The Folk Thread.
 

This month's Wire has a great 'Primer' on Psychedelic British Folk from the 1960s-70s. All wonderful stuff, of course, but anyone with a desire to cup their left ear and add some thoughts, further recommendations to this most unfairly maligned of genres would be nice. And please abandon the urge to post youtube clips of Mulligan and O'Hare, just this once.

Anyway, to get us all in the pagan mood, here's some prime Incredible String Band:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XOyiDIUhbAE

Still not convinced? How about this clip from the best British film ever made?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=42zkSLC0I2o

Thank you demonrail, I'm really interested in getting into new folk and I've been visiting the folklore center recently.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Eu77tX7uDvc

Dang.

Folk Music is the shit. I always wanted to be a folk singer but I only know about 4 chords in standard tuning, thus confining myself to 'punk'. :(

you can always learn DANNY. I always wanted to find someone that played the banjo so I can collaborate and start a small folk group

Modernize Folk Music Danny.
Can I say Woodie Guthrie.

Currently listening to this, which was an album John Peel put out on his Dandelion label, back in the day.

Bridget St. John, Ask Me No Questions.






This one's also got some great stuff on it:

I have a banjo!

Folk purists would run a mile from it, but everyone should see this prime slice of British Folk Rock at least once in their life.

Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention opening the whole genre wide open in 1970. Brilliant. Check the woman changing her baby mid-song in part 1.

Part One:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=H4_QnaqCQp0

Part Two:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bGVqMK_wZtA

Part Three:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=y72WTqlB01I

Part Four:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bqtcv1mYZ48

Part Five:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=malDzOSl1pQ

Part Six:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aNI5lvQFmtc

Needs to be heard:

John Martyn, I'd Rather Be the Devil.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VYCG5wZ9op8

Folk for the 25th Century.

try...a.tad..of..herman..dune

Because everyone knows you neded more than three chords to write a folk song... ?! RETARD!

I saw them at Belfort and they sucked. They're boring and they're hippy clichés.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIvUjexgvak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2arEUEAWck

He wasn't British but he played with Danny Thompson for a while so that's not completely off topic, Tim Buckley:

Once I was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHkxjtExbPg

I never asked to be your mountain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDjAGM-3LVg

Hey, no reason to restrict things to the British. I like the 60s-70s Brit folk scene, but that's just me.

Excellent Tim Buckley sample.

And no one sung Dylan's Percy's Song better than Joan Baez:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOKz6WgbXRw

The British guitar hero arguably starts here:

Davy Graham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB6xj1xHnM

Bert Jansch playing Graham's 'Anji'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqjUWJtH88c

Anyone wot likes "acid folk" should check out the Comus retrospective CD - nice, gloomy acoustic strum rumblings.

Yes, that is a great CD Melly. Truly evil.

I have plenty more chat logs to embarrass you further, Stephen.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tjAKJ3z0BdU

Doesn't necessarily count, but Ani Difranco blows me away.

And after about 21 years of torture from my dad's interest in Buffy Saint Marie, I grew a fierce appreciation for a lot of her material.

Now that the buffalo's gone, codeine, My country 'tis of thy people you're dying, and the magnificent God is alive, magic is afoot (a poem by leonard cohen, sung with lots of rad effects).

I love this thread and can't wait to hear some of this other crap I haven't heard.