This morning we listened to a selection of Child Ballads (a set of 305 folk tunes from Scotland and England, collected by James Francis Child in the 19th century). We heard versions from Scottish, English, Irish, and Appalachian singers (including a whole block of variants of The Maid Freed From the Gallows, another comprised of all riddle songs, and another block made up of songs about supernatural beings). Thanks for listening!
You can find an extended (5 hour) playlist of Child Ballads here that includes the songs from this episode and much more.
Playlist for this episode:
Playlist:
Archie Fisher, “Orfeo”
from Orfeo
Decca - 1970
Sweeney's Men, “Willy O' The Winsbury”
from The Legend Of Sweeney's Men
Transatlantic - 1968
John Jacob Niles, “Who's Goin' To Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot?”
Master Classics - 2011
Maddy Prior & Tim Hart, “False Knight on the Road”
from Summer Solstice
Shanachie - 2006
Ewan MacColl, “The Swans Swim So Bonnie”
from the long harvest - vol. 1
argo - 1968
Lead Belly, “Gallows Pole”
from Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
Smithsonian Folkways - 2015
John Jacob Niles, “The Maid Freed From The Gallows”
from My Precarious Life In the Public Domain
Cherry Red - 1940
Tim Erikson, “The Maid Freed From The Gallows”
from Song Links, Vol 2:
Felside Recordings - 2016
Odetta, “Gallows Tree (Gallows Pole)”
Tradition Records - 1957
Willie Watson, “Gallows Pole”
from Folk Singer, Vol. 2
Acony Records - 2017
A.L. Lloyd, “The Prickly Bush”
from English and Scottish Folk Ballads
Topic Records - 1964
Lizzie Higgins, “Allison Cross”
from What a Voice
Lismor Records - 1987
Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”
from Liege and Lief
UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) - 2002
Alasdair Roberts, “The Daemon Lover”
from Too Long In This Condition
Drag City Records - 2010
Archie Fisher, “Thomas the Rhymer”
from Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition
Great Smoky Mountains Association - 2017
Ewan MacColl, “Thomas the Rhymer”
from Classic English and Scottish Ballads From Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings - 2017
Rachel Newton, “Queen of Elfan's Nourice”
from Changeling
Shadowside Records
Jean Redpath, “Riddles Wisely Expounded (feat. Abby Newton)”
from Lowlands (feat. Abby Newton)
Philio - 1975
Texas Gladden, “Devil's Nine Questions”
from Virginia Traditions: Ballads from British Tradition
Global Village Music - 2015
Ewan MacColl, “Proud Lady Margaret (Child 47)”
from The English and Scottish Popular Ballads: Child Ballads, Vol. 2
Folkways Records
Karen James, “Captain Wedderburn's Courtship”
from Karen James
Folkways Records - 1961
Buffy Sainte-Marie, “Lord Randall”
from Fire & Fleet & Candlelight
Vanguard Records - 2006
Carol Elizabeth Jones, “Barbry Allen”
from Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition
Great Smoky Mountains Association - 2017
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, “The Death of Queen Jane”
from Smoky Mt. Ballads
Folkways Records - 1953
Shirley Collins, “The Cherry Tree Carol”
UMC-Decca - 1964
Jean Ritchie, “Lord Randall”
from British Traditional Ballads In the Southern Mountains: Child Ballads, Vol. 2
Folkways Records - 1960
Hedy West, “Lucy Wan”
from Ballads
Topic Records - 1967
Peggy Seeger, “Broomfield Hill”
from Folkways Years, 1955-1992: Songs of Love and Politics
Folkways Records - 1992
Papa M, “The Lass of Roch Royal”
from Whatever, Mortal
Drag City Records - 2001
Alasdair Roberts, “The Fair Flower of Northumberland”
from What News
Drag City Records - 2018
