'Skydancers,' his 12th full length solo record for Topic Records since 1992 (15th if you count collaborations), comes hot on the heels of last year's guest- packed collaboration with the American producer/ guitarist, Thomm Jutz, 'Nothing But Green Willow : The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry.' Recorded by Tim Wright and Andy Bell in Simpson's hometown of Sheffield, 'Skydancers' collects new, Simpson- penned originals alongside 18th century broadside ballads and reverent reworkings from the songbooks of, amongst others, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Kerr, June Tabor and Craig Johnson.

'Skydancers'' title track, commissioned by TV presenter and naturalist, Chris Packham, highlights the plight of the endangered Hen Harrier, ornithology, a keen interest of Simpson's. Elsewhere he narrates the life and times of Billy Waters, a black, peg-legged man who became famous busking in London in the nineteenth century. 'Roger's Cascade' is a very personal, jaunty, 5- string banjo homage to master instrument craftsman, Roger Bucknall. Simpson is joined on 'Skydancers' by Grammy- winning American musician/ producer, Greg Leisz, on pedal steel , Greg Leisz, Andy Cutting on diatonic accordion, Louis Campbell on guitars, Liz Hanks on cello, Ben Nicholls on string bass and a wealth of backing singers.

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklist

1. Skydancers
2. New Harmony
3. Alan Tyne Of Harrow
4. Tom Sherman's Barroom
5. Lowlands
6. Billy Waters
7. Roger's Cascade
8. Fragile Water 
9. Cherry Tree Carol
10. Deportee
11. Donal Og

2CD Tracklist

1. Skydancers
2. New Harmony
3. Alan Tyne Of Harrow
4. Tom Sherman's Barroom
5. Lowlands
6. Billy Waters
7. Roger's Cascade
8. Fragile Water 
9. Cherry Tree Carol
10. Deportee
11. Donal Og
12. Leaves Of Life (Live)
13. Yew Piney Mountains (Live)
14. Buckets Of Rain (Live)
15. Donal Og (Live)
16. Ridgeway (Live)
17. In The Pines (Live)
18. Flash Company
19. Cactus Tree

Re-pressing of Martin Carthy's debut album, originally released on Fontana in 1965 and re-issued by Topic in 1977. In the early 1960s, the approach Martin Carthy took to folk music was nothing short of revolutionary, albeit a relatively quiet revolution befitting of his humble nature.

You wouldn't find Carthy's music clambering up the singles charts; his was not a face adorning the teen magazines. Instead, his influence was felt at a grass-roots level. He plied his trade in the folk clubs, which is where the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon sought him out, enamoured of his traditional repertoire and keen to learn songs like 'Scarborough Fair' and 'Lord Franklin' directly from him before adapting them for their own purposes.

His debut eponymous album, re-released here, on vinyl by Topic Records as part of their ongoing Topic Treasures series, is a snapshot of the work he was doing at the time.

Originally finding its way into the world in 1965, courtesy of Fontana Records, Martin Carthy pulled together 14 songs from his burgeoning repertoire. Produced by Terry at the Philips Recording Studios in Marble Arch, the album was a must-learn checklist for budding guitarists and folk club orgas, and, to this day, remains an essential listen for anyone attempting to find their way into traditional English folk music. Most people turn up for 'Scarborough Fair', very few leave without getting hooked on 'High Germany', 'Sovay' and 'Ye Mariners All'.

The album also introduces Carthy's earliest collaborations with Dave Swarbrick, an enduring and much-copied partnership that lasted, off and on, until Swarbs death in 2016, and became a blueprint for how guitar and fiddle duos ought to sound. While Carthy had been building up his solo repertoire over the previous five or six years, several of the duo arrangements on this album ('Lovely Joan', 'A Begging I Will Go', 'Broomfield Hill') were thrown together in the studio, adding a fizz and freshness to the recordings. This became the pair's standard way of working. "We used to rehearse on stage, in front of the audience," he explains today.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. High Germany
2. The Trees They Do Grow High
3. Sovay
4. Ye Mariners All
5. The Queen Of Hearts
6. Broomfield Hill
7. Springfield Mine Disaster

Side 2
1. Scarborough Fair
2. Lovely Joan
3. The Barley And The Rye
4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
5. The Two Magicians
6. The Handsome Cabin Boy
7. And A Begging I Will Go

'The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience' is the upcoming album by Cornwall-based folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angeline Morrison, her first record for the historic Topic Records label. Produced by Eliza Carthy and featuring some of her beautiful, soaring string arrangements, The Sorrow Songs was recorded in Cornwall at Cube Studio and is a work of what she calls 're-storying.'

"The traditional songs of the UK are rich with storytelling, and you can find songs with examples of almost any kind of situation or person you can think of. But whilst people of the African diaspora have been present in these islands since at least Roman Times, their histories are little known - and they don't tend to appear in the folk songs of these islands."

Angeline Morrison began to wonder if she could discover more about the lives of these ordinary and extraordinary Black ancestors and create an album of songs in the sonic style of UK folk and traditional music, in the hope that this silent space could then begin to be filled with stories. With the help of Arts Council National Lottery funding, Angeline began what became a year of research into this neglected area of Black British history. The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience is the result.

Released to commemorate Black History Month in October, this powerful record is intended to honour these Black ancestors who lived in these islands and to act as a gift to the folk community.

TRACK LISTING

Interlude - Some Terrible Habits
Unknown African Boy (D.1830)
Black John
Interlude - These Little Ones
The Beautiful Spotted Black Boy
Mad-Haired Moll O'bedlam
Interlude - Nobody Round Here Likes It
The Hand Of Fanny Johnson
Cinnamon Water
Hide Yourself
Cruel Mother Country
Interlude - In The Village
The Flames They Do Grow High
Interlude - Need Not Apply
Go Home
Slave No More

Landmark, deluxe compilation to mark the 80th anniversary of Topic Records, the oldest independent record label in the world. 20 exclusive tracks by the cream of British folk music revisiting songs from Topic’s vast back catalogue and including newly recorded, never-before-released tracks by Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, Lankum, Peggy Seeger, John Smith, Sam Lee, Martin Carthy, Olivia Chaney, Lisa O’Neill, Oysterband, Nancy Kerr, Chris Wood, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Lisa Knapp, Kitty Macfarlane, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Emily Portman & Rob Harbron, Rachael McShane & The Cartographers, Eliza Carthy & Olivia Chaney and The Oldham Tinkers.

‘Vision & Revision’ is a unique celebration of folk music, as a crop of contemporary artists delve into Topic’s treasure chest, pull out all manner and variety of ballads and broadsides and breathe new life into them. Topic Records has established itself as not only the pre-eminent British folk music label but one widely respected throughout the world. Topic has released some of the most influential folk recordings of modern times by a host of revered artists, from Anne Briggs to Peggy Seeger to June Tabor to Ewan MacColl and many, many more.

TRACK LISTING

CD/LP 1:
Beaulampkin - Martin Simpson
Jack Frost - Peggy Seeger
She Moves Through The Fair - John Smith
The Banks Of Sweet Primeroses
Josienne Clark & Ben Walker
Seven Gypsies - Oysterband
Searching For Lambs - Nancy Kerr
The Deserter - Sam Lee
Go Your Way - Kitty Macfarlane
As I Roved Out - Lisa O’Neill
Fable Of The Wings - Chris Wood

CD/LP 2:
Dirty Old Town - The Oldham Tinkers
Workers’ Song - Rachael
McShane & The Cartographers
The Light Bob’s Lassie - Richard Thompson
Polly Vaughan - Olivia Chaney
Napoleon’s Dream - Martin Carthy
I Wish My Love Was A Cherry - Lisa Knapp
Shawnee Town - Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys
Bay Of Biscay - Emily Portman & Rob Harbron
Nancy Of Yarmouth - Eliza
Carthy & Olivia Chaney
The Sea Captain - Lankum

As two of the UK’s finest exponents of traditional song, Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy’s rich, distinctive and authentic voices have engaged new audiences and admirers across two generations. Between them, they have three prestigious Mercury Prize nominations, an MBE each for services to English music and have both been presented with BBC Folk Singer of the Year awards, as well as innumerable other accolades. Eliza recently embarked on her most ambitious project yet by recording and touring with the 12 piece Wayward Band, a 12-piece. The resulting album, ‘Big Machine,’ garnered both acclaim and more Radio 2 Folk Awards nominatiions in 2018 (‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Album’).

Although they have recorded independently and together on many occasions over the years, ‘Gift’ (2010) was Norma and Eliza’s first duo release, produced by Eliza. The album went on to pick up Best Album and Best Traditional Track at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

The remarkable new album, ‘Anchor,’ produced by Neill MacColl and Kate St. John, was recorded in their English home town of Robin Hood’s Bay and features an eclectic and beguiling collection of both traditional and contemporary songs. Amongst the 11 tracks we find Norma leading on Tom Waits’ ‘Strange Weather’ and ‘The Beast in Me’ by Nick Lowe. Trad Arr. ‘The Elfin Knight’ sees Eliza supported by Norma, Martin and extended family, ‘Lost in the Stars’ is a wonderful take on the Kurt Weill classic, while ‘Shanty of the Whale’, also featuring guest vocals of Martin Carthy, is a track written by KT Tunstall inspired by the singing of the Watersons, now come full circle in mutual respect and admiration.

Anne Briggs has since been discovered by the present folk generation, male and female alike. Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Alasdair Roberts and Riley Walker, are among many who recognise Anne Briggs as an extraordinary, inspirational voice.

Anne Briggs was born in Nottinghamshire in 1944 and began singing in local folk clubs in her teens. Her break came through the Centre 42 tour of 1962. This was a distinctly leftist group of artists, writers, actors and musicians whose lofty aim was to make arts and culture accessible to the masses. Local artists were invited to audition where Ewan MacColl first heard Briggs’ remarkable voice and persuaded her to join the tour. Briggs debut EP, The Hazards Of Love, was produced by Lloyd although Briggs never enjoyed recording and it was only though Lloyd’s coaxing that she contributed to his pioneering conceptual albums The Iron Muse and The Bird In The Bush. The first six, traditional, unaccompanied songs presented here are taken from these outstanding recordings made between 1963 and 1966 which display all the hallmarks of Anne Briggs artistry – pure, fluid and with flawless timing.

It wasn’t until 1971 that Briggs eventually recorded her debut album for Topic. Anne Briggs (Topic LP 12T207) was again produced by Lloyd. Briggs draws almost exclusively from the classic repertoire of British folk, her performances are both pure and unusual. Famously, Briggs taught Jansch ‘Blackwater Side’, which he then made his own on his classic 1965 debut album; the next year his pivotal traditional album Jack Orion largely comprised songs he learnt from Briggs who helped him understand the structure of folk song. Briggs and Jansch also wrote a handful of songs together. One of these, ‘Go Your Way (My Love)’, was eventually recorded for her Topic album, as was her definitive treatment of ‘Blackwater Side’.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting
The Recruited Collier
The Doffing Mistress
Polly Vaughan 
Rosemary Lane
Gathering Rushes In The Month Of May
The Stonecutter Boy
Blackwater Side
Go Your Way (My Love)
The Cuckoo
Reynardine 
Young Tambling
Maa Bonny Boy
Sing A Song For You
The Bonambuie 
Tongue In Cheek

LP Tracklisting
The Recruited Collier
The Doffing Mistress
Polly Vaughan
RosemaryLane
Gathering Rushes In The Month Of May
The Stonecutter Boy
Blackwater Slide
Go Your Own Way (My Love)
Reynardine
Maa Bonny Lad 
Living By The Water
Sing A Song For You

Not only one of Britain’s pre-eminent and impeccable traditional voices, June Tabor is quiet simply one of Britain’s greatest interpreters of popular song. Tabor has always made consistently exquisite records all graced by a pitch perfect voice that can be dark, romantic, poignant and angry according to the requirements of the song. This elegant introductory selection is drawn from Tabor’s albums for Topic recorded between her 1976 debut, Airs And Graces and 2011’s Ragged Kingdom which found her reuniting on record with the Oysterband for the first time in almost 30 years.

The Warwick born and Oxford educated Tabor’s conversion to folk may have come in 1965 after seeing Martin Carthy on TV and hearing Anne Briggs’ inspiring Hazards of Love EP, but it was a further ten years before she sang professionally and even then, she still kept her job as a librarian, then restauranteur.

June Tabor effortlessly mixes traditional and contemporary material, the former exemplified here by her early traditional recording of ‘While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping’ when she was still mastering the art of singing with accompaniment. The contemporary selections featured here include Eric Bogle’s classic antiwar piece ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ which Tabor had sung on her John Peel radio session debut in 1975 [Peel was a great fan and long-term supporter], Dan Penn and Chips Moman’s ‘The Dark End of the Street’ [with the Oysterband] and Maggie Holland’s anthemic ‘A Place Called England’. Significantly, this selection also focuses equally on June Tabor’s own compositions from her many Topic albums.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting
While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
The Devil And Bailiff McGlynn
No Man’s Land
Flowers Of The Forest 
Unicorns
The Scarecrow
Aqaba
Hedger And Ditcher
Shallow Brown
A Place Called England
Maybe Then I’ll Be A Rose
Oh! Alas, I Am In Love
The Rigs Of Rye
Finisterre
The Dark End Of The Street

LP Tracklisting
LP1:
While The Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
No Man’s Land/Flowers Of The Forest
Unicorns
The Scarecrow
A Smiling Shore

LP2:
Aqaba
A Place Called England
Oh! Alas, I Am In Love
The Rigs Of Rye 
Finisterre
The Dark End Of The Street

During the 1960s and ‘70s Shirley Collins was regarded by many as the first lady of folk music, the subsequent decades have only served to enhance that reputati on. Between 1955 and 1978 she recorded for the Folkways, Argo, Harvest and Topic labels. After the release of ‘For As Many As Will’ in 1978 she withdrew from performing and the music world aft er developing dysphonia. Shirley recently returned to recording after a very long hiatus and is still widely acknowledged as one of the finest singers and ambassadors to have emerged during the Folksong Revival of the 1960s.

Few singers of the English folk revival have attempted as much on record as Collins – an extraordinary combination of fragility and power. “I like music to be fairly straightforward, simply embellished – the performance without histrionics allowing you to think about the song rather than telling you what to think.” Through an impressive series of experimental recordings Shirley established an extraordinarily sympathetic marriage of traditi onal songs handed down through generati ons of rural labouring people with ground breaking contemporary arrangements – recordings that have scarcely been equalled in subsequent decades. This collection draws together some of her most iconic recordings and will serve as an Introducti on to her very special catalogue of music.

“Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England’s greatest cultural treasures.” Billy Bragg

TRACK LISTING

Tracks (CD):
The Foggy Dew
I Drew My Ship
A Blacksmith Courted Me
The False Bride
All Things Are Quite Silent
Polly Vaughan
False True Love

Spencer The Rover
The Sweet Primeroses
Rambleaway
March The Morning Sun
The Cherry Tree Carol
The Moon Shines Bright
One Night
As I Lay In My Bed
Come All You Litt Le Streamers

Tracks (LP):
The Foggy Dew
A Blacksmith Courted Me
The False Bride
All Things Are Quite Silent
Polly Vaughan
False True Love
The Sweet Primeroses
Rambleaway
March The Sun Morning
The Cherry Tree Carol
The Moon Shines Bright
The Rigs Of Time

The story of Topic is synonymous with the growth of folk as a musical and social movement in Britain and these recordings demonstrate the bridge between modern music and a traditi onal art form. On this 2 CD set you will fi nd some of the most remarkable singers, songs and tunes - either drawn directly from the traditi on or inspired by it.

Tracks featured include John Tam’s, Unity, Steve Ashley’s ,Ships of Shame, Dick Gaughan’s, Both Sides the Tweed and Ewan MacColl’s, Dirty Old Town. Many of the tracks deal with social issues of the ti me and there are also re-workings of great traditi onal story songs like - Anne Briggs’ Blackwater Side, Mike Watersons’ Tamlyn, Nic Jones’ Canadee-i-o and the majesti c performances by Marti n Simpson, Shirley Collins, Davy Graham, Marti n Carthy, Eliza Carthy and The Watersons.

Topic also off ers up June Tabor and Oysterband cover version of Joy Divisions classic Love Will Tear Us Apart.

Pentangle, Andrew Cronshaw, Brass Monkey, Vin Garbutt , Johnny Handle, Bill Caddick, The Cheviot Ranters, Cilla Fisher and Arti e Tresize, Silly Sisters, Tim Van Eyken, Peter Bellamy and Oak - the list goes on - a fi lling and haunti ng introducti on to the great legacy of the folk traditi on and Topic Records

The daughter of guitarist / vocalist Martin Carthy and vocalist Norma Waterson, Eliza Carthy has continued in her parents' footsteps and has become one of the leading lights of the new generation to carry on the folk tradition. She has almost assumed the mantle of Sandy Denny on her brilliant new album "Anglicana", her work again showcasing her ability to breathe new life into England's folk music. Eliza Carthy is one of the few people who can take this wonderful music and perform it in a totally convincing contemporary style - both true to its sources and firmly relevant to today's values. This is what traditional music in the twenty-first century is all about. A true triumph.

Christine Collister's "Into The Light" is her second solo album for Topic and finds her in great voice. More acoustic than her previous release, it's the closest album yet to capturing the live quality and personality of this outstanding singer. It's another mix of her own self-penned compositions and carefully chosen cover versions all of which highlight her resonant, warm vocal style.

In 1972 Mike and Lal Waterson released a magical album of their original songs, "Bright Phoebus" on Bill Leader's Trailer label. This collection of very English songwriting has long been acknowledged as a classic and one of the finest achievements of the British folk revival. "Shining Bright" was conceived to pay tribute To Mike and Lal's remarkable songs, and it draws upon the songs recorded for "Bright Phoebus", and on a further dozen songs written at the same time but not previously recorded. 15 new recordings by some of the folk world's finest performers, Norma Waterson, Dayteller, Maddy Prior, Richard Thompson, Eliza Carthy, Blue Murder, Dick Gaughan, Linda & Teddy Thompson, Helen Watson, Billy Bragg and The Blokes, Martin Carthy, Christy Moore, Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, Christine Collister and Oliver Knight.

Shirley Collins's sweet, self-effacing singing keeps her closer to the core of traditional song than many a more histrionic singer. Yet her work has been extraordinarily diverse - she has collaborated with the guitarist Davy Graham, the Incredible String Band, the Albion Country Band and her sister Dolly. "The Sweet Primeroses" are simple and resonant versions of Southern English songs which established Shirley Collins as a unique and influential voice on the folk scene.

Subtitled the "Early Recordings Of The Copper Family Of Rottingdean", "Come Write Me Down" features all the 1950s and 1960s recordings of this unique folk singing family. These rare performances were amongst the first to highlight the vocal harmony folk traditon of England's home counties and played a hugely influential part in the English folk revival of the 1960s. The remastering here is first rate and the in-depth booklets make this a very special release indeed.

When you get to hear a recording like this bursting with exhuberance and vitality, it's plain to see that the English folk tradition is alive and well. Particularly so in the hands of Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatick and the brass section of Howard Evans, Martin Brinsford and Richard Cheetham. Carthy's guitar has never sounded finer, Kirkpatrick's concertina and accordion is masterful and the unique combining of their traditional folk sound with the brass arrangements of the other three has produced an album that is a total joy from beginning to end and the best album Brass Monkey have produced. One of the folk albums of the year.

This first family of folk have done more than any other to popularise and keep the folk traditon alive, particularly in England. It is the English folk canon that provides all the songs and tunes on this definitive and immense recording from 1997. In their element on these tracks, Martin Carthy his wife Norma Waterson and their daughter Eliza Carthy produce performances now regarded as classics.

Simpson has long been recognised as a true virtuoso of the acoustic guitar and was named by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of the 15 Artists of the 1990's. "The Bramble Briar" marks his return to Topic Records after 15 years and is not just a physical but a spiritual homecoming as it's Martin's first record of English traditional music. His guitar and vocals have never sounded better with his wealth of experience and technique being realised on this recording. Such classic songs as "Polly On The Shore" , "Banks Of The Primroses"," Dives & Lazarus" and the title track "The Bramble Briar" are delivered in subtle and innovative arrangements. Martin Carthy joins on guitar on three tracks an exceptional occassion: two of the greatest English exponents of acoustic guitar playing together on record for the very first time.