When any music stops 'speaking' to people it loses its currency and begins to disappear. ANY music, not just folk or roots music. I know people who are still in love with AC/DC, Cream, etc. But on a greater scale, while some of their stuff is still great, we can see that much of it was and is basically shite. People could sit around and make lists about the 100 greatest songs of the 20th Century. I've seen some of those lists and I like maybe 10% of the stuff that's listed, whether that be in the area of folk or rock or hard rock or bebop or big band or blues or, or, or.

Thin Lizzy's WitJ was pretty good, but my hearing of it was informed by the versions I listened to or played in the 1960's, and while it's certainly different, it is as Will Fly said still WitJ.

Electric instruments are not going to be uninvented. I'm happy that the songs themselves are still being sung/done, and even if the arrangements break with tradition, well, that's just the way it is. Sometimes commercialism results in people being exposed to music they would never have heard in any other way.

PP and M were responsible for many traditional songs being kept alive, as were the Kingston Trio, Limeliters and some others. Judy Collins and Joan Baez have both done trad songs in 'updated' forms. They made the songs accessible to people and for some that resulted in them delving into song origins and history.

However, that said, I was shocked and somewhat horrified to hear/see Barbara Ann being used in a barbeque sauce TV commercial.

Bar bar bar bar barbeque
Bar bar bar bar barbeque
etc

My remark at the time was "Is nothing sacred anymore?"

IMO