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Archie Fisher Tribute - Fiddler's Green

By Paul Rootsical
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Archie Fisher Tribute - Fiddler's Green Tribute to a total legend of Scottish folk music, Archie Fisher . The man passed away in 2025 aged 86 after an incredible 65 years making music. Well known for presenting the Travelling Folk programme on Radio Scotland 1983-2010, his recorded releases stretch back to 1962 with his sisters The Fisher Family . Several high grade albums followed at irregular intervals until 2015. He also toured irregularly, often teaming up with Canadian multi-instrumentalist Garnet Rogers   and also John Renbourn . Fisher's gentle picking style and clean, melodic vocal tone set him apart and make for essential listening, drawing comparisons with England's Ralph McTell. His songs usually take a few listens to really penetrate (as all the best ones do), play at volume.  Traditional songs, originals and a few interpretations of other artists' music, together with a selection of other artists covering Fisher. songs.  Fairport Convention , Emily Smith ,...
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Everyday Folk

By Paul Rootsical
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Everyday Folk Jus' a selection of Scottish, Irish, English & American folk, late-1970's to present, for your musical enjoyment.    ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^   As usual the old run shoulders with the new. Songs from the brilliant new Seth Lakeman LP, The Granite Way . Spotlights also on amazing Scottish sangster Karine Polwart and a Dylan-inspired  Jesse Welles , including tracks from his latest album Devil's Den . Woman, America is a great protest song. Jake Blount brings something new to folk Americana and specialises in traditional African American sounds, his work has been described as as 'Afrofuturist folklore'. Tracks from his Spider Tales LP (2020). Two acapella songs are performed by folk historian  Angeline Morrison . Yorkshirewoman Kate Rusby has a stunning voice ad is an original songwriter. Some nice more recent tracks by sin...
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No Winners in War

By Paul Rootsical
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No Winners in War What more to say? Peace songs blended with some beautiful Persian & Arabic music. An appreciation of the beauty of Islamic Middle Eastern culture.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ We set of with a beautiful introductory adhan from South African composer Abdulla Ibrahim .  Some lovely Iranian music and songs by Abdolnaghi Afsharnia , Chengis Mehdipou , Parvin Javdan , the Ali Akbar Moradikayhan Kalhor  and Persian rock band Barad .  Rami Essam is an Egptian topical singer-guitarist and his Ramy Ramy is a real cry for freedom. Kelmti Horra (My Word is Free) is a wonderful song by Tunisian musician Emel Mathlouthi . Tiken Jah Fakoly is a powerfully outspoken reggae star from Senegal. Two tracks from his 2024 Acoustic album, Tonton America (Uncle America) and the once banned Plus Rien Ne M'étonne  (Nothing Surprises Me Anymore...
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Existence is Resistance

By Paul Rootsical
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Existence is Resistance Topical songs from all eras together with some beautiful Palestinian music.      Protesting war & the inhumane behavior of a cabal of corrupt Israel-centric heads of government. A cry for peace and a return to the charter of human rights under a relevant & influencial federated international organisation with real powers.  We condemn  the normalisation of genocide, child murder (& child abuse for that matter - Epstein), double-tap strikes, carpet bombing of cities & hospitals, killing of journalists and a host of other atrocities. We must work towards a return to some kind of moral order, press for a fair, equitable reconstruction and fight for a fairer society and a more sustainable world.      ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ Illustrations from the  Middle East Children’s Alliance art tour Co...
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Blues N Rags

By Paul Rootsical
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Blues N Rags  Just like it says.. good ol' southern ragtime and blues with a splash of southern rock n roll. Playlist runs beween the late 1950's & 2020. Many songs from the road, leaving songs, walkin' songs, returning songs... Rags with attitude!   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^    Thank you to Cristen Craven Bernard & Erika Litteral for the cover background artwork The Blue Rags were a fun, punky ragtime swing group outta North Carolina. Four romping tracks from their 1997 CD. Bluesman Abe Reid was with the band at around that time before putting his solo project, Basicly Dumb (sic) out in '99. I was lucky to catch them both live back then in Asheville on different nights, raucous and memorable (lets not even go into the blue lights haha). Guitarist & blues/ragtime specialist  Stefan Grossman is well known in the UK for his 1980's ...
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Gulf Stream Blues

By Paul Rootsical
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Gulf Stream Blues Oh mama, I got the gulf stream blues... Trans-Atlantic folk selection. Traditions have travelled back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean for years to intertwine and create a shared musical heritage.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ Blend of Irish, Scottish, English and American folky sounds. Songs from Linda Thompson 's excellent 2002 LP Fashionably Late . An exploration of some inspirational Jethro Tull tracks from the  late-1970's   Heavy Horses era, including three brilliant studio outtakes that never ought to have been left on cutting floor. Glaswegian band The Humblebums were formed in 1965 by Billy Connolly & Tam Harvey  and were later joined by Gerry Rafferty . The band continued until 1971 when they split to pursue solo projects. Connolly in particular went to to enjoy a stellar career in stand-up comedy, television &...
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Witch of the Westmoreland

By Paul Rootsical
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Witch of the Westmoreland Ravens, witches, ghosts and werewolves. Natural medicine, wiccan, alchemy and various surviving traces from our ancient animist past. Ballads, tragic laments and curious tales of magic and mystery. Mixtape of predominantly English & Scottish  Folk music. Tribute to veteran & influencial Scots folksinger Archie Fisher who just passed away recently, in November 2025.     ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ We selected four Archie Fisher recordings from between 1976 & 2008, including the memorable title track Witch of the Westmoreland . First time on this blog for Scottish songbird superstar Barbara Dickson with three folk songs off her 1972 debut album From the Beggar's Mantle . Maggie Holland is a singer-songwriter and gritty performer from southern England. She sours over her electric guitar and banjo while bringing an altog...
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Only By the Grace of the Sun

By Paul Rootsical
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Only By the Grace of the Sun Folk rock session   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^   Highlighting Richie Havens tracks from his 2004 album Grace of the Sun and two more from Robert Plant 's new Saving Grace LP. Mixing things up a bit here we have tunes by Rory Gallagher , including a combo with Bert Jansch, Stephen Stills and the irrefutable  Rolling Stones . The Phil Beer Band rips it up live alongside singer Deb Sandland ( Mandorock Live 2000). Black Swan is a fantastic recording taken from Bert Jansch 's final release. He also features here on two late era Pentangle recordings.  Andy Irvine and Paul Brady teamed up in 1976 for an outstanding album. Angeline Morrison released an excellent debut set, The Brown Girl in 2022 with a hatful of well selected ballads right out of the traditional songbooks, following in the vocal footsteps of the likes...
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Both Sides of the Tweed - Scottish & Northumbrian Folk

By Paul Rootsical
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Both Sides of the Tweed Let the love of our land's sacred rights , to the love of our people succeed Let friendship and honour unite a nd flourish on both sides the Tweed   Folk songs, stories & melodies of Scotland & Northumberland Ballads, airs, reels, hornpipes and touching laments. Stories within the songs relate largely to historical events and movements between the 17th century killing time & the dawn of the 20th, periods of immense economic & demographic change across all northern regions. Anthems and tales of highland & clan pride, great bravery, treachery, tragedy & loss, a potato famine, dispossession, regret and exile. Other tracks re tempered by a sense of hope & trust in a brighter future. Some songs were documented in James Child's 19th century   Scottish & Child Ballads  and the  Roud Folk anthologies while others were composed later. Let the stringsmen strum, the singers sing and the pipers play...     ^^st...
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Sandy Denny - Moments In Time

By Paul Rootsical
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Sandy Denny - Moments In Time Here's a mixtape that I compiled a long while ago, two parts. A tribute to The Lady of British folk, the late, great Sandy Denny . One of the truly magnificent singers in the folk genre, or in the music world as a whole in fact. She was blessed with a powerful, natural voice & distinct style and has been credited as a major driving force behind the success of Fairport Convention , the Liege & Leif LP still being regarded as the finest, most complete folk-rock albums ever. These two sessions cover her whole recorded career from 1966 through to her final performance just days before her untimely death in 1977. Sandy explores diverse topics & introduces various fictional or real characters in her songwriting but oft returns to her personal experiences and feelings, especially on her later albums. The passage of time is a clear and present preoccupation throughout much of her work (perhaps s he understood deep down that her time was not to be...
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Not Fire Not ICE

By Paul Rootsical
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  Not Fire Not ICE ...Dysturbing Hystory of Iniquity Topical and heavily eclectic all-era music of resistance mixtape selection. From folk to R&B, funk, rock, reggae, soul & more... The session starts starts in a wonderfully hypnotic & melancholy style in tune with current moods but picks up pace to climax in fire later on. It concludes with calls for unity & steadfastness in the struggle from the likes of  Stevie Wonder ,  Luciano , Tracy Chapman , Morgan Heritage & the great  Bob Marley . Big tunes from Ziggy Marley ,  Richie Havens , Gil Scott-Heron , Sly Stone ,  Joy Denalane , Jah9 , & Ben Harper . Ms. Lauryn Hill burned up the studio during her 1992 solo  Unplugged set, pure fya! Ronnie Benjamin hails from the Virgin Isles and was father to the late & legendary Vaughn Benjamin of reggae band Midnite. Got to Make it Someday is a real Caribbean folk gem, a heartfelt song of perseverance. B-side of a rare 7'' that ca...
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