Album: Folk Roots, New Routes
Artist: Davey Graham & Shirley Collins
Born: Hinckley, Leicestershire & Hastings, Sussex
Released: March 1964
Genre: Folk
Influenced: The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, John Martyn
Now we leave post-JFK assassination America where, in early 1964, soul music was about to be eclipsed by the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, and move across the Atlantic to the UK where this small gem of an album passed almost completely under the radar. Folk Roots, New Routes, like Davey (originally Davy) Graham's other 1964 release, Folk, Blues & Beyond, has a title that perfectly describes the album's contents. This album would become the template for the English folk revival of the 1960s and 70s, fusing old folk standards and Collins' classic folk voice with Graham's Middle Eastern, blues and jazz-style guitar work. Though an unlikely combination, they both shared fascinating back stories before recording this album, Collins touring the southern US with famous folk song collector Alan Lomax and Graham travelling through North Africa and picking up new, influential guitar tunings and picking styles. Graham is cited by Ray Davies, Jimmy Page and many others as a key influence on their guitar work, and one listen to the aptly named Rif Mountain on this album gives a sense of his talent.
Folk Roots, New Routes is one of the best products of the bustling London folk scene of the early 60s, centred around Soho, which emerged at the same time as a similar folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village (where this blog travels next). Collins has a voice that some find unearthly and alienating, but I think it has an ancient, mystical quality, especially on tracks like Hares On The Mountain and Nottamun Town. Other songs like Reynardine (covered by Fairport Convention) and Pretty Saro (covered by Bob Dylan) would benefit later from better arrangements, but what was so innovative about this album was that its songbook and musical styles knew no boundaries, something that no doubt upset the folk purists but breathed new life into the genre at a critical time. If you're not convinced of Graham's influence, just listen to this:
And this:
Artist: Davey Graham & Shirley Collins
Born: Hinckley, Leicestershire & Hastings, Sussex
Released: March 1964
Genre: Folk
Influenced: The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, John Martyn
Now we leave post-JFK assassination America where, in early 1964, soul music was about to be eclipsed by the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, and move across the Atlantic to the UK where this small gem of an album passed almost completely under the radar. Folk Roots, New Routes, like Davey (originally Davy) Graham's other 1964 release, Folk, Blues & Beyond, has a title that perfectly describes the album's contents. This album would become the template for the English folk revival of the 1960s and 70s, fusing old folk standards and Collins' classic folk voice with Graham's Middle Eastern, blues and jazz-style guitar work. Though an unlikely combination, they both shared fascinating back stories before recording this album, Collins touring the southern US with famous folk song collector Alan Lomax and Graham travelling through North Africa and picking up new, influential guitar tunings and picking styles. Graham is cited by Ray Davies, Jimmy Page and many others as a key influence on their guitar work, and one listen to the aptly named Rif Mountain on this album gives a sense of his talent.
Folk Roots, New Routes is one of the best products of the bustling London folk scene of the early 60s, centred around Soho, which emerged at the same time as a similar folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village (where this blog travels next). Collins has a voice that some find unearthly and alienating, but I think it has an ancient, mystical quality, especially on tracks like Hares On The Mountain and Nottamun Town. Other songs like Reynardine (covered by Fairport Convention) and Pretty Saro (covered by Bob Dylan) would benefit later from better arrangements, but what was so innovative about this album was that its songbook and musical styles knew no boundaries, something that no doubt upset the folk purists but breathed new life into the genre at a critical time. If you're not convinced of Graham's influence, just listen to this:
And this:
Comments