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Sadly, Ewan Maccoll may be best known as the father of the girl that wrote the theme song to the Tracey Takes On show on HBO. Well, he was a passionate folk artist who kept the genre of British folk alive in the 50's and 60's thus paving the way for artists in the 60's (Fairport Convention/Pentangle), the 70's (the aforementioned Drake), the 80's (the Pogues) and even today (Bragg/Wilco).

He's a great storyteller, and there isn't any sort of inside joke like with other folktellers. He's simply telling wonderful stories of the working man and his own loves. His clubs kept the genre alive, he was a passionate believer in the power of music to change people. Maybe he was the first punk, regardless if you've got any soul in you you'll fall in love with all of his timeless songs.

In terms of truly VISIONARY artistry, Ewan MacColl was MILES AHEAD of his contemporaries in the genre of Folk Music. This was no accident, but rather was the direct result of his unique & uncommon early training and background in The Arts, quite UNLIKE that of his peers.

His early training provided him an excellent opportunity to gain an EXTENSIVE knowledge and love of traditional British Folk music, especially Scottish. BOTH his parents were AVID collectors of traditional British Folk songs, and the young Ewan was immersed in music from an EARLY age on. As an adult years later, he spent a LIFETIME continuing this same family tradition of amassing and PRESERVING traditional British Folk Music(in his native country he CONTINUES to receive as much acclaim for THIS as for his legacy as a composer himself).

Unlike most of his peers, he had an EXTENSIVE background in theatre and journalism; being an accomplished playwright the likes of whom even George Bernard Shaw looked on in envy. This background enabled Ewan to bring a real GIFT for storytelling to ALL his musical compositions (many of which were written to accompany his original plays). His clear love and RESPECT for the power of words carried forward in his songwriting. This resulted in songs which were poetic and soul-stirring, yet maintained great focus in their ability to tell their story without wasting so much as a syllable.

MacColl's mastery as a poetic, compelling storyteller has today earned him accolades not just from the general public, but notably from a virtual who's who of contemporary songwriters.

His favourite subject matter was The Common Man, and arguably no one has equaled MacColl in creating such a COMPLETE body of work dealing with such. In fact, it is a STUNNING body of work, encompassing Man's life experiences(literally from the cradle to the grave). NOTHING in The Common Man's life experience was seemingly too personal, harrowing or trivial to escape the mind's eye and razor-sharp pen of MacColl! The result is a treasury of UNSURPASSED beauty and truth, deeply compelling and timeless.

When I first discovered MacColl's songs, it was those dealing with sex and love that simply BLEW ME AWAY, IMMEDIATELY winning me over as a HUGE admirer of his! Never before(or since)have I heard a MAN describe love and sex with such a DEPTH of emotion:from the unrestrained joy of the carnal("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face")to the tender, wildly romantic dreams/hopes of the innocent("Sweet Thames Flow Softly"). MacColl's love songs NEVER cease to amaze, inspire and enthrall me!

This is the finest, most complete collection I've seen so far(in all, MacColl wrote approximately 300 or so songs in his lifetime). The only notable gaff is the omission of "Sweet Thames Flow Softly"(oddly, it is DIFFICULT to locate this GORGEOUS song on MacColl collections OUTSIDE of his native lands).

For those unfamiliar with him, this is an excellent introduction to MacColl, as it draws from a wide scope of his work. For those well-acquainted with him, it is a satisfying overview of his rich legacy. Ewan MacColl was richly deserving of the title "Founding Father Of British Folk Music".