As someone pointed out upthread these are not "Shirley Collins covers", they are new recordings of traditional English folk songs which Shirley Collins also happens to have recorded. No-one, least of all Shirley herself, would claim that these are "her" songs.
not a dig at you tylerw but at whoever wrote that blurb
― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Wednesday, 25 March 2015 15:30 (nine years ago) link
finally we get bitchin bajas, ulver and the mekons on the same comp
― adam, Wednesday, 25 March 2015 15:56 (nine years ago) link
hey that's fine by me.and yeah, obviously not "covers" -- i guess "an album of traditional English folk songs inspired by the Shirley Collins repertoire" isn't catchy enough for a press release.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 25 March 2015 16:00 (nine years ago) link
well presumably they'll be emulating collins et al's arrangements of these traditional songs which were not always the most strict trad interpretations
― adam, Wednesday, 25 March 2015 16:08 (nine years ago) link
where's david tibet?!
also what are owl service like
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:11 (nine years ago) link
For some reason (envy?) I can't stomach the thought of listening to this tribute album. I think it's also bc I'm emotionally attached to the original arrangements and I am too emotionally feeble to let new ppl perform those arrangements. "Love is Pleasin" is perfect for J Foster though, that's for sure.
― groundless round (La Lechera), Wednesday, 25 March 2015 18:43 (nine years ago) link
listening to a promo of it -- it's good! meg baird an early highlight. lee ranaldo a lowlight. and i love lee ranaldo. graham coxon is pretty convincing in this mode, too. is his solo stuff along these lines?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 25 March 2015 18:45 (nine years ago) link
Interview in today's Observer:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/31/shirley-collins-sing-past-generations-standing-folk-music
― Frank 4ad (NickB), Sunday, 31 May 2015 15:08 (nine years ago) link
nice read, thanks.
from the comments: In the summer of 1961, as a favour Shirley typed the manuscript of Len Deighton's debut novel The Ipcress File for his agent Jonathan Clowes, whom she knew through sister Dolly and Austin John Marshall. 0_o
― no lime tangier, Monday, 1 June 2015 21:50 (nine years ago) link
!!
she's been getting more press in the past two years, it seems, than in all the previous decades combined. and she doesn't even really sing anymore. weird.
― he quipped with heat (amateurist), Monday, 1 June 2015 23:18 (nine years ago) link
& http://thequietus.com/articles/18060-shirley-collins-interview
― no lime tangier, Friday, 12 June 2015 08:34 (eight years ago) link
yes, i need to sit down with that one. so great to see this sort of coverage!
― irl friend of the geir (NickB), Friday, 12 June 2015 09:13 (eight years ago) link
just finished reading, really good. wotsit & sons!
― no lime tangier, Friday, 12 June 2015 09:21 (eight years ago) link
this quote from the guardian interview is golden:
Collins then toured the country alone, catching overnight trains home to make the school run. “There were so many adventures,” she says. “I was picked up one night as I sat on Bradford station, just me and my banjo. Two really heavy Yorkshire policemen asked me what I was doing. They thought I was a prostitute!” Her next thought is classic Collins. “I thought, ‘How many banjo-playing prostitutes are there?’”
― irl friend of the geir (NickB), Friday, 12 June 2015 09:24 (eight years ago) link
I like this from that Quietus interview"SC: I've always had this feeling, you see, that the music is so wonderful that it deserves the best accompaniment it can get. You can't damage it. The songs are never at risk, either with Dolly or with Albion or with Fairport. It was just enhanced all the time, but given a new way of bringing it to other people who wouldn't listen to it if it was just sung as it had always been. It needed some freshness and youth and modernity to it, but without losing its essence, without losing its English soul. And that was just enhanced by those musicians. Because they got it as well, whereas some people just don't get it. "
which reminds me of a thing I heard from Gadamer about the continual reinvention of tradition keeping it fresh. It would always be of some level of relevance to the current generation and have some reflection of that rather than being monolithic and abstract.
― Stevolende, Friday, 12 June 2015 12:23 (eight years ago) link
can't agree with the pentangle dis, but given her aversion to jazz... makes sense.
that harvest showcase with the edgar broughton band, et al. must have been a sight/sound to behold.
― no lime tangier, Friday, 12 June 2015 12:39 (eight years ago) link
happy 80th birthday, shirley! there's a big party in her honor at the southbank centre -- are any of you nearby that place?
― La Lechera, Sunday, 5 July 2015 13:55 (eight years ago) link
LL i don't know if you saw this fb post from david tibet:
A truly and utterly astonishing birthday celebration for The Secret Queen Of England Shirley Collins last night at London's South Bank. Too much beauty to recount, but it was moving beyond my words to hear Shirley sing "Washed Ashore" and "Death And The Lady", accompanied by Ian Kearey at the afternoon discussion between Shirley and the lovely Stewart Lee—my favourite "comedian". And Trembling Bells were wonderful too...more about it all sooner or later.I utterly recommend too the programme for the event, with so many beautiful photos of Shirley and friends, and a 7" too. It doesn't seem to be online yet, but email Fledg'ling for details
― feargal czukay (NickB), Tuesday, 7 July 2015 12:50 (eight years ago) link
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/06/all-in-the-downs-review-a-memorable-shirley-collins-celebration
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 12:52 (eight years ago) link
those early shirley collins 7" eps topic and fledg'ling have been putting out are really nicely done, btw.
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 12:58 (eight years ago) link
(also belated hb to sc!)
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 12:59 (eight years ago) link
wowowow she sang "death and the lady"?! amazing
― La Lechera, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 13:49 (eight years ago) link
Thinking I should probably go to this: http://www.musicglue.com/cecilsharphouse/events/31-oct-15-shirley-collins-birthday-bash-cecil-sharp-house/
― Tim, Wednesday, 19 August 2015 10:10 (eight years ago) link
I forgot about this thread when this turned up on Dimehttp://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=536363
All IN THe downs the 80th Birthday celebration compered by Stewart Lee with the 2nd half being a run through of No Roses featuring Trembling Bells and 2 members of Blur as the backing band.
First half of this is a set of individual Shirley related songs sung by various people including Stewart Lee and John Kirkpatrick who also appears in the No Roses set.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 19 August 2015 11:11 (eight years ago) link
Have known about this for a while, but since it's now been mentioned in the new Mojo...
***NEW ALBUM ON ITS WAY SOON***
― feargal czukay (NickB), Monday, 31 August 2015 19:14 (eight years ago) link
Yeah since that is the only mention about the Mojo feature so far, there is a several page feature on her in there tying in with the 80th birthday. NOt as good as the Ugly Things piece that first really turned me onto her but possibly a decent introduction.Looking forward to the book anyway, so hope it happens. Maybe I need to buy the 3cd tribute to contribute to costs for that.
Have been wondering since reading the Mojo piece where I heard about Anthems In Eden first since I know I picked it up on lp in the late 80s for some reason. But thought the Ugly Things article was my main introduction to her. Could just be that Within Sound came out not that long afterwards so I suddenly became a lot more familiar with her.I need to pick up another copy of that lp though.
― Stevolende, Monday, 31 August 2015 21:10 (eight years ago) link
Is she singing on the new album?
Saw her Lomax talk last year and she was just fucking brilliant company. It was a hot night and a tiny venue and towards the end she was clearly struggling until she eventually announced she was going to be sick. She disappeared for ten minutes then came back and did a Q&A. What a lady.
― Poacher (Chinaski), Monday, 31 August 2015 21:43 (eight years ago) link
I don't really know any great detail about it cos I only heard it secondhand, but I believe it's new recordings.
― feargal czukay (NickB), Monday, 31 August 2015 21:54 (eight years ago) link
would be odd if she *wasn't* singing, wouldn't it? guess i'd take an instrumental banjo record from shirley.
― tylerw, Monday, 31 August 2015 21:57 (eight years ago) link
She's not been able to sing for thirty years, which is why I asked. I can't remember the name but she has a particular syndrome which means she physically can't sing. It'd be great if she's recovered/conquered it, but like you say, a piano/banjo record would still be fantastic.
― Poacher (Chinaski), Tuesday, 1 September 2015 06:42 (eight years ago) link
Yes she's finally conquered her dysphonia. So she's able to sing again to some extent but unlikely to do a full concert. She's singing with a group of other voices in that All Is Downs recording that's up on Dime.She did a couple of songs live with Current 93 last year too. Not sure what the story is on the '99 recording of All The Pretty Little Horses, or is that spoken not sung?
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 1 September 2015 07:28 (eight years ago) link
Been finally catching up on listening to that massive Shirley Inspired tribute album that came out a while back. Some really terrific re-imaginings here, but I find the more traditional readings to be the best. A lot of unfamiliar (to me) names here, but a wealth of great tracks.
― Wimmels, Tuesday, 1 September 2015 20:38 (eight years ago) link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06yjk03
― glumdalclitch, Sunday, 31 January 2016 14:08 (eight years ago) link
happy birthday, shirley!!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 5 July 2016 14:01 (seven years ago) link
first song off the new album :)))))))))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_QMW4mv6As
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:34 (seven years ago) link
Shirley Collins - Cruel Lincoln (Official Audio) from the upcoming album Lodestar, out November 4.
My friend Ian playing the guitar
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:35 (seven years ago) link
Hard to be objective about this, but she sounds, what am I trying to say, 'her age' I guess. Same lovely phrasing and that way she finishes a line - letting it stretch out into the soundfield. She's going to record in the ossuary at St Leonard's soon; a good friend is the Rev there. Can't wait to hear the results.
― Sunn O))) Brother Where Art Thou? (Chinaski), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:42 (seven years ago) link
:-D
― no lime tangier, Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:47 (seven years ago) link
Her voice sounds a good bit stronger than it did when she opened for Current 93 a while back, but yes, there's a distinctly lived-in quality to it
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:47 (seven years ago) link
Loved the guitar playing, too - liked the unadorned nature of it. Like 'here's Shirley!' which is more than enough.
― Sunn O))) Brother Where Art Thou? (Chinaski), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:48 (seven years ago) link
http://i1.wp.com/thankfolkforthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/shirley_collins_lodestar_packshot.jpg?resize=768%2C768
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:49 (seven years ago) link
http://www.dominorecordco.com/uk/albums/06-09-16/lodestar/
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:52 (seven years ago) link
Sooooo excited about this! I love changing aging voices.
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 8 September 2016 13:31 (seven years ago) link
sounds GOOD
― tylerw, Thursday, 8 September 2016 14:37 (seven years ago) link
the guy who played guitar and produced that track is an old fahey-head from the 60s/70s, wouldn't be surprised if 'a raga called pat' etc is an influence on the use of the recorded bird song. not that it's a wildly leftfield thing to do in this day and age. think it works really nicely on that song though.
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 14:57 (seven years ago) link
yeah i like the bird sounds ... what's the guy's name? Ian Kearey?
― tylerw, Thursday, 8 September 2016 14:59 (seven years ago) link
yeah that's right. was in the oysterband (uk folk rock thing - not really my cup of tea tbh) and also the blue aeroplanes (underrated arty indie band) among other stuff
― Rae Kwoniff (NickB), Thursday, 8 September 2016 15:06 (seven years ago) link
Hard to be objective about this, but she sounds, what am I trying to say, 'her age' I guess.
not to put to fine a point on it, her singing voice is destroyed. she scarcely comes anywhere near pitch. and as much as i adore shirley collins i don't think her phrasing was ever expressive enough to stand on its own. but this track is more listenable than i would have expected.
this reminds me a bit of the latterday charlie louvin albums, where the drop quotes went on and on about the beautiful louvin harmonies (which indeed were their signature) even as it was obvious that his voice was (at best) a husk of what it once was.
― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 8 September 2016 15:06 (seven years ago) link
er, TOO FINE not TO FINE
of course, if this music is meaningful/sustaining/beautiful to collins and/or to her fans then more power to all.
i guess i'm just skeptical of the journalistic cliché of old folks' destroyed voices being indicative of some kind of accumulated wisdom. sometimes the withering of the voice either calls up or reveals greatly expressive phrasing, as on some of bob dylan's stuff from the last 20 years (although he is often just way too phlegmy for me). but there's also plenty of cases where the voice is just shot, tout court (e.g. roger daltrey).
― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 8 September 2016 15:09 (seven years ago) link