Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
According to the subtitle, The Acoustic Folk Box represents four decades of the very best acoustic folk music from the British Isles. It's a large claim, largely justified. In 85 tracks across four CDs the set sweeps the listener through the history of folk-club music from Bert Jansch, Julie Felix and the Dubliners to Richard Thompson, Eliza Carthy and Altan. Or, if you like, from Ewan MacColl, Sandy Denny and Ralph McTell to Billy Bragg, June Tabor and John Tams. Or... but enough of examples. "Folk" here describes what are called "revival" rather than "traditional" performers--so no Copper Family, but Peter Bellamy singing one of their songs--and by that definition almost no important artist or band is missing from this survey. Part of the fun, indeed, is tracing the winding paths that certain key figures have taken through the music, like Nic Jones, John Kirkpatrick, Dick Gaughan, Martin Simpson and, above all, Martin Carthy, whose 10 appearances, from the Three City Four to Brass Monkey and Waterson-Carthy, span some 30 years. Then again, some voices ring bravely from the shadows: few remember them, but what fine singers were Ray Fisher and Enoch Kent. Topic Records is, properly, the largest single source, but compiler David Suff has dug out material from Transatlantic, Trailer and a score of other labels. He also wrote the excellently documented 56-page booklet. If you were around for any of this the first time, opening The Acoustic Folk Box will release a swarm of memories, but most of the music is animated by much more than nostalgia. --Tony Russell