Recorded in 1951 by Alan Lomax; and by Maurice Brown, Douglas Cleverton, Brian George, Jack Dillon, E. J. Moeran, Geoffrey Bridson, Olive Shapeley, and Peter Kennedy for the BBC.

Notes by Peter Kennedy and Alan Lomax

The jovial, sensual, wicked, romantic England of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Fielding and Keats sings to us in these field recordings of sea shanties, mummer’s plays, ballads, dance tunes, and children’s songs made from 1939 to 1951. With performances by Bob and Ron Copper, Phil Tanner, Ewan MacColl, A. L. Lloyd, Isla Cameron, Jack Armstrong’s Barnstormers, and Jumbo Brightwell. Includes the Padstow May Day Songs and hobby horse music.

“This compilation is a must-have for anyone with an interest in English folk music, and I cannot recommend this — or any other Alan Lomax collection — highly enough.” —Green Man Review