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- Date Released: January 1, 1967
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Label: Topic / IODA
The best of Shirley’s early ‘60s recordings with her late sister Dolly.
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We Say...
From song-collecting trips in the American south with John Lomax to seminal ‘60s folk-boom collaborations with guitarist Davey Graham to folk-rock recordings guided by maverick Ashley Hutchings, Shirley Collins and her earthy voice have been a constant force in English folk music for nearly 50 years. But her essential work is her recordings with her late sister Dolly Collins. Shirley’s charmingly wavery singing and Dolly’s flute organ (a small pipe organ) blend as if one instrument on the best of the early ‘60s recordings collected here, rural casualness meeting classical formality and ancient melodies made immediate. These versions of "Rambeleaway" and "The Blacksmith Courted Me" set standards for several generations of performers, her praises still being sung by Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart among many loyal devotees. But nothing tops the original.
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They Say...
After a gap of about three years between releases, Shirley Collins returned to recording with the 1967 LP The Sweet Primeroses. While the U.K. folk scene was undergoing some changes at the time, in part due to the influence of folksingers writing their own material and the emergence of folk-rock, those influences aren't felt at all on this set, which remains traditional to the core. Collins' distinctively resonant, slightly smoky/husky voice is accompanied only by her own guitar and banjo, as well as her sister Dolly Collins' portative organ; there are a few a cappella performances as well. Occasionally there are also choral backing vocals provided by the Young Tradition, although that group was not credited on the original release. The tracks on which she's backed by Dolly's organ in particular have a medieval, slightly haunting feel, as if you actually are listening to something being performed several centuries ago, not in the 1960s. Even given that Shirley Collins often performed British folk music of the most traditional sort, the starkness of this particular collection might make it among her less accessible works, at least for those in the process of acquainting themselves with her music. For those who know they like her voice, though, this won't fail to please them. The CD reissue adds four tracks from her 1963 EP Heroes in Love that, despite the four-year gap, are so similar in flavor that you wouldn't suspect they were recorded at a different time, though these feature only banjo accompaniment.
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| 01. |  |
All Things are Quite Silent |
2:38 |
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| 02. | |
Cambridgeshire May Carol |
1:19 |
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| 03. | |
Spencer the Rover |
4:04 |
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| 04. | |
The Rigs of the Time |
3:12 |
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| 05. | |
Polly Vaughan |
2:46 |
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| 06. | |
The Cruel Mother |
5:52 |
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| 07. | |
The Bird in the Bush |
2:00 |
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| 08. | |
The Streets of Derry |
3:31 |
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| 09. | |
The False Bride |
4:18 |
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| 10. | |
Locks and Bolts |
3:03 |
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| 11. | |
Rambleaway |
3:32 |
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| 12. | |
A Blacksmith Courted Me |
2:45 |
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| 13. | |
Brigg Fair |
2:19 |
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| 14. | |
Higher Germanie |
2:44 |
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| 15. | |
George Collins |
3:46 |
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| 16. | |
The Babes in the Woods |
2:34 |
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| 17. | |
Down in Yon Forest |
2:36 |
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| 18. | |
The Magpie's Nest |
2:28 |
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| 19. | |
False True Love |
3:37 |
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| 20. | |
The Sweet Primroses |
3:30 |
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20 Total Tracks, 62:34 Total Length
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Credits
- Shirley Collins - Banjo // Shirley Collins - Guitar // Shirley Collins - Vocals // Shirley Collins - Main Performer // Dolly Collins - Arranger // Dolly Collins - Vocals // Dolly Collins - Portative Organ // Tony Engle - Producer // Bill Leader - Engineer // John Marshall - Producer // A.L. Lloyd - Introduction // David Suff - Liner Notes
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