Search - Ewan MacColl :: The Definitive Collection

Seminal figure in British folk music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You won't find his singles and albums in any pop charts, but Ewan MacColl is one of folk music's legends. He did much to preserve traditional British folk songs, many of which he recorded. He also wrote many songs, one of which (The first time ever I saw your face) was inspired by Peggy Seeger, brother of America's legendary folk singer, Pete Seeger. The song eventually became a major international pop hit for Roberta Flack, by which time Ewan and Peggy were married. One of Ewan's earlier marriages produced Kirsty MacColl, a great pop singer of the eighties.



Like his eventual brother-in-law, Ewan saw the hardships caused by the depression of the thirties and became committed to left-wing causes, which sometimes affected his choice of material. Ewan often song about the problems of ordinary working people - miners, sailors, weavers and troopers are among the subjects of songs here. The most thought-provoking song here is Four pence a day. Even allowing for inflation, that was never a lot of money.



Peggy is credited on some songs, playing banjo or guitar. Peggy also sings on some tracks, usually providing backup vocals though occasionally more prominently. The songs here are almost exclusively traditional - you must look elsewhere for examples of Ewan's songwriting.



Though this is called the definitive collection, no single CD of Ewan's music can ever really be that, especially as it doesn't include Ewan's own version of The first time ever I saw your face. Nevertheless, this collection provides a wonderful introduction to Ewan's music."