Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round

Subject: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: GUEST,Karen Impola
Date: 12 Jan 20 - 10:31 PM

Hello friends,

I've got an earworm of a particular recording I heard in the 1970's or 80's, of the tune "Sellinger's Round", with electric instruments and a rollicking bass line. I'm pretty sure Ashley Hutchings was involved. I thought it was on one of the Morris On or Albion [thingummy] Band albums, but I'm not finding it.

Searching for the tune name here, I realized that Shirley Collins sings "Fair Maid of Islington" to that tune, and there's this version , but that's not what I'm hearing in my head.

Can anyone help? Is it by someone else entirely? Or did I make it up? It's driving me crazy, because I can hear the bass line to the first part of the tune in my head, but I don't know how it goes for the second part.

Can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: GUEST,Brenda
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 03:57 AM

I havn't heard that recording before. However I have been singing that song for more years than I like to remember and it is much the same as I do it, without the accompianment

Subject: RE: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: GUEST,JohnH
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 05:42 AM

You'll find it in Pills to Purge Melancholy among other places.
June Tabor sings it as well.

Subject: RE: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 06:31 AM

It's the opening track of The Compleat Dancing Master by Asley Hutchings and John Kirkpatrick (and a whole host of others). They use the alternative title given in Playford, The Beginning of the World.

Subject: RE: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 06:39 AM

That was me, the unsigned-in Guest, above. I meant to add that there's a good discussion of the tune (by 'good' I mean sensible, interesting and no slagging each other off)here: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=163613

Subject: RE: Fair Maid of Islington/Sellingers Round
From: GUEST,Karen Impola
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 01:24 PM

Gordon Jackson, thank you! That's it! A housemate of mine had that LP, back in the day. It was only years later that I learned to play the tune under the name "Sellinger's Round", and thought, "Oh yeah, I've heard a cool electric version of that." Then last night, (a fragment of) said version popped into my head and would not go away.

Apparently, that particular track cannot be heard on the internet for love nor money, so I'm going to have to defer my gratification and order the CD.