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Comment - No 4


News of the Topic CD mega series

The latest information from Topic is that this should be out in the Spring, titled:

The Voice of the People - An Anthology by Reg Hall (20 volumes)

It has been compiled from their vast archive of traditional recordings (plus some previously unreleased material from other sources).  Details of the individual volumes are as follows:

TSCD651 Come let us buy the licence songs of courtship & marriage
TSCD652 My ship shall sail the Ocean songs of tempest & battles, sailors & fishermen
TSCD653 O'er his grave the grass grew green tragic ballads
TSCD654 Farewell to my own dear land songs of Exile & Emigration
TSCD655 Come all my lads that follow the plough the life of rural working men & women
TSCD656 Tonight I'll make you my bride ballads of true & false lovers
TSCD657 First I'm going to sing you a ditty rural fun & frolics
TSCD658 A story I'm just about to tell local events & national issues
TSCD659 Rig-a-jig-jig dance music of the south of England
TSCD660 Who's that at my bedroom window songs of love & amorous encounters
TSCD661 My father's the king of the Gypsies music of English & Welsh Travellers & Gypsies
TSCD662 We've received orders to sail Jackie Tar at sea and on shore
TSCD663 They ordered their pints of beer ... the joys & curse of drink
TSCD664 Troubles they are but few dance tunes & ditties
TSCD665 As me and my love sat courting songs of love, courtship & marriage
TSCD666 You lazy lot of bone-shakers songs & dance tunes of seasonal events
TSCD667 It fell on a day, a bonny summer day ballads
TSCD668 To catch a fine buck was my delight songs of hunting & poaching
TSCD669 Ranting and reeling dance music of the north of England
TSCD670 There is a man upon the farm working men & women in song

Featured performers include:

 Harry Cox Jimmy McBeath Phil Tanner Eddie Butcher
 Sam Larner Cyril Poacher Mary Ann Carolan Bob Roberts
 Johnny Doughty Belle Stewart Willie Clancy Fred Jordan
 Jumbo Brightwell  Willie Scott Michael Gorman Margaret Barry
 Davie Stewart John MacDonald  Tom Lenihan Paddy Tunney
 Walter Pardon Phoebe Smith Charlie Wills Joe Heaney
 Bob Hart Scan Tester JInky Wells Jeannie Robertson 
 May Bradley Pop Maynard Jane Turriff Walter Bulwer
 George Spicer William Kimber Sarah Makem Packie Byrne
 Joseph Taylor Felix Doran ... and many more ...

As soon as we have any more news, we'll let you know.  You can be certain that they will be reviewed here - at length.


BBC Radio 3

... is broadcasting a four week season of 'Island Music' in December which ought to be of interest to many of our readers. The first two are on the traditional music of the Isle of Man, and the second two on that of the Seychelles.

Music of Man and Music of Eden are a Heavy Entertainment production and are due to be broadcast at 23:15 on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th December 1997.


Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Lecture:

America Over the Water

a Southern journey collecting with Alan Lomax, 1959

by Shirley Collins


Friday 23rd January 1998 - VWML at 8pm

Admission £3 - tickets available from the Library - Tel: 0171 284 0523


English Country Music Weekend 1998

Katie Howson writes:

This is to let you know that the English Country Music Weekend will be going ahead again next year, and, it is hoped, for years to come!

We have decided to settle on the last weekend in June (26th - 28th June 1998) annually, so at least you know when to expect it. This letter is really an advance warning so that you can write it in your diary now, and for those of you in bands - don't take a booking unless you can reach Gloucestershire the same weekend! (Tickets etc will not be available until the Spring.)

Next year we are again going to be at Postlip, near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. We had a few problems there last year, mainly to do with the weather, and we have decided to rethink events and catering for 1998.

For those of you that didn't make it last year, we had some superb music sessions, music from Stan Seaman and Fred Woodley, a great dance with the English Country Dance Band, interesting lectures from Roy Palmer and Pete Shepheard and some great singing from many little-known local traditional singers.

For 1998, at this stage in the proceedings, we have invited:

John Shorter, who has so ably supported and organised us in the past continues to take care of the venues and domestic arrangements, while Rod Stradling and myself will take over some of the publicity, artiste management (!) and event organisation, the latter with Paul Burgess's help.

It would help us greatly if you would e-mail me at: VETERAN@compuserve.com if you wish to be kept informed about this and forthcoming English Country Music Weekends: we realise that our mailing list is out-of-date, and will not send you any more details unless you ask for them!  If you know of anyone who you think is not on the list, and would like to be, please send us their details too.  If you would like details about tickets etc for the 1998 English Country Music Weekend, please would you send us an SAE to: 44 Old Street, Haughley, Nr Stowmanrket, Suffolk IP14 3NX.  It's only 26p to you, but we've got several hundred to send!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Katie Howson


Correspondence:

Rod Stradling - e-mail: rod@mustrad.org.uk   Tel: 01453 759475
snail-mail: 1 Castle Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 2HP, UK

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