FOUNTAIN OF SNOW (compilation)

DATE

LABEL

01  =All Things Are Quite Silent 02  Cambridgeshire May Carol 03  =Polly Vaughan 04  The Cruel Mother 05  =Streets of Derry 06  Brigg Fair 07  =Higher Germanie 08  =George Collins 09  Down in Yon Forest 10  =The False True Love 11  =The Sweet Primeroses 12  =Down by the Seaside 13  Adieu to Old England 14  =I Sing of a Maiden 15  =One Night As I Lay In My Bed 16  Lancashire Lass 17  Never Again 18  =Lord Allenwater 19  =Gilderoy 20  =The Moon Shines Bright 21  =The False Bride 22  =Locks and Bolts 23  Rambleaway 24  =A Blacksmith Courted Me

This is a collection/compilation of tracks from Shirley Collins' past work. Her songs are simple folk songs handed down through her family, recorded for the sake of preservation. Most of the songs included here are beautiful love songs. And her beauty it would shine forth / Like a fountain of snow is the final line of that most charming of sad songs, Polly Vaughan. I wonder if this CD is still available since it has been almost entirely raided to provide tracks for "Within Sound" (those tracks marked with an equals =). This compilation business is a nightmare ; a sign of a very lazy record industry.

WITHIN SOUND (mainly compilation)

DATE

LABEL

DISC ONE 01  Dabbling In The Dew ** 02  The Bonny Labouring Boy 03  Turpin Hero 04  The Cuckoo 05  Just As The Tide Was Flowing 06  I Drew My Ship 07  The False True Love 08  Sweet England 09  Higher Germanie 10  Long Years Ago 11  Dance To Your Daddy 12  The Irish Girl 13  The Foggy Dew 14  She Moves Through The Fair 15  Locks And Bolts 16  Geordie 17  The False Bride 18  Cotton Eyed Joe / What Shall We Do With The Baby 19  Pretty Saro 20  Dearest Dear   DISC TWO 01  Nottamun Town 02  Reynardine 03  When A Man's In Love 04  The Sweet Primeroses 05  Down In Yon Forest 06  George Collins 07  The Streets Of Derry 08  Two Bretheren 09  Tyburn Tree 10  Bonnie Boy 11  Ritchie Story 12  Over The Hills And Far Away 13  Polly Vaughan 14  Whitsun Dance 15  God Dog 16  The Gower Wassail 17  The Blacksmith 18  The Bonny Cuckoo 19  I Sing Of A Maiden That Is Makeless 20  A Virgin Most Pure 21  Is It Far To Bethlehem 22  The Cherry Tree Carol   DISC THREE 01  Plains Of Waterloo 02  Geordie 03  Polly On The Shore 04  The Bold Fisherman 05  Just As The Tide Was Flowing 06  Banks Of The Bann 07  Poor Murdered Woman 08  Staines Morris 09  One Night As I Lay On My Bed 10  The Blacksmith Courted Me 11  Down By The Seaside 12  Banks Of The Mossom 13  Come All You Little Streamers 14  The Little Gypsy Girl 15  Horn Fair 16  Fare Thee Well My Dearest Dear 17  Bonny Kate 18  Edi Beo Thu Hevene Quene 19  The Hunt Is Up   DISC FOUR 01  Honour Bright 02  The Moon Shines Bright 03  Never Again 04  Gilderoy 05  Mariner's Farewell 06  Come All You Little Streamers 07  All Things Are Quite Silent 08  The Bonny Labouring Boy 09  The Captain With The Whiskers 10  Just As The Tide Was Flowing 11  Come My Love 12  Green Fields 13  The Golden Glove 14  Lord Allenwater 15  Christ Made A Trance 16  Bedfordshire May Carol 17  The Tillington Poachers 18  The Oakham Poachers 19  Poor Sally Sits A-Weeping 20  Lost In A Wood

Four CD set (£43) in a long form box with lavish 56 page full colour booklet and complete discography. This is a comprehensive overview of Shirley Collins' remarkable recording career from the earliest recordings in 1955 through to a song recorded earlier this year. 84 tracks, including 21 previously unreleased and 16 rare recordings including the original demo for "Whitsun Dance". Shirley Collins is one of the defining female vocalists of the English folk revival and this set does her (and her late sister Dolly) full justice. Comprehensive sleeve notes for this album are reproduced at Bee Knees and can be viewed here. Amazon says This four-CD retrospective was the perfect tribute to the half-century career of the fairy godmother of English folk.

THE CLASSIC SHIRLEY COLLINS (budget compilation)

2004

Highpoint

HPO6008

01  The Sweet Primeroses 02  Bonnie Boy 03  Adieu To Old England 04  The Moon Shines Bright 05  March The Morning Sun 06  A Blacksmith Courted Me 07  Just As The Tide Was Flowing 08  Down By The Seaside 09  Never Again 10  I Drew My Ship 11  The Foggy Dew 12  False True Love 13  All Things Are Quite Silent 14  One Night As I Lay On My Bed 15  Polly Vaughan 16  The Cherry Tree Carol 17  Come All You Little Streamers 18  Greewood Laddie 19  Guilderoy 20  The False Bride

A £5 budget label compilation. Since it isn't expensive I shall not comment on the record indistry's delight in constantly recycling the same old tracks. An internet link to HMV Online.