A L Lloyd
Album: Turtledove: England and Her Traditional Songs Volume 2
Label: Fellside
Tracks: 17
Website: http://www.fellside.com

AL Lloyd is one of the most influential characters in the modern history of English folk music. He was a notable collector of songs, a singer of folk songs he had collected and arranger. His contribution to Topic records, as artistic director influenced many of the leading figures of the folk scene.

This collection of songs contains what I would regard as very stark recordings with a single voice or simple accompaniment.

In an age of electricity, autotune and multi-tracking this simple delivery presents the songs in a way that allows the lyrical content to shine. At least to my mind, the very fact that Burt Lloyd (amongst others) recorded and catalogued these songs, is the very essence of the folk revival and the reason why we are able to sing or perform the songs today.

That said, the sound quality of the recordings is by modern standards, lacking in definition and it is the quality of the performance of the songs that shines through.

The subject matter of this collection is loosely based around love songs but there are numerous references to maidenheads, euphemism and betrayal. The husband with no courage in him, refers to what you might expect as does the bird in the bush.

The sleevenotes available with the CD are written by Lloyd himself with an introduction by Paul Adams. This provides a superb and authentic explanation as to the origins of the songs and some biography to the man himself.

This reissue is released on Fellside Recordings which is in itself an institution within the world of folk. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting these songs and would certainly recommend this CD to anyone with an interest in the history of music, or love songs from times past.

Mike Rolland