Thank you for all your replies. The problem with shooting from the hip at two o'clock in the morning, is that you hear the thought in your head and it make perfect sense. Then rather than think about it for a couple of days, you just have to spurt it out. Having said that, my "rant" was born out of frustration.

My joy in life, is hearing a natural voice singing an unaccompanied traditional folk song. The more colour and freedom in the voice the better. I can only aspire to such giddy heights but on my journey I have found that I learn best when I'm up close, watching the breathing and the phrasing of the words. I sometimes get so engrossed with the singers technique I only remember small parts of the song. Home I come and onto Mudcat, type in a phrase remembered and up pops twenty different songs, so I trawl through them and it becomes obvious that most if not all are versions of the same song. Then I listen to the midi files and that's when the sighing starts, but wait, what's this? Twenty recordings of said song. Eighteen by the Dubliners and two by Helmut Schmidt and his whistling dog. Now I was sure the singer said it was collected in Hampshire, so what am I to do?

One option is to carry a covert recording device and steal the song but I find that unethical at a free performance.
In these days of instant access and mass media, I want a reference, somewhere to start. I want a recording to hear the song sung to it's full potential. Then put it online free of charge at the EFDSS site or similar as a reference piece. Then I will be able to appreciate the reference piece and the folk process applied to all the variations.

David