Ballad of Ewan MacColl

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 11:00 PM

Yep, listening to the 'Black & White: Definitive Collection' on YouTube Music now checking out some of his contemporary originals. This fellow was really somethin' else.

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: michaelr
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 10:45 PM

Ah, you're down the rabbit hole now, chicken! Happy exploring!

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 04:48 PM

I rounded up the 8 volumes of "English and Scottish Popular Ballads". I've recently been exploring the Childs so getting into exploring Ewan fits right nicely together with that. Man what a lot of great things still left to discover and explore!

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST,CJB666
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 10:16 AM

That's the book I was thinking of. It even includes scripts!!

Of course Ewan MacColl only used the Radio Ballad format as a vehicle for promoting his songs, and left wing ideas about society. It was Charles Parker who was the producer and driving force.

But they were not the first. The BBC in America sponsored a number of Ballad Operas with Alan Lomax and Douglas Geoffrey Bridson, long before Maccoll and Parker were around.

http://research.culturalequity.org/home-radio.jsp

Some of these Ballad Operas have survived, some have been lost.

But Lomax and Bridson were the FIRST to develop the Ballad Opera / Radio Ballad genre.

====

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Reinhard
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 10:00 AM

That list seems not to contain the one relevant book, Peter Cox's Set Into Song: Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger and the Radio Ballads.

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 09:09 AM

Books are here ...

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=radio+ballads

====

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 09:01 AM

Sandman, much appreciated, but I'm not anywhere near educated enough to even begin asking questions of someone who knew him, I'm just at a point of wanting to read some good intros/overviews.

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST,CJB666
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 08:43 AM

The Ballad of Ewan MacColl (1990) is from here:

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9c504060535f45df8635b23f9405bf9c

There was also a later ARENA programme in 2014.

====

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 04:12 AM

The Four Loom Weaver?

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: The Sandman
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 03:47 AM

lost chicken if you pm me, i can give you jim carrolls contact he was a close friend of Ewan and could give you lots of background info.

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: rich-joy
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 12:02 AM

Thanks so much Chris, for alerting us to these two films - Really interesting and I enjoyed them both immensely.
Great too, to see Ewan singing with his Mam and see other family members performing - and see the happy family snaps posted in the Review film!

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 23 Oct 20 - 10:52 PM

I don't know enough about him to comment on the discussion video, but I just watched it and it definitely takes me deeper. Very much appreciated again, and now I'm also going to have to check out some "radio ballads". Oh, and I wonder what the song the lady was referring to as "Victorian weaving song" is as well?

Subject: RE: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 23 Oct 20 - 08:26 PM

Well this is quite excellent. I've only discovered Ewan over the last maybe year or so, and have barely begun to scratch the surface of listening to his works. This gives me a lot more of the background I need to desire more digging in and to more appreciate what I'm hearing/experiencing. I can certainly relate to some of his social issues as well. Very informative and interesting, *much* appreciated.

Also, I didn't know Ewan wrote "Dirty Old Town", I just knew of it via The Pogues. And, Alan Lomax is among the interviewees! And, and...first time actually seeing Peggy perform! I'd heard her on a couple of records. You could really see her siblingship with Mike in her face at times. Man I dig her banjoin'. Again, very much appreciated.

Subject: Ballad of Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST,CJB666
Date: 23 Oct 20 - 06:41 PM

Archival film is here for a short time:

https://vimeo.com/455457124

Discussion is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewh8ssBR6-M

=====