Customer Reviews

The Definitive Collection

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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.

I hate to disagree with prior reviewer Peter Durward Harris of Great Britain, whose writing I have followed since I got on the computer in the summer of 2001. We have similar tastes, considering that I am a Yankee, and have reviewed the same music many times. However, this Ewan MacColl CD only gave me sporadic pleasure. The first time I listened, I only liked six of the 20 tracks...the uptempo ones, the ones with the most accompaniment, the most familiar songs. The second play, I found I liked four more, 50 percent of the disc. I have been a folk fan for 45 years, and I am as Anglo-Saxon as any NJ-born guy could ever be. I heard ABOUT Ewan MacColl ever since the very early '60's, but never actually heard much BY him. I knew he wrote the ubiquitous "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and was married to Pete Seeger's sister. Then when I became a fan of the Pogues, I discovered his daughter Kristy, in her incredibly beautiful guest vocal on one of their CD's. Now I have "discovered" Ewan at last, but the selections on this release, overall, seem too sparse, slow and funereal for my taste. I think I will like him better when I can afford to buy discs of his sea songs or those he wrote or co-wrote.