Aberjaber "Aberjaber" (Sain, 1980) (LP)
A Welsh folk/trad trio...

Aberjaber "Y Bwced Perffaith: The Perfect Bucket" (Sain Records, 1997)

Suzie Adams & Helen Watson "Songbird" (Dingle Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Roger Holt)
Two former members of the British trad band, Muckram Wakes...

Aengus "Aengus" (Tara Records, 1978) (LP)

Alba "Alba" (Rubber Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Geoff Heslop)
A fine trad album of melodic ballads and instrumentals, very much in the Planxty/Bothy Band style, from a quartet featuring singer/guitarist Tony Cuffe, former JSD Band member Sean O'Rourke on vocals and bazouki, fiddler Mike Ward (of the Tannahill Weavers) and some fine pipering by Alan MacLeod. This Scottish band only recorded one full album, but what a great record it is!

The Albion Band, Albion Dance Band, etc. - see artist profile

Susie Allan "Tipsy Courting" (Ardo Publishing, 1998)
Lovely Scottish vocals and a nice set of songs, with accompaniment by Mairi Campbell and Jim Malcolm. Allan has a much lighter, sweeter approach than many Celtic gals -- those who are accustomed to Kate Rusby's mellifluous approach may find this quite nice as well. Recommended!

Altan - see artist profile

Anam "First Footing" (JVC Records, 1997)

Anam "Riptide" (Green Linnet Records, 1998)
Sprightly trad instrumentals interspersed with airy folkie/light rock singer-songwriter-ish stuff. The vocal material is too sugary for me (and I have a pretty big sweet tooth!) but the band's liveliness and freshness can't be denied... They're playing with their hearts in it, and are trying to win over new ears on this disc... It may drift into muzak-y territory, but at least the band's fully engaged in what they're doing... (PS - the Gaelic vocals are much more engaging than the English-language stuff... Go figure.) Also nice to hear Scottish and Irish artists recording together...

Anam "Tine Gheal/Bright Fire" (Green Linnet Records, 2000)

Ancient Orphic Mystery Band "Traditional Folk Music Of Britain And Ireland" (Troubadour Records, 1978) (LP)
This was, I believe, an American band(?) from DC, with a richly traditional repertoire... Anyone have more info about these guys?

Alistair Anderson "Plays English Concertina" (Trailer Records, 1972) (LP)

Alistair Anderson "Concertina Workshop" (Free Reed Records, 1974) (LP)

Alistair Anderson "Dookin' For Apples" (Front Hall Records, 1979) (LP)

Alistair Anderson "Steel Skies" (Topic Records, 1982) (LP)

Harvey Andrews "Writer Of Songs" (Cube Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by John Worth)

Arcady "After The Ball" (Shanachie Records, 1991)
The debut album of a fine Irish band formed by ex-DeDannan bodhran player, Johnny McDonagh, along with accordionist Jackie Daly and vocalist Francis Black. Black has a sort of tremulous, earnest folkie tenor to her vocals; her rendition of the title track is quite moving, but I did find myself distracted on other songs. The inclusion of a version of Stan Rogers' "Field Behind The Plough" is a pleasant surprise, although his version is much more profoundly resonant. Some great instrumentals, though, if you go for that sort of thing.

Arcady "Many Happy Returns" (Shanachie Records, 1995)

Frankie Armstrong "Lovely On The Water" (Topic Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by A. L. Lloyd & Dick Swettenham)
This was, I think, the first full solo album by English folk singer Frankie Armstrong, a gal from Cumberland who was a protege of A. L. Lloyd, and an erstwhile member of The Critics Group, a collection of artists dedicated to exploring British "broadside" ballads, which often had topical themes. If you enjoy hearing folk variants of well-known songs, then this disc is a doozy. It's a very bare-bones, back to basics presentation, a series of sad and tragic tales enlivened by Armstrong's strong, crystalline voice, which arcs through a range of traditional melodic styles. She is accompanied at times by either Jeff Lowe (on concertina, dulcimer and whistle) or Jack Warshaw (banjo, dulcimer and guitar) though their participation is quite sparing and minimal. In keeping with her entire career, many songs explore the gender politics of British folksong; including several variants of well-known ballads where the protagonists have been transposed from male to female -- or vice versa -- while Armstrong quietly poses the question, why the switch-ups, and what do they mean? Her understated feminism became less implicit and much more forceful on later records, but is unmistakable here, at least to attentive listeners. This is at heart an exceedingly fine set of traditional ballads, less overtly political than her later work, and captivating from start to finish. Highly recommended, though perhaps a bit stark.

Frankie Armstrong "...Out of Love, Hope, and Suffering" (Bay Records, 1974) (LP)

Frankie Armstrong "Songs And Ballads" (Topic Records, 1975) (LP)

Frankie Armstrong "The Garden Of Love" (Fellside Records, 1999)
I know Frankie Armstrong from her rather arresting early work with leftie political satirist Leon Rosselson, and thus was completely inclined to get into this album. Sadly, though, it's pretty rough going. Her voice is, um, not for everyone, and on this particular set, it's mostly kind of hard to take. With the right arrangements, or with an earthy, hearty chorus behind her, Armstrong can really belt it out and sound like she's having a blast. But when she tries to carry a song all by herself, the results can be mixed, and many of the denser trad song forms and occasional socially-conscious lyrics demand quite a lot from her listeners to begin with. All of which is to say I guess I just didn't really enjoy this album that much. The texts seemed buried under the more grating aspects of the music, and the music drew me in only on occasion. Still, for those tracking such things, the accompaniment by John Kirkpatrick and Leon Rosselson may be noteworthy.

Frankie Armstrong "Encouragement" (Fellside Records, 2008)

Frankie Armstrong "Till The Grass O'ergrew The Corn" (Fellside Records, 2006)

Frankie Armstrong & Dave Van Ronk "Let No One Deceive You: Songs of Bertolt Brecht" (Flying Fish, 1992)

Frankie Armstrong "The Fair Moon Rejoices" (1998)

Frankie Armstrong "I Heard A Woman Singing" (Flying Fish Records, 1998)

Jack Armstrong "Celebrated Minstrel, v.1: Northumbria" (Saydisc, 1974) (LP)
English folk music played on the Northumbrian pipes...

Bob Arnold "Mornin' All" (Argo Records, 1972) (LP)
Actor Bob Arnold sings a diverse repertoire of traditional ballads, with backing from the Yetties band...

Toni & Dave Arthur "Morning Stands On Tiptoe" (World Serpent Records, 1997)
This husband-wife duo was one of the earlier and -- in their time -- more influential of the English hyper-traditionalists. Partial to unaccompanied a capella vocals and old, super-obscuro folk ballads, these folks were a bit on the arid, the-sparser-the-better end of the spectrum. This CD reissues material from two of their seminal early albums, 1967's Morning Stands On Tiptoe and The Lark In The Morning from 1969 (originally released on Argo and Topic Records, respectively). Listened to from start to finish, this mega-collection may be more than enough for the casual listener, but it's certainly a treasure trove of interesting material. As with the Collins sisters, I find this style to be an acquired taste, and you will probably either be nonplussed or completely consumed by it. But if you dig raw olde English folk music, this is definitely worth checking out.

Steve Ashley "Stroll On" (Gull Records, 1974)
Steve Ashley "Stroll On - Revisited" (Market Square Records, 1999)
One of those "lost legendary albums" we keep hearing about, but in this case a genuine folk revival gem that is certainly worth checking out. Ashley was a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was in the general orbit of the fabled Fairport Convention, and plenty of famous folks play with him on this lovely little album, including Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol, Dave Swarbrick, Danny Thompson and others. It's familiar-sounding material, straight out of the shaggy-haired, dancing-with-elves scene, yet Ashley's work definitely has an individual stamp to it, a beguiling mix of traditionalism and the searching, spacey mysticism that marked the work of contemporaries like Nick Drake and Richard Thompson. Maybe a little hard to find, but worth searching out.

Steve Ashley "Test Of Time" (Market Square Records, 1999)
This seventeen song best-of samples the six albums Ashley made from 1974-99, and while I haven't heard the later stuff, I imagine it's all worth checking out... especially if you can't track down the Stroll On reissue.

Steve Ashley "Everyday Lives" (Topic Records, 2001)
A very low-key, singer-songwritery album, with a strong stylistic similarity to Bert Jansch's solo work. Like Ashley's older albums, there is a sense of genuine distinctiveness, a feeling that this is indeed a unique, individual voice, an unassuming artistic presence that seems shorn of the professionalism or showmanship of practically any other folk singer you can think of. Features contributions by Brit-folk stalwarts such as Danny Thompson, Simon Nicol, and Robin Williamson... It may be a little too mellow for some listeners, but certainly has its allure. Interesting album, worth checking out.

Steve Ashley "Time And Tide" (Topic Records, 2007)

Gary & Vera Aspey "A Taste Of Hotpot... With Added Flavoring" (Topic Records, 1976)
A charming live album, recorded mid-decade at a variety of English folk clubs, with enthusiastic singalongs and amused guffawing by the affable audience members. A nice mix of "serious" traditional folk and goofier humorous asides, with Gary Aspey adopting an onstage persona rather similar to that of humorist Les Barker. Also includes a version of Leon Rosselson's "Don't Get Married, Girls," which may have actually been recorded before the "original," and many other fascinating tunes, including several oldies from Cumbria. I'm pretty sure this album remains out of print, but it's worth picking up if you can find a copy.

Vera Aspey "The Blackbird" (Topic Records, 1977) (LP)

Gary & Vera Aspey "Seeing Double" (Topic Records, 1979) (LP)

Gary & Vera Aspey "Stories, Songs And Humour" (Dingle's Records, 1982) (LP)

Gary Aspey "From The North" (?)

Main Celtic/Brit Index
Main World Music Index