> Folk Music > Records > The Radio Ballads 1957-1964

The Radio Ballads 1957-1964

> Folk Music > Records > The Ballad of John Axon

The Ballad of John Axon

The Ballad of John Axon (Argo RG 474)

The Ballad of John Axon
A radio ballad about the railwaymen of England
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast July 2, 1958
Argo Records RG 474 (LP, UK, 1965)
Argo Records DA 139 (LP, UK, 1971)
Topic Records TSCD801 (CD, UK, 1999)

 The Ballad of John Axon (Topic TSCD801)

Script: Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker;
Song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker;
Production: Charles Parker;
Technical direction: John Bower

Cast

Singers

Isla Cameron, Fitzroy Coleman, Colin Dunn, Stan Kelly, Dick Loveless, A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl, Charles Mayo

Speakers

Gladys Axon, Alfred Ball, Jim Howarth, Kenneth Pearson, Jack Pickford, Ron Scanlon, Alec Watts

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Terry Brown, trumpet;
John Cole, harmonica;
Fitzroy Coleman, Brian Daly, guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina;
Bob Lark, fiddle;
Billy Loch, drums;
Bobby Mickleburgh, trumpet;
Peggy Seeger, guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo;
Bruce Turner, clarinet

Tracks

  1. John Axon was a railway man (3.22)
  2. It was 4 a.m. that Saturday (1.56)
  3. The iron road is a hard road (9.52)
  4. It doesn’t matter where you come from (5.56)
  5. The rain was gently falling (2.15)
  6. Come all you British loco men (3.38)
  7. The repair was done (3.15)
  8. I may be a wage slave on Monday (4.27)
  9. Come all you young maidens (2.40)
  10. Steam train, steam train (3.53)
  11. Under the large injector steam-valve (3.18)
  12. The engine had reached the distant signal (11.36)
  13. On the 3rd of May 1957 (2.04)

> Folk Music > Records > Song of a Road

Song of a Road

 

Song of a Road
A radio ballad about the building of the M1 motorway
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast November 5, 1959
Topic Records TSCD802 (CD, UK, 1999)

 Song of a Road (Topic TSCD802)

Script: Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker;
Song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker;
Production: Charles Parker

Cast

Singers

Isla Cameron, John Clarence, Séamus Ennis, Louis Killen, A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl, Jimmy Macgregor, Francis McPeake, Isabel Sutherland, Cyril Tawney, William V. Thomas

Instrumentalists

John Armitage, drums;
Jim Bray, double bass;
John Chilton, trumpet;
Fitzroy Coleman, guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina, ocarina;
Francis McPeake, Uileann pipes;
Bobby Mickleburgh, trombone;
Peggy Seeger, autoharp, 5-string banjo;
Bruce Turner, clarinet

Tracks

  1. Introduction (2.18)
  2. We usually finish the shift in the pub (1.05)
  3. I think it's the soil (2.49)
  4. We are the consulting engineers (4.08)
  5. We were in a great rush when we did this (1.51)
  6. My name is (1.34)
  7. During that time, a survey has been made (1.29)
  8. It would take quite a lot of men to do the job of one of those machines (1.41)
  9. Come all you gallant drivers (5.01)
  10. I'm a roving rambler (1.09)
  11. Deep and straight and low (4.01)
  12. Sixty tons of steel (4.43)
  13. What made you come into this game? (6.57)
  14. Just a note (2.46)
  15. Oh well that's just the way it is (3.41)
  16. When the muck has all been shifted (1.46)
  17. Bring up your black squad (3.58)
  18. Been on the road so long (1.43)
  19. You can talk about your concrete (3.06)
  20. The motorway is on the final lap (1.25)
  21. We needed a way cut through the land (3.13)

> Folk Music > Records > Singing the Fishing

Singing the Fishing

Singing the Fishing (Argo DA 142)

Singing the Fishing
A radio ballad about Britain's herring fishing communities
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger
featuring Sam Larner of Winterton and Ronnie Balls of Yarmouth

BBC Home Service, first broadcast August 16, 1960
Argo Records RG 502 (LP, UK, 1966)
Argo Records DA 142 (LP, UK, 1971)
Topic Records TSCD803 (CD, UK, 1999)

 Singing the Fishing (Topic TSCD803)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Chorus direction: Katharine Thompson;
Production: Charles Parker;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger;
Technical direction: John Clarke

Cast

Singers

Ronnie Balls, Ian Campbell, John Clarence, Sam Larner, A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl, Elizabeth Stewart, Jane Stewart

The Clarion Singer Chorus

Martin Marshall, Gordon McCulloch, John O'Reilly, David Phillips, Jack Thomas, J.R.S. Wright

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Fitzroy Coleman, guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina;
Kay Graham, fiddle;
Peggy Seeger, autoharp, guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo;
Bruce Turner, clarinet, alto saxophone

Tracks

  1. Up jumped the herring, the king of the sea (2.03)
  2. Come all you gallant fishermen (1.54)
  3. It's up with the dawn (4.45)
  4. Years ago, you started very young (The Shoals of Herring) (4.24)
  5. I started to go to sea in 1892 (1.49)
  6. So it's off with a boiler full of steam (3.55)
  7. When the wind is freshening (5.00)
  8. What shall it profit a fisherman (2.54)
  9. It's busk ye, my lads, get you up on the deck (2.30)
  10. There's no feeling like coming into harbour (3.15)
  11. Came a'ye fisher lassies (3.32)
  12. Up jumped the herring (10.26)
  13. Cwa, ye herring fishermen (4.36)
  14. A' the week your man's away (3.55)
  15. Wi' our nets and gear (2.05)
  16. Our ships are small (2.43)

> Folk Music > Records > The Big Hewer

The Big Hewer

The Big Hewer (Argo DA 140)

The Big Hewer
A radio ballad about Britain's coal miners
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast August 18, 1961
Argo Records RG 538 (LP, UK, 1967)
Argo Records DA 140 (LP, UK, 1971)
Topic Records TSCD804 (CD, UK, 1999)

 The Big Hewer (Topic TSCD804)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Production: Charles Parker;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger;
Technical direction: John Clarke

Cast

Singers

Isla Cameron, Ian Campbell, Joe Higgins, Louis Killen, A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Brian Daly, guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina, harmonica, clarinet;
Alfie Kahn, tin whistle;
Peggy Seeger, autoharp, guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo;
Dave Swarbrick, fiddle

Tracks

  1. When you hew a lump of coal (1.21)
  2. Out of dirt and darkness I was born (3.46)
  3. Schoolday's over, come on then, John (2.33)
  4. Now don't be late (2.17)
  5. You're at the pit bank (2.40)
  6. Oh dear, the experience to go down the pit (5.55)
  7. When I am down in the pit (1.54)
  8. So now you know the coal how it is got (3.25)
  9. Jimmy, come back, come back (2.25)
  10. Yes… he was working next to me (4.05)
  11. And yet it's good to come from the pit (1.34)
  12. Three hundred years I hewed at the coal by hand (2.48)
  13. Down in the dark (2.44)
  14. In Durham and Northumberland, I'm sorry for to say (2.41)
  15. A miner has to possess that sense of humour (3.21)
  16. Coal is a thing that's cost life to get (5.40)
  17. Today, safety is the prime factor (4.54)
  18. Deep down in a man's heart (4.18)

> Folk Music > Records > The Body Blow

The Body Blow

 

The Body Blow
A radio ballad about the psychology of pain
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast March 27, 1962
Topic Records TSCD805 (CD, UK, 1999)

 The Body Blow (Topic TSCD805)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Actuality recording: Charles Parker;
Production: Charles Parker;
Programme prepared with the help of The Polio Research Fund

Cast

Singers

Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger

Instrumentalists

Brian Daly, guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina, ocarina;
Alfie Kahn, flute, harmonica;
Peggy Seeger, guitar, 5-string banjo

Tracks

  1. Introduction (2.47)
  2. What day did the world stop moving? (7.26)
  3. Did you recall how you climbed the mountains? (4.13)
  4. Can't breathe (6.12)
  5. I often think back (2.53)
  6. The world is a bed (3.53)
  7. I wasn't afraid while I was in the lung (5.51)
  8. While there's life, there's hope (5.00)
  9. It's goodbye now (2.54)
  10. How I can do all the small things? (5.16)
  11. Stronger than pain is the human will to survive (5.16)
  12. Closing announcement / The hidden foe (1.46)

> Folk Music > Records > On the Edge

On the Edge

On the Edge (Argo DA 136)

On the Edge
A radio ballad about teenagers in England and Scotland
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast February 13, 1963
Argo Records DA 136, ZDA 136 (LP, UK, January 1971)
Topic Records TSCD806 (CD, UK, 1999)

 On the Edge (Topic TSCD806)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl with Peggy Seeger;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Production: Charles Parker;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger with Charles Parker

Cast

Singers

Lorna Campbell, Ray Fisher, Louis Killen, Ewan MacColl, Gordon McCullough, Peggy Seeger

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Brian Daly, acoustic and electric guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina;
Ronnie Hughes, trumpet;
Alfie Kahn, harmonica, clarinet, piccolo, flute;
Peggy Seeger, autoharp, guitar, 5-string banjo, mountain dulcimer

Tracks

  1. I've always kept a diary (2.12)
  2. The tale of the children of a troubled world (7.06)
  3. What is it like, the world outside (3.34)
  4. I find it very difficult to talk to my parents (1.02)
  5. Where is the child who would climb on my knee (2.45)
  6. Yes sir, no sir, goodbye (1.14)
  7. What have you got to worry about? (6.45)
  8. I got me tight black jeans (2.59)
  9. The world that I know, it has vanished and gone (2.24)
  10. I've had thoughts (4.53)
  11. Why should you be lonely (1.55)
  12. It actually gives me a thrill (4.31)
  13. Frankly, the idea of intercourse and sex revolts me (2.39)
  14. I think we should be getting married (2.45)
  15. In a world like this, everything changes so rapidly (4.45)
  16. The tale of the children of the troubled world (4.09)
  17. Life has got everything to offer (3.08)

> Folk Music > Records > The Fight Game

The Fight Game

The Fight Game (Argo RG 539)

The Fight Game
A radio ballad about boxers
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast July 3, 1963
Argo Records RG 539 (LP, UK, 1967)
Argo Records DA 141 (LP, UK, 1971)
Topic Records TSCD807 (CD, UK, 1999)

 The Fight Game (Topic TSCD807)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl with Peggy Seeger;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Production: Charles Parker;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker

Cast

Singers

Bob Davenport, Ewan MacColl, Gordon McCullough, John Reavey, Peggy Seeger

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Brian Daly, acoustic and electric guitar;
Alf Edwards, English concertina, trombone;
Ronnie Hughes, trumpet;
Alfie Kahn, harmonica, clarinet, piccolo, flute;
Johnny Lambe, trumpet;
Peggy Seeger, guitar, 5-string banjo, Appalachian dulcimer;
Dave Swarbrick, fiddle

Tracks

  1. 'Twas in Tierra del Fuego in South Amerikay (2.13)
  2. There's a game some call The Fight Game (3.15)
  3. Boxing. to me, is the greatest character-builder in the world (4.40)
  4. Come all you gallant fighting men (1.54)
  5. Come on Johnny, and put 'em up Johnny (3.02)
  6. When you're a fighter, you're different (3.25)
  7. Then come on, strip off young Johnny Boy (3.50)
  8. I like all my boxers to be perfect skippers (1.52)
  9. When you're training (4.11)
  10. There's such a helluva lot of work to be done (3.46)
  11. The programme is set up (2.35)
  12. Who would have a boxer for a husband (2.58)
  13. You get to the hall (3.31)
  14. On my right, the champion, Johnny Boy (8.46)
  15. What'll we do with the man in the ring? (1.34)
  16. Johnny, Johnny, you failed us (3.31)
  17. I don't think you can call boxing a sport (4.16)

> Folk Music > Records > The Travelling People

The Travelling People

The Travelling People (Argo DA 133)

The Travelling People
A radio ballad about Britain's nomadic people
by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

BBC Home Service, first broadcast April 17, 1964
Argo Records DA 133 (LP, UK, 1971)
Topic Records TSCD808 (CD, UK, 1999)

 The Travelling People (Topic TSCD808)

Script, song lyrics and music: Ewan MacColl with Peggy Seeger;
Orchestration and music direction: Peggy Seeger;
Production: Charles Parker;
Actuality recording: Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger

Cast

Singers

John Faulkner, Joe Heaney, Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Belle Stewart, Jane Stewart

Instrumentalists

Jim Bray, double bass;
Brian Daly, guitar;
Dinah Demuth, oboe;
Alf Edwards, English concertina;
Alfie Kahn, harmonica, clarinet, piccolo, flute;
Peggy Seeger, guitar, 5-string banjo;
Dave Swarbrick, fiddle;
Bruce Turner, clarinet, alto saxophone

Tracks

  1. My mother said I never should (1.35)
  2. I am tired of always having to shift (1.25)
  3. Born in the middle of the afternoon (7.29)
  4. If you took a traveller (4.01)
  5. Don't I wish the old time would come back again (10.14)
  6. I like to settle in the wintertime (5.02)
  7. We never did travel much in the wintertime (2.24)
  8. The auld ways are changing (3.17)
  9. These days have gone (1.11)
  10. I mean, we're fed up with gypsies living in our area (3.18)
  11. People get the impression, oh these gypsies, they're rogues (3.18)
  12. They can't read or write (4.02)
  13. Bloody isn't it (7.39)
  14. Can't see no way out (3.31)