FOLK
VA - A World of Our Own, The UK & Irish Folk Explosion of 1965 (3 x CDs)
The set, released by Strawberry Records, gathers eighty‑six tracks that show how quickly the scene expanded once younger performers began blending inherited ballads with contemporary ideas. The anthology begins quietly, almost as if it is letting you step into the rooms where this music first took shape. Early tracks sit close to the bone, voices carrying traditional songs with a steadiness that reflects the folk clubs of the period. The sequencing keeps these roots in focus, allowing the listener to settle into the atmosphere before the set begins to widen. Nothing feels rushed. The first disc moves with the patience of musicians who understood that folk was built on memory, not momentum.
As the collection progresses, the tone shifts. Newer artists appear, bringing small but noticeable changes to the sound. A guitar line that leans toward pop, a vocal phrasing that hints at radio, a lyric that feels more contemporary than inherited. These touches arrive gradually, and the pacing lets them register without breaking the flow. The compilers shape the year as a slow expansion, showing how tradition and modern songwriting were beginning to share the same space. The contrast between older ballads and newer compositions becomes part of the pleasure, each track adding a different shade to the picture.
American voices drift in and out, not as interruptions but as reminders of how open the scene had become. Their presence adds a different texture, a sense of exchange rather than influence. You hear how London and Dublin were becoming meeting points for musicians carrying their own folk languages, and how those languages blended into something new.
By the final disc, the anthology feels settled. The year has unfolded in full, from club stages to chart‑minded singles, from inherited songs to fresh writing. The pacing remains gentle, the transitions thoughtful, and the overall shape invites you to hear 1965 as a moment when folk stepped forward with confidence, carrying its past while shaping its future. (B)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Shirley Collins - Reynardine 2:33
02 Jon Mark - Baby I Got A Long Way to Go 2:30
03 Southland Trio - Once I Had A Sweetheart 3:11
04 Bert Weedon - Colour Him Folky 2:21
05 Hedy West - The Wife of Usher's Well 3:51
06 Malcolm Price Trio - The Long Black Veil 3:01
07 Alex Campbell - The Night Visiting Song 3:30
08 David H. Lee - The Road That Carries Me Home 2:14
09 Ian Campbell Folk Group - Geordie Black 2:40
10 Harry Boardman - Hard Times 1:54
11 Freewheelers - Why Do You Treat Me Like A Fool 2:51
12 Maureen Craik - Bonny at Morn 1:50
13 New Faces - So Small 2:27
14 Bert Jansch - Needle of Death 3:20
15 Louis Killen - The Bramble Briar 5:04
16 Wedgwoods - Peace 2:08
17 Seekers - A World of Our Own 2:42
18 Judi Smith - Leaves Come Tumbling Down 1:57
19 Dave Helling - It Ain't Me Babe 2:55
20 Chad & Jeremy - Donna, Donna 3:01
21 Three City Four - Sally Free and Easy 3:15
22 Hamilton Folk Four - Ballad of A Teenage Queen 2:09
23 Dominic Behan - Master McGrath 3:16
24 Davy Graham - Maajun (A Taste of Tangier) 2:41
25 Jesse Fuller - Move on Down The Line 4:25
26 Dubliners - McAlpine's Fusiliers 2:55
27 McKinleys - Give Him My Love 2:18
28 Nightshift - The Lavender Tree 2:13
CD2
01 Marianne Faithfull - The Most of What is Least 3:01
02 Unit Four Plus Two - Wild is The Wind 2:14
03 Fred Wedlock - Franklin 3:29
04 Dorris Henderson - The Leaves Are Green 2:20
05 Patrick Small - Man of Constant Sorrow 4:12
06 Gentle Folk - That's My Song 2:10
07 Lyn & Graham McCarthy - Seven Doves 2:00
08 Glenfolk 4 - My Singing Bird 3:09
09 Bob Pegg - Ballad of The Five Continents 3:41
10 Anne Mavius - She Moves Through The Fair 1:57
11 Dave Sless - Pretty Polly 4:14
12 Barbara Ann - Black is The Colour of My True Love's Hair 2:26
13 Harvey Andrews - Harvest of Hate 2:13
14 Bev Dewar - Fare Thee Well 3:47
15 Greta Ann - Children's Song 2:58
16 Spike Woods - The Quiet Beast 1:26
17 Alan Klein - It Ain't Worth The Lonely Road Back 2:29
18 Slade Brothers - Love and Comfort 2:25
19 Levee Breakers - Wild About My Loving 2:28
20 Peter & Gordon - I Told You So 2:47
21 Craig Carrington - Ain't That A Shame (Dark Blues) 2:04
22 Paul Simon - The Sound of Silence 3:08
23 Trisha - The Darkness of My Night 2:46
24 Donovan - Universal Soldier 2:14
25 Jennifer Lewis - Bring it to Me 2:16
26 Lonnie Donegan - Farewell 3:22
27 Leonore Drewery - The First Time Ever 2:57
28 Green Ginger Three - Oh Miss Mary 2:35
29 Dedicated Men's Jugband - Boodle-Am-Shake 2:40
CD3
01 Nico - I’m Not Sayin’ 2:52
02 Crofters - Pill Ferry 2:29
03 Southern Folk Four - The Travelling People 3:01
04 Vashti Bunyan - I Want to Be Alone 2:50
05 Sandy and Jeanie - Honey Babe Blues 3:10
06 Martin Carthy - Scarborough Fair 3:29
07 Paul Evans - Across The Hills 1:51
08 Julie Felix - Someday Soon 3:04
09 Ludlows - The Last Thing on My Mind 2:40
10 Josh Macrae - Baron James McPhait 2:07
11 Steve Benbow - The Gallows Pole 2:52
12 Overlanders - Room Enough for You and Me 2:10
13 Micha - The Serpent 2:58
14 Dana Gillespie - You're A Heartbreak Man 2:21
15 Mick Softley - I'm So Confused 2:53
16 Settlers - Woman Called Freedom 2:27
17 Watersons - Hal-an-Tow 2:08
18 Ramblers Two - Mountains and The Sea 2:19
19 Thomas Yates - Long Time Gone 2:30
20 Bob Davenport & The Rakes - The Hexamshire Lass 2:06
21 Karlins - Who Would? 2:26
22 Jackson C. Frank - Blues Run The Game 3:34
23 Corrie Folk Trio & Paddie Bell - I Saw Three Ships 1:40
24 Justin Hayward - London is Behind Me 2:07
25 Gordeanna McCulloch - The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow 4:15
26 Chantelles - Weeping Willow 2:52
27 Exiles - Tae The Beggin’ 3:05
28 Vernon Haddock's Jubilee Lovelies - Stealin' 3:21
29 Benny Hill - What A World 2:47
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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