A Garland of English Folk
Recent Releases from England
by Steve Winick
Among my first loves in the folk world was English folksong. The stories told in old ballads and rural ditties were so different from the aristocratic picture of England I got through American TV. Songs that tell of real people's lives in gritty detail, expressed with characteristic English charm, are still among my favorites. I've been accumulating some excellent English folk albums of late, all of which deserve mention in Dirty Linen. Here goes!
One of my favorite English folk duos, Mick Ryan and Pete Harris, have released Hard Season [Wild Goose Studios WGS 295 CD (1999)], another beautiful collection of traditional and original material. The former lead singer of the folk group Crows, Ryan has recorded in various duos and bands over the years. Harris is a well-known blues performer as well as an able folkie. Together, they are simply one of the finest acts performing English folk music. On this outing, they treat us to some breathtaking ballads, always my favorite part of Ryan's repertoire. "Fair Was the City" is a fantastically complete telling of the "William Glen"/"William Gower" story, in which a murderer goes to sea, only to be pursued by storms, questioned by his shipmates, and finally torn into three pieces by the ghost of his victim...a truly killer ballad, in many ways! This song, also known as "In Fair Worcester City," was the title track of Ryan's first album in 1978, and it's good to see he still sings it. It's a rare gem! Other bright moments include a version of the Easter ballad-carol "Leaves of Life," a jaunty but wistful take on "The Foggy Dew," a sweet arrangement of the perennial favorite "Spencer the Rover," and "The Lass of Islington," an old broadside ballad that sounds like Chaucer could have written it for one of his more depraved characters. As if these tasty morsels weren't enough, Ryan has added many great songs he wrote himself, mostly from folk-musicals like The Voyage and A Day's Work. The opening song, "I Won't Take That Lying Down," is destined to find its way into the repertoires of many an Irish band. It's told from the point of view of a 19th-century Irishman who's fed up with the injustice and hunger he finds at home. Ryan mentions the ape-like images of Irish people in Punch, the English failure to respond to the famine, and the offhand discrimination that was part of life for the Irish at the time; the last stanza begins "Don't call me Paddy if that's not my name," a great line and a very telling image. Other nice original songs include "The Leaving Time," which explains why so many crossed the Atlantic in the 19th century, "Come and Be a Soldier," a sales-pitch for the Army from A Day's Work, and "Willy Worrell," a humorous little ditty inspired by Sherlock Holmes. As usual on these outings, Harris contributes very nice harmony vocals, plus his remarkable skills on guitar, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, bass, whistles, and percussion. Occasionally he's joined by friends like Dave Ingledew (melodeon), Joyce Ingledew (fiddle), and Paul Sartin (oboe). All the playing is carefully fitted to each song, which makes the album that much better — once again, I have no complaints!
There are four more recordings reviewed in this article in Dirty Linen #93 (Apr/May '01).
