First 'lends' -- what would yours be?

Subject: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:18 PM

OK, so a friend of yours hears some folk music on the radio (unlikely, I know, but bare with me), or they come to a session with you. And, amazingly, they like what they hear. And want to listen to a bit more, in the safety & comfort of their own home.

So what CDs do you lend them?

Mine would be: -

* A true hearted girl -- Lal & Norma Waterson
* For pence & spicy ale -- The Watersons (bit of a theme emerging here. But it's got Swarthfell Rocks on it, and you can't argue with that)
* A woman's voice -- Topic records compilation. Bit of a mixed bag, but it's got (in my opinion) two of Lal's best songs on it, and a bit of June Tabor.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:32 PM

Only 3?

The two Topic samplers Stepping Up (dance) & Hidden English (song)
Any Spiers&Boden/Bellowhead/Eliza Carthy Band (probably Kings Of Calicutt).
A random selection from Mawkin/Devil's Interval/English Acoustic Collective/Jackie Oates/Jim Moray/Hazel&Emily Askew/John Dipper Band/Tim Van Eyken/Rob Harbron/Emma Reid . . . and so on.

After that, Voice Of The People.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:35 PM

You can pick as many as you like, I'm just a bit stingy with my CDs in case I don't get them back.

I suppose I could go round theirs & supervise them being burned onto I-Tunes and then take them home after under police escort, though....

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:42 PM

On second thoughts, I wouldn't let my CDs out of the house.
Might burn a CD-R with selected tracks.
Or send mp3s
But then I'd make sure they bought their own CDs.
Artists need to live, after all.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:45 PM

Purely as a matter of interest - are you male or female?

(unlikely, I know, but bare with me :-)

To get to the real nitty-gritties. Watersons excellent taste you have.

Any of the younger lot - Kerr and Fagan too - Kerfuffle are particular favourites of mine at the moment.

I'd add Flook, and out of the folk rockers Silly Wizard. Boys of the Lough of course. Do add Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer, a lot of people think he has a nice voice and she can pipe!

Get some Sheffield Carols but then I am biased.

Then as Diane says Voice of the People. Start with Jeannie and go from there.

Play the Radio Ballads (the first ones) to see things in context.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:50 PM

I'm whatever you want me to be, big boy. ;-)

Nah, I'm a bloke.*

* Other than at weekends, obviously.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:54 PM

And I forgot - tell them to kill for a proper copy of "Bright Phoebus".

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:56 PM

I was refraining from mentioning that Dave, but 'the button' is called Nigel and I answered first . . .

If they ever record, those new boys Mike Waterson & Louis Killen.
Jim Eldon. Hard to get hold of, I've got all my CDs direct from him.
Pete Cooper & Richard Bolton
Mary Humphreys & Anahata
Pete Coe/Chris Coe and anything they've been involved in

Stopping. or I never will . . .

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:01 PM

C'mon, if you're bringing the Leader/Trailer catalogue into it I wouldn't stop with Bright Phoebus . . .

http://www.mustrad.org.uk/discos/tradisco.htm

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:01 PM

Oooh.... Jim Eldon.

Haven't seen him for years -- before he got that NME award for "I wish that there was no prisons," in fact.

Saw Pete Coe upstairs at Nellies when I was a nipper, but got nowt on CD.

(Of course, the risk here is that I keep buying stuff that I've either got on vinyl already but nowt to play it on, or stuff by people that I saw 20-odd years ago, when I didn't have any money).

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:03 PM

Remember Jim from his first appearance at the Bluebell in Hull. May even been his first appearance in public.

Not altered one iota.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:22 PM

I think the first time I saw him was on the telly with Steve Gardham promoting "An East Riding Songster" when it first came out. This was on Look North -- before the classic lineup of Harry Gratian & Judith Stampfer.

Then at an early Beverley Folk Festival.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: GUEST,Crazy Man Michael
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:25 PM

"C'mon, if you're bringing the Leader/Trailer catalogue into it I wouldn't stop with Bright Phoebus ."

Leader/Trailer
Rout Of The Blues - Robin and Barry Dransfield Trailer LER 2011 1970
A Map Of Derbyshire - Muckram Wakes. Trailer LER 2085 1973
and, of course any of the Nic Jones recordings

Topic
The Moon's In A Fit - Umps and Dumps. Topic Records 12TS 416 1980

but you'll have to have recordings...I don't let the vinyl out of my sight. :-)

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 06:32 PM

Jim has a very rudimentary website with one band sample on it.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: the button
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 05:17 AM

Cheers for that, Diane.

That website is indeed pretty old skool. Heh.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: kendall
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 07:14 AM

I just loaned a cd of Ledbelly to a neighbor.

I've tried to loan Utah Phillips to friends, but my fingers refuse to release them.

Never did get my Slim Whitman back. :-)

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Grab
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 07:45 AM

Initially: Show of Hands, and maybe Blue Horses or Levellers if they're more into rock. If they survive that and want more: Bellowhead, Altan, Artisan, Tom Paxton. If they're *still* interested, anything's fair game.

I think going straight for the Watersons is more likely to reinforce the old stereotypes of folkies singing through their noses...

Graham.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: GUEST,Crazy Man Michael
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 11:51 AM

The Watersons, collectively, individually and in their many permutations have more talent in their little fingers that SOH, Blue Horses and The Levellers put together, and kendall....never ever lend out any Utah Phillips to anyone...you'll not get it back *LOL*

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Grab
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 06:08 PM

They don't do much for me, Michael - I just don't like their playing very much, and I find the singing of the older members of the family (dead and alive) grates like nails on a blackboard. But that's just my preference. I know they've done more for folk than the other three put together though - as major participants in the folk revival of the 60s and as researchers of material (and hence as a source for the rest of the folk world) they've done amazing things. I just don't like their performance or recordings. De gustibus and all that... :-)

But as far as the thread topic goes, I think starting with the Watersons is like introducing someone to orchestral music through twelve-tone-scale. Great music if you know how to listen to it, but for a newbie you want the folk equivalents of Beethoven and Mozart - stuff that they can appreciate with their existing experience. In particular, staying away from anything with nasal lyrics or suggestions of fingers in ears, beards or Arran sweaters would be a damn good move, because that 70s image of folk should be dead and buried (if only).

Graham.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: GUEST,Crazy Man Michael
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:56 PM

"you want the folk equivalents of Beethoven and Mozart"

The Albion Band(s)(especially The Albion Country Band)

The Home Service (John Tams and Co.)

and for dancing, Whapweasel

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 01:18 PM

D'ya know, I'm more or less with CMM here.
Especially on f*lk equivalents of Beethoven and Mozart (add on JSB, Playford tunes and Carolan here).
But for dance, the Bismarcks and Gloworms, both EFDSS releases.
Fancy that.
And Blowzabella.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Nick
Date: 12 Aug 07 - 02:12 PM

>>OK, so a friend of yours hears some folk music on the radio (unlikely, I know, but bare with me), or they come to a session with you. And, amazingly, they like what they hear. And want to listen to a bit more, in the safety & comfort of their own home.

I'd first ask them what it was that they enjoyed and go from there.

And if they don't already own it as it's being plugged everywhere at the moment (eg Sunday Times today as 'must have reissue) I reckon that Liege and Lief wouldn't be a bad starting point as it seems to point backwards and forwards in quite a lot of directions. I always really enjoyed Tam Lin but wonder whether I would have found it as accessible without the arrangement.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 13 Aug 07 - 07:49 AM

I don't usually lend cds but if I did I would lend these few..The Watersons-For Pence and Spicy Ale. Martin Carthy-Shearwater-, Moving Hearts-The Storm-, Natalie MacMaster-My Roots Are Showing, Walter Forbes-Ballads and Bluegrass(I only have the lp, don't know if it is on cd)June Tabor-Airs and Graces, also by June Tabor, an echo of Hooves, And anything by Frankie Armstrong.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: greg stephens
Date: 13 Aug 07 - 08:28 AM

If anybody reading this thread remembers borrowing LPs or CDs from me, can I have themn back please? I am missing a large number of serious treasures.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Aug 07 - 11:16 AM

I guess it would depend on what my friends had actually heard on the radio or at a session....I would choose stuff that was 'close' to what interested them, then branch out slowly.

Martin Carthy told ME that he got hooked on the likes of Sam Larner & Walter Pardon, and in some ways that would be 'easier' than trying to absorb what Martin himself has done with the music....at least for new listeners. Some A.L. Lloyd would even be interesting.

Now, if I had to choose here in the USA, I'd be suggesting Pete Seeger, some "old timey"...like Double Decker String Band, some Bob Beers, and maybe some early stuff from the Folk Legacy catalogue, like "Sharon Mt.Harmony" or "Five Days Singing" for a variety.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: GUEST,Geezer
Date: 13 Aug 07 - 07:09 PM

I learned the hard way to never lend my recordings. I would simply refer them to my pal, Henry, who can hook em up with recordings of the Music of the world famous Carp Camp, during the Walnut Valley Music Festival.

Subject: RE: First 'lends' -- what would yours be?
From: van lingle
Date: 13 Aug 07 - 08:45 PM

It would be Anthology of American Folk Music edited by Harry Smith. I couldn't imagine a better introduction for someone interested in the real thing.
Also:

Doc Watson On Stage on Vanguard. A 2 LP set now on disc which contains some of the best country blues, old time music, flatpicking, fingerpicking, a banjo tune, Travis picking and ballad singing that you're ever likely to hear.

No More Forever by Dick Gaughan (I'm not sure that it's available on disc but his anthology Prentice Piece might do, if not.)

A Bill Monroe anthology that contains some of the early stuff with Charlie Monroe as well as the Bluegrass Boys. Don't remember what it's called but I've got a cassette of it which kicks ass.

Joan Baez on Vanguard 1 and 2.

For Irish music the first Planxty LP, the first Bothy Band and Andy Irvine and Paul Brady as well as Solas, their first one, so named.