Thumbnail sketchPossibly the principal female folk-experimenter we have had in England. Shirley has made field-recordings of British folksong, has assisted Alan Lomax on an American Folksong project, has cut a experimental album with Davey Graham (Folk Roots, New Routes) in which jazz and Indian music was blended with English folk...
Her collaborations with sister Dolly began in 1967 (Sweet Primeroses) and work with early-music expert David Munrow a year later (Anthems in Eden), creating a set of albums of clear English folksong with intricate acoustic backing.
Somewhere along the way, Shirley went very electric on the album No Roses (the album notes are on this site) and at the same time invented the name Albion Band for the dozens of contributing musicians. She then returned to her traditional arrangements with sister Dolly for her last three albums.
What this webpage does
A slightly lengthier discography can be obtained from The Bees Knees (www.thebeesknees.com) currently www.thebeesknees.com/?p=1#more-1 and also from Shirley's official sitewww.shirleycollins.co.uk so on this webpage I concentrate on flagging which songs from which original albums crop up on the compilations. There are currently three compilations plus Harking Back :
Example: A track will be flagged as ¶F if it repeats on Fountain Of Snow, ¶W if it repeats on Within Sound and ¶C if it repeats on Classic Shirley Collins. If it repeats as a live track on Harking Back it will be indicated §H.
- Harking Back H
- Fountain of Snow F
- Within Sound W
- Classic Shirley Collins C
To stop this page getting overly-long, I've put the three compilation discs on a continuation page here.
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
SWEET ENGLAND Shirley Collins |
1959 1999 |
Argo TOPIC |
TSCD815 |
LP![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Twenty-five year old Shirley Collins recorded these songs in 1959, together with songs which would become False True Lovers for the 1960 Folkways release. (see next panel). Shirley favoured love songs and ballads, but at the suggestion of others (and almost certainly for commercial reasons) some lighter material (a la Burl Ives) was slipped into the set list. %% NOTE ONE %% The LP has "A Sailor's Life" but this is changed to "Sweet William" on the CD. The CD track ordering is NOT the same as that given above. See listing at www.onino.co.uk/music/sweet_england.html |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
FALSE TRUE LOVERS | 1959/99 | FLEDGLING | FLED3029 | LP/CD |
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01 I drew my ship ¶W ¶C 02 The Irish Boy 03 The Spermwhale Fishery 04 Dennis O'Reilly 05 My Bonny Miner Lad 06 Just as the tide was flowing ¶W ¶C 07 Bobby Shaftoe 08 Richie Story ¶W 09 The Unquiet Grave (Child 78) 10 The Swapping Song 11 Poor Old Horse 12 The False True love ¶W ¶C 13 The foggy Dew ¶W ¶C 14 Mowing the Barley 15 Scarborough Fair 16 The Cruel Mother (Child 20) 17 The Bonny Cuckoo ¶W 18 The Queen of May 19 Died for Love |
Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad With John Hasted and Ralph Rinzler
The track order is different on the CD, I think. "A defining moment in the English folk revival came with the release of Shirley Collins' first album in 1959. Recorded in London by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy and originally released on the prestigious American Folkways label (Folkways 03564), this reissue has been remastered from the original tapes and completely repackaged. The choice of repertoire and arrangements capture a turning moment in the English folk song revival of the 1950s, and in the recording career of one of England's finest interpreters of traditional song. The purity and innocence of these songs have stood the test of time and Collins is justly regarded as one of England's most distinctive and acclaimed folk voices. "DESCRIPTION FROM FLEDGLING |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
FOLK ROOTS, NEW ROUTES with Davey Graham |
1964 1999 |
Decca Topic |
GDC 001 TSCD819 |
LP![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : As usual, Shirley gives her sources: |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
SWEET PRIMEROSES Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1967 | TOPIC | TSCD476 | LP![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : The impression is one of a beautifully haunting sound as Shirley takes a fairly slow pace through 20 traditional folk songs. The accompaniment is delicate, as illustrated by the portative organ on George Collins or the banjo on Babes In The Wood. Where there is a backing chorus, it is The Young Tradition. The CD re-issue has extensive song notes. The track order and listing for the CD has confused me. See it here only showing 16 tracks. "Polly Vaughan" and "The Blacksmith" have vanished and track 14 is shown as "Streets Of Derry/False Bride" and track 15 as "Locks And Bolts/Rambleaway". It hardly matters since nearly all the album has been raided for compilations, as you can see above. "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. " DESCRIPTION FROM FLEDGLING |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
THE POWER OF THE TRUE LOVE KNOT | 1968 2000 |
Polydor Fledg'ling | 583 025 FLED3028 | LP![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Seven Yellow Gypsies featuring exuberant support from Robin Williamson and Mike Heron of the Incredible String band. 'Cello played by Bram Martin. Flute organ by Dolly Collins. The CD is a re-master from the original tapes and has new artwork and a different playing order to that shown above but thankfully no song changes. " A gorgeous album from 1967 when Shirley arranged 14 songs of love, loss and unquiet graves and produced a folk classic. With sister Dolly on a replica of a 1643 pipe organ there is little wonder that a medieval feel lingers in the mind long after the last note fades." DESCRIPTION FROM FLEDGLING |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
ANTHEMS IN EDEN Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1969/93 | Harvest | CDEMS1477 | ![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Anthems is a song-story without breaks between the tracks broadcast on the radio in 1968. It is track one on the CD (1993), side 1 on the vinyl (1969). Side 2 of the vinyl had tracks Anthems also crops up on Amaranth (see later...) On the CD version of Anthems, you get Amaranth as well, as tracks 9-14. It is interesting to compare Rambleaway on this CD with that on Sweet Primeroses, the former having the accompaniment of yet more traditional instruments (cornett and crumhorn). Both Anthems and Amaranth used musicians from David Munrow's Early Music Consort. |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
LOVE DEATH AND THE LADY Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1970 1994 |
Harvest |
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LP and![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : A ground-breaking album of traditional songs backed by an ensemble of musicians playing medieval instruments around Dolly's splendid flute-organ. The first re-issue CD was an image of the vinyl and lacked tracks 14-17. These tracks are genuine "Death & the Lady" recordings, but they wouldn't fit on the original album. The 1994 re-issue has extensive notes by David Suff. |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
NO ROSES Shirley Collins |
1971 1976 |
Pegasus B&C CREST Mooncrest |
7 11 CD011 |
LP and![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : The musicians and their instruments Shirley Collins - vocal ; Ashley Hutchings - electric bass (1-7,9), percussion (7) ; Richard Thompson - electric guitar (1,5,6,7,9), lead electric guitar (4), slide electric guitar (8), acoustic 12 string guitar (3) ; Simon Nicol - electric guitar (1,2,4,9), acoustic guitar (3,5,6), vocal chorus (8) ; Dave Mattacks - drums (4,9), sticks (2) ; Ian Whiteman - piano (1,5) ; Roger Powell - drums (1,2,5-8) ; Tim Renwick - electric guitar (4), acoustic 12 string guitar (7) ; Lol Coxhill - alto saxophone (1) ; Maddy Prior - vocal harmony (6) ; Dave Bland - concertina (1,5,6,9), hammer dulcimer (2,8) ; Tony Hall - melodeon (2,8) ; John Kirkpatrick - accordian (3) ; Dolly Collins - piano (3,9) ; Nic Jones - vocals and last fiddle solo (4) ; Barry Dransfield - fiddle (4), vocal chorus (8) ; Francis Baines - hurdy gurdy (4) ; Alan Cave - bassoon (1) ; Alan Lumsden - ophicleide (5) ; Steve Migden - French horn (7) ; Colin Ross - Northumbrian small pipes (5) ; Royston Wood - vocal (7), vocal chorus (8) ; Lal Waterson - vocals (7) ; Mike Waterson - vocals (7) ; Gregg Butler - serpent (8) ; Trevor Cozier - Jew's harp (8) With the issue of the CD and its chunky insert, there are extensive notes for this album. |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
ADIEU TO OLD ENGLAND Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1974 1999 |
Topic Fledglin |
12TS238 FLED3023 |
LP and![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Shirley with Dolly and her flute-organ on three tracks, but the backing is mostly concertina/melodeon. Released as CD in spring 1999 with the same songs, just re-ordered. " There aren't many albums as steeped in Englishness as this 1974 release from one of the most important figures in the whole of the English folk revival, Shirley Collins. Even the morris sets sound perfectly inkeeping on this beautiful collection - traditional music has never sounded so accessible. "DESCRIPTION FROM FLEDGLING |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
AMARANTH Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1976 | LP |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Shirley intended Amaranth to be her last recording and she collected together examples of the music she loved best. It was coupled with the Anthems suite. |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
FOR AS MANY AS WILL Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins |
1978 1993 |
Fledgling |
FLE1003 |
LP and![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : The really really last album. Beautifully mixed old instruments. All traditional except track 2, by Richard Thompson 1974. Shirley in fine form with her older sister, the late Dolly Collins. "This was Shirley and Dolly Collins' last album together, originally released on Topic in 1978. It was something of a labour of love for them both as they chose songs that had a special relevance to them as they were growing up in Sussex. Dolly's arrangements (always criminally underrated) are a perfect foil for Shirley's exceptional vocal talent and this is one of their most satisying and timeless collaborations." DESCRIPTION FROM FLEDGLING |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
HARKING BACK Shirley Collins with Dolly Collins - in concert |
1998 | World Serpent | Durtro 046CD | ![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad : Tracks 1-15 Live in Dublin 1978, tracks 16-19 Live in London 1979, tracks 20-22 Instrumental Piano Pieces (Dolly). This album consists of a complete recording of Shirley and Dolly in concert in Dublin in 1978, plus some additional tracks from a London performance the following year. It includes a couple of songs, The Bonny Labouring Boy, and The Captain With His Whiskers and tunes which Shirley and Dolly never managed to record in the studio, and Shirley's spoken introductions to the songs are included on the disc. Shirley has written some very moving sleeve notes about her late sister, for the album, and the whole package brings back many happy memories of live Shirley and Dolly concerts. In albums other than this one, the marker § denoted that the track is also on Harking Back as a live track. |
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T I T L E | DATE | LABEL | REFERENCE | TYPE |
THE HOLLY BEARS THE CROWN with The Young Tradition |
1995 | FLEDGLING | FLED3006 | ![]() |
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Click song for more details KEY : T = lyrics transcribed from album :
C = Child ballad |
The compilation albums are on the next page |
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Other appearances:
A Favourite Garland (Compilation)
A Decca album in the U.K. then issued as LP 1978 US Antilles IMP 1017 in the USA.
Tracks from Shirley's career 1964-74,
Lark rise to Candleford National Theatre play - music from.
Now also on CD
Shirley sings on track 6, "Witch Elder"
Morris On (LP Island IRSP 6) 1972
05 Staines Morris
08 Willow Tree
Etchingham Steam Band 1975/73?
Now on CD FLED 3002 from Fledgling Records
Shirley Collins sings with Ashley Hutchings, her then husband, but the tracks tend to be duplications of songs covered on her other albums. The Etchingham Steam Band was all-acoustic and played during the gloomy power-cut days of the mid 70's. It filled the gap between the Albion Country Band and The Albion Dance Band.01 Hard Times Of Old England (Shirley)
05 Horn Fair (Shirley)
06 Some Tyrant Has Stolen My True Love Away (Shirley backing)
07 Come All You Little Streamers (Shirley)
09 Sussex Carol (Shirley backing)
10 Adderbury Wassail Song (duo with Shirley)
12 Bonny Kate (Shirley)
13 Little Gypsy Girl (Shirley)
The Prospect Before Us Albion Dance Band 1976
Now on Harvest CD CDEMS 147602 The Hunt is Up (Shirley backing vocal)
13 Hopping Down in Kent § (Shirley)
VOICES (CD) Fellside FECD87
The Banks Of The Mossom, from Adieu To Old England
A PINCH OF SALT (LP) HMV CLP 1362 (1960) - A Various Artists' Album
includes My Bonny Boy (Shirley vocals and banjo), and Long Years Ago (Shirley accompanied by Seamus Ennis on whistle, Perry Friedman on banjo) and I believe she's in the choruses of Cyril Tawney's On A British Submarine, Steve Benbow's Jack Went A-Sailing, and Seamus Ennis's Fine Girl You Are.
A JUG OF PUNCH HMV CLP 1327 (1960), - Various Artists' Album
includes Higher Germanie accompanied by Seamus Ennis on whistle and Perry Friedman on banjo, The Horse Named Bill with same accompaniment and sings in the chorus of Jimmy MacGregor's Nancy Whiskey."
PICNIC (LP) Harvest - A Various Artists Album
RAVE ON (LP) CREST 17 - A Various Artists Album
THE SEASON ROUND (CD) TOPIC CD700 - A Various Artists Album
Album availability is generally good. If you do an internet search for rare material try searching on Shirley Elizabeth Collins Check out Fledg'ling Records at www.thebeesknees.com and then also World Serpent distribution at www.worldserpent.demon.co.uk |
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![]() WHERE TO GET INFORMATION |
You Tube | One reference. Hopefully more soon. |
Wikipedia | Biography |
The Bees Knees | Extensive notes by Alan Lomax from the sleeve of False True Lovers |
Saf Publishing | Brief outline of the contents of Shirley's book America over the water |
BBC Website | BBC Music Profile for Shirley Collins. Any radio work she does will be mentioned here |
Shirley Collins Website | Amongst other things, this will tell you when Shirley is next performing her illustrated talks. |
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See also Shirley Dolly
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Also biography/discography at Slipcue's Site.
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