A Collection [Original recording remastered]

Anne Briggs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 2002)
• Original Release Date: June 22, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Topic Records
• ASIN: B00000J80K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,627 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > Folk > British & Celtic Folk > British Folk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, pure and haunting..., May 26, 2000

By 

Ralph H. Peters (Washington, D.C. area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Collection (Audio CD)

This is a dark, beautiful album from a magnificent singer little known in the USA, and too little known even in her UK home. Anne Briggs sings the old, great folksongs of Britain in a timeless, clear and wrenching voice. This is a "folksinger" who was truly one of the folk, not a product of a scene, or of the glitzy world of the recording industry. Rather, Anne Briggs "lived the blues" the way Robert Johnson or Son House did--not that the sound is remotely the same, for there are no flatted sevenths here, but the on-the-edge life, the love of music for its own sake, and the voice etched by physical as well as emotional hardship make this the ultimate "white soul" album. The songs are those of the English countryside and Scottish lowlands, performed as simply and truly as possible, but the spirit is of all mankind. Few albums are indispensible, but, if you have loved the "daughters of Anne Briggs," such as Sandy Denny or Kate Rusby, you will treasure this wonderful set of recordings. For heart-bangers, not head-bangers.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the glorious girl that started it all, April 18, 2003

By 

Elizabeth A. Genco "http://www.elizabethgenco... (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Collection (Audio CD)

If you're a fan of contemporary British folk and "folk rock", you might want to take a little time to get to know Anne Briggs, if you haven't already. Not only will you be treated to a voice as pure and breathtakingly beautiful as can be imagined (and you can't, really -- Anne is to be heard to be believed), but you'll get a little history, too.

It's no secret that Anne singlehandedly changed the face of the British folksinging tradition. Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior, June Tabor, as well as more contemporary female voices such as that of Susan McKeown -- all of them hearken back to Anne. This collection is a solid compendium of Anne's criminally few recordings (she retired at the age of 27 because of her dislike for her recorded voice, and hasn't publically sung since). Almost all of the songs are traditional, and make for a nice introduction to some of the British folk standard repertoire (though I'd be willing to bet that some of these songs made it into the cannon by virtue of Anne's performances!). In addition to the songs, this edition's got great liner notes with some great stories about the musical life of Anne and some of her contemporaries -- all of them folks who made extensive contributions to the British folk revival.

An absolute must for all interested in the British singing tradition!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a voice pure and true, February 19, 2007

By 

L. Unterkofler (maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Collection (Audio CD)

i recently discovered anne briggs via a recommendation on amazon and am so glad i did. her voice is perfection. it is such an honest representation of the music that moved her so and defined her career. though i wish in many ways she had produced more, it seems so fitting that she would shun fortune and fame and live a simple, earthbound existence. this is a gem.