'Fraid there's nothing strange about all this - any more than there is about your reasons for raising it
We approached Topic in view to making a possible double CD of Walter
As we didn't wish to make just another collection of songs we put together a combination of songs, anecdotes, parodies, opinions, etc and sent it to Topic
Tony Engle held onto it for a time and eventually sent us a letter, which we still have. saying he didn't feel that's what Topic wished to do - he also said he thought Walter, who was then getting on, wasn't at his best on some of the tracks
Tony also commented on the fact that many of the recordings had the sound of clocks in the background (Walter had a large collection of them - including a loud Russian tin clock purchased from The Daily Mirror)
We accepted Tony's decision and backed out, laving the field clear for Mike to do his excellent 'Horses'
Somewhere along the way someone got the wrong end of the story, but as we have the original correspondence on file, including Tony's letter, there is no question about what happened

We have made several albums from our own recordings, Tom Lenihan, Around the Hills of Clare, From Puck to Appleby, Early in the Month of Spring..
It has always been or practice to include the spoken word on them so the people aren't presented as just 'performers' - Topic didn't wish to do this - their loss, as far as I'm concerned

As few clarifications - no idea where the 'two years ago' came from - We have now lived in Ireland for over twenty years

"marketed for sale"
We have never been paid for producing CDs - only one of our singers was paid - a pittance
These were labours of love on all our parts
For our two anthologies we recieved half-a-dozen free copies which were to be shared out among the performers - go count them

Sorry to spoil your potential juicy bit of scandal
Why do you do this (rhetorical question, of course)
Jim