Tuesday, August 29, 2006

V.A. "The Acoustic Folk Box" (4CD Set)

The Acoustic Folk Box presents a masterful overview of folk music from the British Isles, encompassing some 40 years of history and dozens of artists. Each of the four discs covers an era, the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, and carries over an hour of music. Basically, The Acoustic Folk Box begins with the British folk revival of the 1960s and follows echoes that reverberate into the present. Many of the artists are well-known to general audiences (Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, and June Tabor), while others (Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs, and John Renbourn) are perhaps less known than one might hope, especially in the United States. Where to begin? First of all, there's Alexis Korner and Davy Graham's lovely duet "3/4 AD," perhaps the mother of all fine British fingerpicking, and fellow picker Bert Jansch's definitive version of "Angi." Briggs offers a chilling version of "She Moves Through the Fair," leaving little doubt where Sandy Denny drew her inspiration several years later. These discs also remind listeners that a number of folk-rockers never plugged in, or at least continued to experiment with acoustic music. The Incredible String Band remains one of the most enigmatic late-'60s bands, and "First Girl I Loved," with its off-center lyrics and unabashed romanticism, reminds one why. Pentangle creates a rare depth in "Let No Man Still Your Thyme," exploiting the rich possibilities of a full acoustic sound. A number of prominent women make memorable appearance over the course of The Acoustic Folk Box. Collins appears twice, first with Graham on the lovely "Reynardine" and again on the evocative "Bonnie Boy." Tabor delivers "Lay This Body Down" with her resonate vocals before returning with fellow Silly Sister Maddy Prior for "Blood and Gold/Mohacs." And there's no shortage of contemporary talent, with up and coming young artists like Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg, and Kate Rusby. The Acoustic Folk Box may not be the last word on acoustic folk music from the British Isles, but it comes pretty darn close. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Nick Drake posts - I'm quite a fan of this extraordinairy artist, especially his voice, I'm shivering when I here it!

As it seems you are kind of an expert on acoustic 'folk' music, is there any chance you could upl. David Forman's self-titled debut (Arista) - it's from the mid-70s and was re-released on CD only in Japan.

Sincerely, and muchas gracias!

29 August, 2006 23:19  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Acoustic Folk box :-)

01 September, 2006 01:44  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi just come across your blog, it looks like a great primer to the world of folk music. If you're got time and inclination to repost the acoustic folk box. Would be much appreciated.
Keep up the great work.
NZ.

25 November, 2006 06:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow!,
A big thanx in the time of a social softball game and another nonsensical mission impossible movie on dvd ( not even a team anymore }, you've kindly uploaded it for me.

a big cheers.
Graeme.

ps for anyone in countries like nz wanting to import music django.com is very good , over $25.00 spent on new cds shipping is free and quick.
can censor that out but amazon and ebay screw us on shipping

25 November, 2006 18:01  

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