Martin Carthy and Leon Rosselson were the chief catalysts in this mid-60s folk supergroup, formed with the intention of performing modern social and political songs to traditional musical backing. It’s a pretty common practice today, but 40-plus years ago, the group struggled against accusations of novelty despite offering astute observations of the changing times.
Keep Me Busy tells the tale of a dyed-in-the-wool barrow boy whose livelihood is threatened by the corporate menace of supermarkets (“Frozen packs, they ain’t me cup of tea…”), while The Apprentice’s Song celebrates the dignity of labour felt by a Birmingham gasworks trainee. Rosselson especially strikes a chord on Timothy Winters, about a schoolboy on the margins of society who has much in common with 21st century youths wearing their ASBOs as medals of honour.
A familar sight on protest marches, the group were arguably the first Brits to soundtrack the civil rights and anti-nuclear movement, drawing heavily from the social traditions of Ewan MacColl while inspiring future activist balladeers such as Richard Thompson. This compilation brings together all the tracks from their two albums from 1965 and 1967.
