Pip Radish wrote:
"At the big singaround at Saddleworth FF last year, I heard someone give a terrific rendition of I Live Not Where I Love, introduced with what was effectively an apology ("it's an old song, but if you listen to the words...") And I've seen (or rather heard) a 50-25-25 ratio (50% covers, 25% original, 25% everything else including traditional) in many different venues."

I don't get to very many singarounds these days, but for some time now many of them (in England at least) have had their own distinct repertoire, the main feature being that pretty well every song should have a chorus. That tends to rule out a lot of the ballads and lyrical traditional songs, but rules in a whole body of more recent material written with the chorus well to the fore in the composer's mind. Many a folk movement songwriter from MacColl onwards (think 'Manchester Rambler', or 'Thirty Foot Trailer') has been aware of the sticking power of a catchy refrain.

A number of years ago I heard tirades from both Martin Carthy and Peter Bellamy about the 'fake folk songs' that were taking over from the old songs in the singaround repertoire. I make no comment except that the best singarounds I ever went to were at the Girvan Folk Festival, which went on well into the wee hours and included excellent ballad singing alongside some of the best chorusing I've heard.