"I am afraid I regard MacColl as a communist"
What kind of a **** argument is that?
I suppose the same goes for Lomax, Moe Asch, Guthrie, Charlie Seeger, Lloyd and all the other left wingers who introduced us to this wonderful music
The revival was floated by The Workers Music Association - Topic records was a development of their label
Did you ever meet Joe McCarthy - he shared your views when he wasn't jailing homosexuals while at the same time dressing up in frocks
"That is a remarkably stupid and divisive statement even for you Jim."
Why aren't I entitled to gibve an opinion on a singer who is apparently incapable of producing a musical note, but who relies on recitative to deliver his songs
"Folk is what the people define it as"
Which people - the people don't give two monkeys - that's why there are so few clubs and many of those who are around are =blowing for tugs
If you people don't know what folk is, how do you expect "the people" to
"I know Jim doesn't like to be contradicted "
Who says I don't - I'm having a ball here
"McColl etc and they laid down the "definition" set in stone so to speak"
No they didn't, unless they did at the meetings you attended - not in my time
You are as dishonest as the rest of the Raggy - stop making things up.
"Ian Campbell,"
Watch who you're quoting Raggy" - wasn't he a Commie too!!
I've got one of the most beautiful statements by Campbell on folksong somewhere - will dig it out when I have taime
He came from the generation that had no doubt about the beauty and importance of folksong - a truly admirable man
Should have stuck to the shandy Raggy
I'm fed up with this bombardment of distortions and outright lies
Hard not to notice that Shirley Collins; statement has been ignored - ven by her fellow Sussex by the Sea-ers

Gotcha 'yr 'tis

IAN CAMPBELL
Contemporary songs or song-writers, whether British or American, can have no influence or effect on British folk music, if we accept, as we must, that British folk music is that body of music and song which has been created and handed down in a largely oral tradition, and which is thus no one man's creation, because it has arrived at its present form by passing through the folk process. Please let us work towards a clarification and standardisation of nomenclature. A magazine such as Folk Scene can only do harm by perpetuating and encouraging the current widespread confusion in this field.
If in your question, by British folk music, you mean the folk club scene, then the answer is obviously that contemporary songs and writers have already made their influence strongly felt, and will continue to do so. The validity of their contribution is another question again.
If the folk song revival were to consist merely of the reverent re-exhibition of songs hallowed by time, it would be a futile and sterile exercise. To make sense the revival must produce new songs, and presumably, to be valid, they must show the influence in form at least, of the tradition. MacColl demonstrated years ago, that it is possible to create vital contemporary songs within the traditional frameworks.
Unfortunately, most of the contemporary songwriters, who find favour among the folk song club audiences, show little interest in, or concern for, the traditional song forms. The idiom in which they most commonly compose is that of the pop songs, no matter how un-pop their lyrics. This is a pity, because with contemporary "folk songs" continually growing in popularity, the eventual result will be that the folk song revival, and the clubs, will lose all contact with folk songs.
Folk Scene Magazine.
No 14.
December 1965.