The singer or the song?

Subject: The singer or the song?
From: GUEST,Pearl Bodine
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 05:10 PM

What is more folk,

"folksinger" singing a Beatles song (say Rick Fielding doing "In My Life")

or

the Beatles doing a folk song (say "Maggie Maggie May")?

These are real examples.

Is it that the song has been handed down through the oral tradition or that the singer plays acoustic guitar?

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: MMario
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 05:13 PM

not all acoustic guitar is folk either. I would say it depends on the song, the singer, the style of playing and the style of singing. all four can effect how "folky" something sounds. Then of course there is the slight matter of personal preference and taste.

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 05:16 PM

Doesn't someone have to die horribly or have 6 illegitemate children/adulterous couplings to make it folk???

I say, who gives a folk, as long as the song goes on (not unlike Celine Dion's parts..) that's all that matters.

LTS

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: Bernard
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 05:31 PM

I do a wide variety of stuff, from finger-in-the-ear traddy, right through to Beatles 'classics' ('Blackbird' is an oft-requested favourite). I reckon folk music is what people want to hear, defined by whether you still have an audience when you've finished...

The standard of performance can never be separated from the appeal of a song - even a truly great song loses its edge when performed badly...

I've been a 'folkie' since the late 1960's, so I've seen lots come and go. What always stays stable is the 'singability' - can the audience join in?

Having said that, it's important to keep one's repertoire fresh. If someone 'doesn't like it because they don't know it', I gently (with the aid of a lump hammer) point out that every song they know started as one they'd never heard before!!

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 10:03 PM

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: CarolC
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 10:29 PM

Guest (who goes by many names), what is this incredible obsession that you have with trying to pigeon-hole and define what is or is not folk music?

Respectfully,

Carol

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: rabbitrunning
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 11:24 PM

As a newbie I'd guess that the guests are trying to figure out where the lines are. I've given up and am now ignoring them.

;D

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 12:15 AM

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: CarolC
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 01:32 AM

Thanks, rabbitrunning.

Are you talking about the Nazca lines? I think they're on the crop circle thread.

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: GUEST, Banjo Johnny
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 02:07 AM

Has nothing to do with guitar, acoustic or otherwise. The guitar was practically unknown outside of Spain until the 20'th century. == Johnny

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: The Shambles
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 05:53 AM

Without the song, there's no show.

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: raredance
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 09:45 AM

Art always says the most cogent things

rich r

Subject: RE: The singer or the song?
From: GUEST,Noreen (in Lincs.)
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 02:42 PM

But he has been rather asyllabic lately.

Noreen