Rugged Roads North

Rugged Roads North

All-era traditional & modern folk selection. Alternative versions of many well-known traditional songs line up alongside more contemporary compositions. Spotlights on Judee Sills, Pete Coe, Bob Fox & Mary Black.

 

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Highlighting outstanding tracks from the amazing self-titled Mary Black album from 1983, including her wonderful rendition of My Donald and the very Emmylou-esque Rose of Allendale. Californian singer-songwriter Judee Sills had a promising career cut short all too soon by her death in 1979 having released only 2 albums in 1970 & 72. Tracks on here are from that period and centre around some great demo recordings which don't suffer from the over-production that blighted her first LP. The crudely recorded North Country is very rough but is a strong song worthy of inclusion nontheless. I've cleaned it up and filtered out some of the towering bassiness to make it more digestible. The song's a reworking of the Ballad of the Yukon Jake by Edward Paramore Jr. Meg Baird covers When the Bridegroom Comes. Northeastern balladeer Bob Fox collaborated with Stu Luckley on Two Magicians and Kathryn Tickell for Big River. In the Month of January and The Road to the North are taken from his Dreams Never Leave You LP 2000. Frequent Fox collaborator Jez Lowe sings the heartfelt ballad & tribute The Pitmen Poets. Pete & Chris Coe weave in and out of the mix with some banjo fuelled traditional gems and a superb cut of Two Sisters. Longtime co-conspirators Dave Swarbrick & Martin Carthy teamed up again for Swarbrick's first albums in the early 70's. Willie's Lady is later solo Carthy and an absolutely cracking tune. Barbara Dickson takes on Who Knows Where the Time Goes and, more surprisingly, Love Hurts (we throw that one in for fun). Two fantastic modern songs by Linda Thompson. Interesting Orcadian song Standing Stones by English folklorist Martyn Wyndham-Read and a deep cut of Ewan MacColl's The Lag Song.from his 2018 set Away to Tintinara. Alternative solo recording of Ballad of Josie by Seth Lakeman.

  

Continuous mix 2hrs 30

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