp;   https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dirty+Old+Town
& The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+first+time+ever+i+saw+your+face+
Freeborn Man of the Traveling People    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Freeborn+Man+of+the+Traveling+People
Jamie Foyers    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DJamie+Foyersi
The Joy of Living    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Joy+of+Living
The Manchester Rambler    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Manchester+Rambler
My Old Man    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=My+Old+Man+Ewan+Maccoll
The Shoals of Herring    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Shoals+of+Herring

Copied and posted from Mudcat thread "Any October Songs"

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: The Sandman
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 07:24 AM

yes,Brian.
When i first met him[ i was only 19. I did not like him, Ithought who is this old bollcks, but i did not know him well, I was a teenager , and tended to dismiss older men, who had strong personalities as being Schoolmasterish, and perhaps when you are adolescent it is natural to be rebellious against anybody older who has a powerful personality

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: Brian May
Date: 07 Oct 21 - 08:21 AM

Yes, I was 18 at the time.

Peggy was charming as she mugged me for the words of 'Talking Bognor Regis Sewage Blues', she even gave me 4d for the stamp (tells you how long ago THAT was).

Subject: RE: Who's Ewan MacColl?
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 07 Oct 21 - 09:12 AM

And this one of Ewan's is never out-of-date
Legal Illegal - Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbjZDtR2e0