Song of the Labouring Classes An ode to working class struggle, labour rights & unionisation  History and solidarity through folk music and song.  "The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor" Thomas Donahue (AFL-CIO USA 1979-95).  The trials & tribulations of the lower classes have long been well documented and the only wonder is how come we've stood for it for so long (for millennia actually). Union solidarity and industrial action has always been the sole route to improvements in living & working standards, we achieve only when we fight to demand - they ain't never gonna just hand it out on a plate. The conditions are again ripe for a renewal of class consciousness with the clear & present threat of fascist takeover and overt narcissist authoritarianism. Right now people around the world are showing a renewed interest in counter-fascist ideology as they reach the logical conclusion that radical socialism is the only alternati...

A Planxty Circle Session     Cool as Lough Erne celtic folk selection and a hats off to the legendary Irish folk group Planxty and related artists. Also features some very nice Scottish, Northumbrian and English folk songs. Like much Gaelic art, the music here has a comforting cyclical feel to it over the length of the session.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page (and our lives) & stream or d/l^^   Big spotlight on legendary Irish folk supergroup and multi-instrumentalists  Planxty along with some of its esteemed & luminous members. Four tracks here from their classic 1970's albums with Andy and Christy alternating on lead vocals. Really chilled version of The Lakes of Pontchartrain , I just love Moore's vocal phrasing here.  Andy Irvine name his name in the 60's with folk group Sweeney's Men  , who enjoyed success on the London scene, before hooking up wi...

Man's Tyrannical Dominion Rocking folk music...  A selection of both old and contemporary broadsides and topical songs as we turn to musing on the state of the world and human development. A critique of the given civilisation  narrative & the key foundations/conclusions upon which that myth was built, that which shapes all our lives today. A dominance hierarchy, a security state that sanctions violence to protect who & what? Divide to rule. Organised and carefully sanitised religion which channels people away from spirituality towards worship of the great, all-powerful, all-seeing, most-unholy, generally patriarchal  God state  and its supreme currency - wealth . How did humanity lose all balance with nature and devalue, turn its back on higher knowledge to become obsessed only with self gratification? Taking a look at historical civilisations and prehistoric creation myths, how mankind seems to have travelled with a celestial procession from darkness to ligh...

Like Big Man Ned Kelly Australian, Irish, English, Scottish & American folk songs.  Celebrating the lives and exploits of popular & legendary heroes has long been a preoccupation in culture & song everywhere. While cleric-anointed, state sanctioned national idols abound (and nobody is more celebrated than Saint George in England) it's the common folk heroes who oft best caught the imagination of the masses - those who stood up in the face of oppression while looking after their own. Often seen as champions & poor people's defenders, these icons belong to the commoners and everyday folks have long been sympathetic to them as is also evident in the popularity of outlaw movies & literature. Ever since domineering minority ' elites ' seized control of grain surpluses (ie. 8-10K years ago) and set us off on this journey that we call ' civilization ' entrenched military/security apparatus has been paramount in order to protect those elites' sur...

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 ,...

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...

From Timbuktu to Terrapin Station Kick back to this eclectic folk-rock session 1970's-2020's. From straight up solo acoustic & semi-acoustic folk to spacious bluesy folk rock and world/reggae/ska beats with some extended jazzy jams...   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE or tap icons to enter the internet archives post^^   Features tracks from the outstanding debut album by Scottish folk band Silly Wizard  ( 1971 ) and also 2 recordings by fellow Scots The Battlefield Band . Three killer tunes by Robert Plant , two taken from the powerful new LP with his touring band Saving Grace  plus a cracking live recording captured from his 2003 performace at Timbuktu! More cool, expansive vibes from Bert Keely both solo & with his band the Flying Other Ones . We continue to commemorate the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir after his recent passing with his impressions of two Dead classics; I Know You Rider & the rambling Terrapin Station . Special tribute to Chilean ...

    Special tribute to Dick Gaughan Collected Social & Political Songs 1971-2015 Mixtape showcasing some of Dick Gaughan's most overtly politically conscious work, together with a number of guitar led instrumentals.  Also featuring tracks by associated folk group Boys From The Lough and celtic rock legends Five Hand Reel . Part 1    ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE^^ Edinburgh man Dick Gaughan is an outstanding figure in the music world. As outlaw protest singer, storyteller and activist he is second to none. His songwriting & choice of cover versions never deviate from his key humanistic values & convictions. A man of the people who sings to empower people. Activism aside, he is a renowned guitarist and composer who has an amazingly textured voice. Both his worker's songs and Scottish ballads/laments have a deep warmth and colour to them seldom heard elsewhere. Part 2      ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE^...

Clan World Music Celtic music meets the world in this atmospheric, sometimes lively eclectic mixtape selection. All six continents are represented: the folk sounds of Scotland & Ireland, the US, Mexico, Chile & Jamaica, England & Spain, Thailand, Tibet, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Australia and some great international bands.  ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE^^     Highlighting Scottish groups the Battlefield Band and Clan Alba plus Gaelic singer Karen Matheson . Dick Gaughan is roundabouts, doing duets with Solas & Runrig as well as performing as part of Clan Alba. Field recordings of Choying Drolma who is a Tibetan folk artist and Buddhist nun. Cameo by the late Angie Stone rest in power. She backs up with a classic Stevie Wonder . Chilled & happy hit hi-life/fusion from Kokoroko and Osibisa (with a little help from some goat herders). Absolute classic from the late Bunny Wailer ; a very moving rendition of the spiritu...