Tag Archives: English folk music

Martin Simpson’s The Bramble Briar

This album will go down in history. You won’t believe how good it is! If ever there was an album that makes me, and probably loads of others, want to go out and burn my guitar, this is it. I … Continue reading

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Yardarm Offa’s Once Upon a Winters Night

For the benefit of those outside of the UK, let me introduce to you Yardarm Offa. Originally known as Yardarm, from Wrexham in North Wales, they are John Evans, vocals, six-string guitar, and electric bass; Goff Jones, vocals, 12 string … Continue reading

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Waterson:Carthy’s Dark Light

I normally have great respect for the works of the Carthy household. However, on first listening to Dark Light I was slightly disappointed. I was a little concerned that maybe they had lost their way a little with this one.  … Continue reading

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The Watersons’ Frost and Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs

For a few decades The Watersons were the first family of British folk music, and it all started with Frost and Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs. First released in 1965, it changed British folk music forever. It … Continue reading

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Various artists’ The Acoustic Folk Box

Big Earl Sellar wrote this review. I’ve always had the view that compilations come in two shades: the first are uniform releases that stand as a cohesive whole; the second are generalist overviews, with listenable and skippable tracks. This four … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Three Score & Ten: A Voice to the People: 70 Years of the Oldest Independent Record Label in Great Britain

I worked in a record store in the early 70s – quite a progressive record store, actually. Although it was part of a local chain, our manager assigned each of her staff to focus on a style of music with … Continue reading

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Devin Hoff’s Voices From the Empty Moor (Songs of Anne Briggs)

I only know a little about Anne Briggs, which means I know a lot more about her than most people. I’m a fan sort of around the edges of British folk music, which in my case means I know some … Continue reading

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Chester Folk Festival, May 2006

Although it is called the Chester Folk Festival, this event is held 10 miles outside of Chester in the quite picturesque village of Kelsall. As festivals go, Chester Festival may not be biggest, but it must surely take the prize … Continue reading

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Gary’s favorite roots and Americana music of 2020

This was an amazing year for creativity of all sorts, not least in roots music. This list could easily be twice as long, especially as everybody else’s year-end lists come out and I learn about releases that I haven’t heard … Continue reading

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Fay Hield’s Wrackline

I’d not heard of Fay Hield before I came upon her new release Wrackline, a beautifully realized album of traditional and trad-style folk song steeped in English lore. It is startlingly good. Fay Hield is a core member of the … Continue reading

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