For me at least, much of the enjoyment of trad song comes from knowing that what I'm hearing is a true artifact of a lost past.

If it turns out the purportedly "true artifact" has been significantly and *covertly* messed with and phonied up by a supposedly reliable editor, I have a right to be ticked.

As I say, if Steeleye Span and Peter Sellers do a totally untrad rendition of "New York Girls," I can enjoy it fully because, not only is it a fine performance, it isn't falsely advertised.

In a different genre, Lloyd's performances were also splendid. The musicality and accompaniment aren't the issue: musically I'd rather listen to Lloyd than to Hugill or (presumably) John Short.

But the issue is the frequent and blithe fakery. It could have been completely mitigated by a few words of explanation. ("I thought the original tune so unappealing that I created I new one which, I think, is still 'in the tradition'"; "In most cases I've tried to smoothe the words out a little, or added and subtracted." Etc.)



it's the blithe and frequent fakery.