Eliza Carthy on the Wireless Radio

Subject: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 19 Jul 04 - 03:35 AM

Wednesday night, 10pm on BBC Radio 2, Eliza is presenting a series of programmes about English Folk Music, first one is this week, I heard a trailer for it, sounds good, well worth listening to/taping.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 19 Jul 04 - 06:02 AM

I also heard the trailer and it does sound as though it might be worth a listen.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 19 Jul 04 - 06:48 AM

whats this jOhn , have you been promoted or something?

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 19 Jul 04 - 12:42 PM

I also heard the trailer but thought they said Friday!

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 19 Jul 04 - 12:45 PM

Sorry you are quite correct about it being Wednesday
And you can listen on line I think

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 03:33 PM

Mrs Jane-maybe your getting mixed up, as her dad is on telly on Friday? [11.30 bbc2]

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 06:44 AM

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Ed.
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 04:40 PM

Thanks for the reminder, John. I'd read about the programme on the BBC website, but had forgotten when it was on.

It starts in 25 minutes, for anyone interested

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Folkiedave
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 06:05 PM

It was OK.....a bit rushed decade wise, but it might be worth writing to the Beeb and saying how much you enjoyed the programme and when can why does the BBC not do more of that sort of stuff?

Dave

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 06:48 PM

It was good to hear Barry Dransfield having his say as he is someone who really understood, and indeed took part in, the whole range of sub genres of the 60s decade. If I have a criticism (apart from the obvious one of it being a bit rushed), it is the impression Eliza gave of the singer/songwriters and blues merchants sticking to one side of town and the traditionalists to the other. It wasn't always so.

Well worth listening to just for that particular rendition of Prince Heathen which really underlined Martin Simpson's assertion that the "English" style of folk guitar actually emanates from Big Bill Broonzy...

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 08:55 PM

I listened to it in the van at work, it was good, but, just a shame it was only on for half an hour, [not sure why, but I had assummed it would be on for an hour!]

I noticed Mike Harding was not on his regular 8pm slot tonight, have they sacked him for playing the same stuff every week, or is he just on holiday, anyone know?
anyone got next weeks Radio Times?

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 03:28 AM

MH wasn't on last night because of the Great British Music Debate. He's back next week with a request show of...the same old stuff...

Radio 2 Music.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 03:34 AM

oh.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: treewind
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 03:53 AM

I found it ironic that Eliza was giving the history of events that happened before she was born, to an audience many of whom were there and involved in it at the time. No doubt her parents supplied much of the research material and introduced her to the other participants. But no doubt either that she is the right person to present the programme.

I'm not all that bothered about the pace of the programme. This is not Radio 3, and it's a miracle (not to say a blast from the past and a cultural shock) to hear music like this on Radio 2.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the series...

Anahata

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: DMcG
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 04:03 AM

I agree with most of the comments and it was a great choice of music, but have to say that to me Eliza's commentary sounded a bit flat and almost disinterested. I know how inaccurate that would be, and that was probably more to do with closely following a script that anything else, but she did not, to me, come over as a natural radio presenter.

Sorry, Eliza. But it won't stop me attending your concerts or buying your CDs, honest!

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Folkiedave
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 04:11 AM

I suspect she has not done much presenting on radio and it is a skill like any other that has to be learnt. Gone are the days (I am pleased to say) when you had "presenters" who were good at reading scripts but "knew" nothing.

Good on you Eliza and looking forward to the next programme.

Best regards,

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Dreadnought
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 04:14 AM

Eliza's clearly a bit inexperienced at reading a script in a natural way but it ain't as easy as it sounds!

She'll get better with a bit of practice.

I was enjoyed the show - whistle-stop pacing and selective of course but still very good

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 05:32 AM

She was still better than Mike Harding.
And once again the BBC took of the country music and the folk music in favour of a ' so called ' discussion about the pop music industry.
I listened to a bit of it, when they started [ seriously ] dicussing mobile phone ring tones I switched off, if it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny.
eric

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: DMcG
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 08:38 AM

I've just been referred to 'http://www.elizacarthy.com/' from the BBC site. Either Eliza is into selling credit cards, etc, or she has reached the ultimate modern level of fame - someone thinks she's famous enough to use her name to sell stuff presumably without her agreement. Of course, it may be another Eliza Carthy entirely ...

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 08:54 AM

How intriguing. If you put "anglicana" into this site's search engine it tells you to go and buy it on eBay. Shurely shomething...

The beeb should be telling you to go here.    I guess they're not all that bright...

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 09:08 AM

I thought the programme was quite good really, though being half an hour, it was kind of rushed; though that said, it was probably right for someone who is new to or unfamiliar with the genre. Was it just me or did anyone else think that Eliza sounded nervous? I thought the use of Martin Simpson rather than her father to comment on the use of guitar in British folk was well judged and my goodness, the recording of Carthy and Swarb showed just what fantastic players they were - not that they have regressed you understand! Hearing the Dransfields again was great, if only they would not "hide their light under a bushel". So folk rock next week - my how time flies.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 09:17 AM

It's a domain name "parking" service for people who have registered names but don't have sites to go with them yet. You have to have a URL associated with the name or it will lapse. Parking is common practice, and usually the service puts adverts on the holding page. There is no conspiracy!

It would be sensible, though, for the BBC to indicate the unofficial (de facto official, I think) site that Diane mentioned.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: DMcG
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 09:48 AM

I'm sure you are right, Malcolm, but I liked my theory more. If Eliza's not that famous, she should be! Mind you, neither martincarthy.com or normawaterson.com have been registered yet, I notice.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 09:53 AM

My only complaint is that it only scratched the surface of what was very interesting. Recently became acquainted with J.C.Frank and pleased to hear him mentioned.
So come on Eliza persuade them to do more. 30 mins for ten years music is a bit mmean.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Les from Hull
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 10:07 AM

Good point about traddies v singer/songwriters. Of course as Eliza wasn't around she can only have got that from others, probably her Mam and Dad. And it was like that in Hull at the time!

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 10:30 AM

In the early '60s, a certain West End London pub (which Eliza mentioned) where her dad was resident used to have a very eclectic policy. It was where *everyone* went. Including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Bert Lloyd. Nowadays, it's home to Musical Traditions!

Concurrently across town at the Singers' Club and its ever-shifting venues, Ewan was not (yet) slapping anyone who sang "out of their culture". Pigeonholing didn't really come in (in London anyway) till the early 70s. And then it was much more among the beards and sandals sitting watching than among the musos.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 10:31 AM

Just caught it archived on the BBC site. Enjoyed it very much.

I felt the Christy Moore track from Prosperous was slightly out of place in this prgramme. Only in that it was, I felt, a little later in time (1972 IIRC) than the period covered by the rest of the programme. I wouldn't disagree that it is an important album but not, as stated, in the "early" years of the revival. Nor would I disagree that Christy is an important character in the early years, but Prosperous was his third album, and that part of his career would I feel have suited a later programme.

I didn't find Eliza's presentation a problem and am looking forward to next week, or the archive if I forget again.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 10:53 AM

I agree about Prosperous being an inappropriate choice - timewise - not that I underrate its importance. On reflection, what was missing was any mention of dance music or the London Irish scene. A blast from Paddy In The Smoke, Wor Geordie or The Iron Muse wouldn't have gone amiss...

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 11:39 AM

hi all,
    I'm glad you (mostly!)liked it. I was nervous, and reading from a script, but I tried to be as even-handed as I could with regards to the scene-the original script was pretty much just about guitarists in coffee houses. We did quite a bit of writing in the studio to be as balanced as possible, include the trad clubs and he jazz clubs, try to give the impression in limited time that the trad stuff was as important as the blues influences, and just as popular, that not everybody was in love with American music and skiffle.
Countess, I didn't mean to give the impression that there were two camps. I was trying to do the opposite, by saying that at all these places people played to full houses of enthusiastic people...Half an hour really isn't enough, is it?
The period we were covering was 1964-1974, as they wished to cover four decades to the present in the four programmes; Christy fits in there. It was important to us to have Prosperous on the programme as that album marks the beginning of Christy's love affair with the tradition...although I do accept that I wasn't there of course! Mum and Dad were very helpful! :-)
I hope you like the rest of the programmes. I think I get less nervous as it goes along. I suppose if I spent less time on the internet seeing what everyone writes all the time I might have been less worried... ;-)
x eliza

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 12:12 PM

Hiya, sorry I don't think any of us realised you were actually going up to '74 in which case, of course Prosperous fits. And the thing about the camps - I'm pretty sure your Mum and Dad wouldn't have said that so I assumed it was just the script and I was trying to put the record straight about actuality. I'm glad there was some mention of guitarists in coffee houses; Jackson Frank, Bert & John and Davey Graham were important. And the Troubadour is where I first met your Dad! Now I'm going to stop writing about you and get off the internet!

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 01:01 PM

Hello EC

The Prosperous comment was minor, although I hadn't realised that the show was covering to 1974 so it does fit, but it did seem well apart from the rest in context. Still, I know you weren't there yourself like us oldies.

I guess that any impact earlier than one's own experience is dificult to quantify except by information passed down or read about. although ancient, my own involvement is later than the "real" early revival so my own perception of what the scene was like in the Ballads and Blues and Bif Bill Broonzy days relies on other peoples recollections, or else I just ask Reg Hall!

Great stuff, see you at Sidmouth.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 02:23 PM

Eliza-Well Done, it was good, just a shame it was only for half an hour.
Are you doing any more shows like that?
If so, why not post here a few days in advance, and let us know?
cheers.john

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Folkiedave
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 02:23 PM

Hi Eliza,

Your mum and dad were absolutely correct in that at that time upstairs at the Blue Bell there were three clubs - a jazz club on a Tuesday night, a "political/blues/type" folk club and Folk Union One on a Sunday. Some people went to them all, some to one or the other and some only went to one. It might have been taste in music, but remember there weren't a huge number of places to go in Hull in them days so midweek we went where we could.

To give people who were not there at the time an idea of what it was like, people queued outside (for Folk Union One) before 7.00 pm when the pub actually was allowed to open, for the more popular people. We would have floor singers until 8.00 pm, main artist to 8.45 pm, raffle to nine and then floor singers, followed by the artist from about 9.45 pm to 10.45 pm.

I can remember the Watersons doing an hour at the Hull University Folk Song Club followed by 1.5 hours in the second half!!

Catch you at Sidmouth,

Best regards,

folkiedave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: treewind
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 04:46 PM

Half an hour really isn't enough, is it?
Too true, but it's a very welcome start.

I can just imagine how much work went into it, getting the balance right like you said.

No need to be nervous Eliza, you're doing great!

Anahata

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 23 Jul 04 - 06:44 AM

Absolutely only one critisism, far too short, should have been at least an hour.
eric

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 08:59 PM

refresh, part 2 is on tomorow.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 26 Jul 04 - 09:03 PM

ps-american people, [and people with no radios] can listen to it on their computer, see the link that Mrs Duck posted near the top.


Eliza-if you see this, if you do any more of these things for radio, you should tell the bbc people to make them at least an hour long, like i said earlier, [and loads of people agreed], half an hour is not enough.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: treewind
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 08:10 AM

After missing the 1st 10 minutes of last weeks, I missed the end this time - the phone rang!!! (it was a call I needed to take). She'd just got on to comedy - Mike Harding and Billy Connolly... did I miss much after that? What's next?

Anahata

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 08:28 AM

Richard & Linda Thompson concluded the show.

Don't know what the "comedy" bit was doing under the subject heading of "Electric Folk". OK, I know why it was there (the series is, after all, a Smooth Ops production)...

Given the extraordinarily difficult task of balancing all aspects in just 30 minutes though, I felt that Mr Fox as well as Pentangle/COB/Dransfield (indeed the entire Jo Lustig stable whatever you might think of his management style) really should have been in there instead.

All in all, Eliza's presenting style had gained a lot in confidence since last week. You can "listen again" here for the next 7 days,

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: DMcG
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 11:10 AM

As someone who thought Eliza's presentational style a bit dull last week, I'm please to agree with countess richard - this week's was much better. Maybe its more practise, less nerves or just because the nearer it gets to the present day, the more its stuff she's experienced and not just a history lesson. Whatever the cause, she seemed much more involved.

Well done, Eliza. Will you get to know listening figures, by the way?

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 04:20 PM

Have to say that I thought the comedians thing was a bit weird,too. I had more knowledge rewriting the second script, but the 70s is not a big era for me-apart from being born then, obviously! The bare fact is that as much as I would love to have talked about traditional music, I had to talk about folk-rock and comedians-next week, instead of talking about Louie Fuller at the National festival I'll be talking about folk-punk and World music...it IS impossible to talk about everything in detail in such a short time and this is a "gateway" programme, for me as well as the audience. Keep up the good pressure all. This is just a start.
DmcG, thanks. I don't know if I will get the figures or not, but I'll ask.
x eliza

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: shepherdlass
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 04:24 PM

Dead right, Eliza - a half hour just isn't enough, but you did a great job.

Re Anahata's comment about Eliza not being born when the action was taking place, would you rather read a history of, say, the British Empire from 1900 or one with the more cool gaze of a hundred years hindsight? Doesn't matter who does the story as long as it's well told - and this one was (especially given the time constraints).

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Folkiedave
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 04:28 PM

I used the listen again feature and I thought the programme was superb and Eliza came across really well. And I loved the the piece where Martin stopped to talk to someone outside Newcastle City Hall.

I reckon it said it all as to why we all love folk music.

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: treewind
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 06:23 PM

Shepherdlass - For the avoidance of doubt: no criticism at all was intended.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: s6k
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 06:35 PM

eliza carthy is my wife we got married last weekend, were very happy.
she says "Hi Mudcatters" and smiles.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: pavane
Date: 30 Jul 04 - 03:45 PM

Martin has always been very patient with us - I don't know HOW many times he must have been asked about his guitar tuning!

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 04:15 AM

REFRESH , its on again tonight, bbc radio2 , 10pm.

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 11:46 AM

Subject: eliza carthy show on the wireless
From: GUEST,ritchie
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 05:47 PM

just been listening to her show on british folk music whilst I was walking the dog.....what a good show ...try and catch it on the internet...radio 2. bbc dot whatever.

sorry if there has been loads of threads about it but what the hell.

keeping it reel

Ritchie

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 05:59 PM

Eliza was the answer to one of the questions on this week's Radio 4 Brain of Britain Quiz( on the lines of "Who, from the country's premier folk music performing family, won an award for Anglicana?"). Unfortunately, none of the aspiring B of B's knew this!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Eliza Carthy on the Radio
From: GUEST,ritchie
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 05:59 PM

see i told you ... you cant have too much of a good thing.
I listened to tonights show on my personal mini disk radio whilst walking the dog and now last weeks show on the internet ...i feel as if it's a wee bit 'groundhog day'