is there a drunk and sorrowful english folk music?

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myself i have honestly no idea. i'd really like to think there was.

― matthew james (matthew james), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

john martyn

― JaXoN (JasonD), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

YES

'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' - Richard & Linda Thompson

― pete s, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe ..current 93/ death in june/ nurse with wound

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Anne Briggs - a Collection

heartrendingly miserable folk standards sung imperiously and exquisitely by a young woman who drank copiously

― pete s, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

mm. i always have an idea of that stuff as being a little light or bold or reverent. rather than.. small. that said, i haven't listened to it since i was twelve, and will not stand by my position in the face of obvious contradictory evidence.

― matthew james (matthew james), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm hoping for completely humbled sounding people

― matthew james (matthew james), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Shirley Collins is quite sorrowfull.

The Alan Lomax Collection (Rounder) contains some cd's with ethnological recordings from folky ol' England (/UK) as well. Definitely moody and/or drunk.

― Roger T (Roger T), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Alasdair Roberts - Farewell Sorrow album came out like last year, like an English folk troubadour version of Will Oldham.

First Katy Carr album (Screwing Lies) is great too - it's not sp much drunk, but it's sorrowful in a very sparse, glacial way. She uses very medieval-sounding string arrangements.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Roberts is from Wales I believe, but yes: his latest album comes higly recommended.

― Roger T (Roger T), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Alasdair Roberts - Farewell Sorrow album came out like last year, like an English folk troubadour version of Will Oldham

Absolutely spot on. Apart from the fact that he's Scottish! As is John Martyn. And Dick Gaughan too, whose rendition of 'Craigie Hill' (on Handful of Earth) remains one of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful performances I've ever heard.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh I remember being corrected about Roberts being Scottish at the time I reviewed it too. It SOUNDS English, goddamnit.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Any Bert Jansch from the early 70s should fit the bill, he was a thirsty customer to boot

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

That's funny, I reviewed the album as well, including the same mistake. Got me a personal e-mail from a Mister Roberts...

― Roger T (Roger T), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Oi DJ, Jansch is a Scot too! ;o)

Seriously, Nick Drake seems to be the stark starringly obvious suggestion. And I'll second Anne Briggs, some of her stuff seems pretty close to Drake to me.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

haha I didn't get an email, I just found the press release I'd left in the office.

Duh, I'd forgotten about the Beth Gibbons solo album - that's magnificently, heartbreakingly drunk and sorrowful, I can't recommend it highly enough. Sounds like Nick Drake in places, but she sounds as if she's tapped into a really ancient strand of music, it's very affecting.

Also re: the Katy Carr suggestion - the second album is not very similar to the first at all, but Screwing Lies is wonderful.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Davy Graham - try Folk Blues & Beyond...truly wonderful!

― Jez (Jez), Thursday, 19 February 2004 09:20 (twenty-two years ago)

o.k.

try - the trees, the wickerman ost, incredible string band, the alasdair roberts suggestion (HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT HE'S SCOTTISH????), james yorkston and the atheletes 'sweet jesus', some of the fence collective, appendix out, mary timony (not english but her solo stuff comes out like drunk and sorrowful english folk music)..

― jimmy the doom saint, Thursday, 19 February 2004 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Mary Timony - good call. Yeah, I think it's legit to say Jansch played "English folk music" regardless of where he was born.

It was Wales v Scotland football round these parts last night, so had to walk home past a load of drunk Celts bellowing "WE HATE ENGLAND MORE THAN YOU" at each other. You stop giving much of a fuck for these little borders after a while.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 19 February 2004 10:10 (twenty-two years ago)

More suggestions, not necessarily of the drunk variety, but certainly a little high on something or other: Fairport Convention (first four albums), Steeleye Span (first four), Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day, Mark Fry's Dreaming With Alice...

Have a look at this page of rustified ancients too perhaps.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 19 February 2004 10:14 (twenty-two years ago)

check out Adem (on Domino records. recently supported sufjan stevens in london and would appear (from that one listen) to fit your bill.

― Guy Incognito, Thursday, 19 February 2004 10:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Once again, I am hearing Morrissey singing the thread title.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 19 February 2004 10:33 (twenty-two years ago)

incredible string band, the alasdair roberts suggestion (HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT HE'S SCOTTISH????), james yorkston and the atheletes

...and how could you not know that the Incredible String Band and James Yorkston are Scottish too? I'm tempted to say that if you have to ask the question in this thread title then you know nothing about English folk music - but I guess the guy who asked the question doesn't know anything about English folk music, hence the question. Dick Gaughan and Bert Jansch aren't really Scottish or English folk singers - they're just folk singers, they sing songs from all over the British Isles and beyond. Dick Gaughan is usually considered one of the most "Scottish" of folk singers but if you listen to his best album, "Handful of Earth" (and you SHOULD!) there are as many Irish songs than Scottish songs and some English songs too (and even a Danish tune too!)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I know Arab Strap are Jocks but they sound plastered and pissed off and kinda folky a lot of the time.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Jocks? When's your next BNP meeting?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

... oh and I've just remembered, John Martyn is a "Jock", Richard Thompson is half a "Jock", Linda Thompson was born a "Jock" and Frank Zappa is a dago, Lou Reed is a kike, Ravi Shankar is a wog, Ralf Hutter is a Kraut, Daft Punk are frogs, Bono's a paddy. If only they were all Londoners, eh?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, fer fucks sake. You think "Jock" is equivalent to "kike" and "wog"?

And I'm 1/2 paddy myself.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Well I'm 100% "Jock" and, take it from me, I do not appreciate getting called "Jock" by some London twat - and don't bother telling me to lighten up or asking me, "Where's your sense of humour". Twat.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

anything's alright if you say it right. jokes about foreigners are as funny as jokes about english people. this pussy tip toeing is awful. it's best when people just rip the shit out of one another, that's what you do when you're friends.

"cartman, you fat fucker!"
"oh, don't you like eric?"
"no, he's our friend...."

― matthew james (matthew james), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

What insulting expression do you suggest I use about people from the South East of England? Cockney? Wow, that'll wound 'em. Or maybe there aren't any pejorative terms for them because they invented the pejorative terms for every fucker on the planet.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Well make some up then.

Look, I'm sorry you're offended but I've had lots of Scottish mates in my life (I know, I know, "some of my best friends..") and "Jock" was never seen as pejorative term. Shit, it was almost a term of endearment.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh fuck it, apology accepted, I don't wanna come across as some humourless git but it's best to remember that not everyone reacts the same way to "playful" and "affectionate" nicknames - and, yes, context matters, of course, blah blah blah. As I think I suggested above, all this name calling tends to be one way and, if you're on the receiving end of it, you're expected to chuckle along and "lighten up" - and that's kind of irritating.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Understood.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Dadaismus, i'm from the north, and 'cockney' can be used with true venom. and if you get someone from reading or shrewsbury called it when they're resident in preston, it can piss them off. but fuck it, that's one situation, i've had black folks chuckle by an appropriate use of "coon." don't keep rules! just keep on your toes.

― matthew james (matthew james), Friday, 20 February 2004 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha I love the idea of calling some from Shrewsbury cockney... singing "you're Welsh and you know you are" at them is a real clincher I understand...

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Friday, 20 February 2004 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

To be offensive "Cockney" usually needs another word added to it - like "twat"

I'm not a Cockney though, so you're out of luck there.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Friday, 20 February 2004 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

― Turangalila, Thursday, 26 March 2009 08:02 (seventeen years ago)

― james k polk, Thursday, 26 March 2009 08:20 (seventeen years ago)

not drunk but

― velko, Thursday, 26 March 2009 08:32 (seventeen years ago)

four years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hndHlh9xxJ4&list=PL6EEF016861E71469

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Saturday, 18 May 2013 04:49 (twelve years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP40MZMpeyo&list=PL6EEF016861E71469

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Saturday, 18 May 2013 04:49 (twelve years ago)

irish but..

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Saturday, 18 May 2013 04:49 (twelve years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Y-Gt0U194

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Saturday, 18 May 2013 05:00 (twelve years ago)

Can't believe I'm first to mention The Copper Family:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S32DqBvAfs

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Saturday, 18 May 2013 06:47 (twelve years ago)

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