The Latest News and Special Offers From Topic Records.

You never heard so sweet Following on from our Voice of the People series offer earlier in the year, during November, we have four more volumes at a very special price – edited by Reg Hall and with selections and presentations made by Shirley Collins, Steve Roud and Rod Stradling, the four collections issued in 2012 continued the high standard set by the original 20-volume treasury of traditional songs and music.  This could be your perfect opportunity to catch up with records you are missing from your collection or purchase a gift for a friend. TSCD671   YOU NEVER HEARD SO SWEET TSCD672D   I’M A ROMANY RAI TSCD673T   GOOD PEOPLE, TAKE WARNING TSCD674  SARAH MAKEM ~ The Heart Is True   We have begun to make available free downloads of the transcribed notes for several of the songs from SimpsonŸ∙CuttingŸ∙Kerr’s ‘Murmurs’ album. Click on the following link to access the notes for the banjo transcription of The Lads of Alnwick  and the fingerstyle guitar transcription of The Plains of Waterloo: SCK Transcriptions More songs will be uploaded to this location in the next couple of weeks.   We continue our monthly choice of CDs at a very special price with 4 more great Fledg’ling titles:     FLED 3031  HELEN WATSON ~ Lifesize FLED 3085  HOME SERVICE ~ Live 1986 FLED 3091  The Complete JOHN KIRKPATRICK BAND FLED 3092  IAIN MATTHEWS  & EGBERT DERIX ~ In The Now Also on offer this month for only £10.00 is the limited 180g vinyl LP edition of the classic Bob & Ron Copper album originally released on the EFDSS label, ‘Traditional Songs from Rottingdean’.     * * * STOP PRESS * * * Warehouse find – a few copies available of Davy Graham’s classic EP ¾ AD, the Topic 2013 Record Store Day edition, new and sealed. These will not be repressed, so buy while you can at this price.   Only £7.50 November tour news   In early November Eliza and Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson will join Peggy Seeger and Neill and Calum MacColl, plus a wonderful line-up of musicians, for a few special concerts celebrating the songs of Ewan MacColl, marking 100 years since his birth. Find details of the ‘Blood and Roses’ concerts here: http://www.ewanmaccoll.co.uk/blood-and-roses-live-tour/   (photograph by Phil Carter) After a very successful tour with Dom Flemons, Martin Simpson starts a November/December solo tour on Thursday 12th November at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club. More tour dates here: http://www.martinsimpson.com/gigs/

All the latest summer news from Topic Records

The life and work of the very wonderful Shirley Collins is celebrated on her 80th birthday on Sunday 5th July in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in London.   Shirley is a towering figure in the music world, her influence stretching far and wide, and some of the brightest stars in the realm of contemporary folk music and beyond will congregate to pay tribute to a woman who is, arguably, the greatest living exponent of the folk tradition. “When I sing, I feel past generations standing behind me… those farm labourers and their wives who kept the songs going for us. The songs are social history and their beauty and power undeniable.” This very special event will be compered by Stewart Lee and, with a band led by John Kirkpatrick, will feature performances by Sam Lee, Olivia Chaney, Lisa Knapp, Alasdair Roberts, Graham Coxon and Trembling Bells. The evening will also see the first-ever live performance of the whole of Shirley’s classic album No Roses. Further details can be found here: southbankcentre.co.uk   Available on the day will be a strictly-limited beautiful souvenir programme which will include a 7-inch vinyl record with four recently-discovered recordings believed to be the earliest Shirley made, in 1957. Perfect for the festival season (and record collectors), we now have for sale a black tote bag with the classic Topic accordion player logo on one side and a 1967 Topic flyer design on the other. Continuing our monthly choice of music at a very special price, July’s selections are volumes 13 to 16 of the original Voice of the People set and 4 more great Fledg’ling titles:   another 4 volumes of the Voice of the People:     TSCD663  They ordered their pints of beer & bottles of sherry TSCD664   Troubles they are but few TSCD665   As me and my love sat courting TSCD666    You lazy lot of bone-shakers    and a July bundle of 4 more great Fledg’ling titles:      FLED 3014  HOME SERVICE ~ The Mysteries FLED 3029  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ False True Lovers FLED 3058  HELEN WATSON ~ Blue Slipper FLED 3084  JOHN KIRKPATRICK ~ God Speed The Plough SIMPSON∙CUTTING∙KERR news Tune in to hear Martin, Andy and Nancy when they visit Mark Radcliffe at the BBC Radio 2 studios for The Folk Show on Wednesday 15th July. After a very busy tour schedule over the last few weeks, SimpsonŸ∙Cutting∙Kerr appear together again at two festivals over the summer, Cambridge Folk Festival on Sunday 2nd August and Towersey Festival on Sunday 30th August. They then resume the Murmurs Tour on Friday September 18th at The Grand in Clitheroe, the first of eight more concerts Check www.martinsimpson/gigs for more details.

Topic Vinyl

Topic Vinyl On Saturday 18th April, Topic released two classic albums on beautiful 180g vinyl for Record Store Day, specially mastered for the occasion and sounding wonderful. These records, along with two vinyl titles from Fledg'ling Records, are now available to buy direct from the Topic website:     12T2207  ANNE BRIGGS A jewel in Topic's crown from one of the finest English singers. 12TS2015  MARTIN CARTHY A 50th Anniversary edition of Martin's essential first album.   FLLP3097 ~ BOB and RON COPPER - Traditional Songs from Rottingdean A lavish 180g reissue for a rare EFDSS album originally issued in 1963. WING1002 ~ SHIRLEY COLLINS - English Songs A superb reissue of the second of Shirley's short series of EPs on the Collector label, originally released in 1959.   We will be continuing with a series of attractively priced special offers each month throughout 2015. Continuing the vinyl theme, this month we are offering two fabulous vinyl LPs at the very nice price of only £5.00 each!   LINDA THOMPSON ~ Won't Be Long Now A superb 180g vinyl pressing of Linda's acclaimed 2013 album, in a glossy gatefold sleeve. IAN KING ~ Panic Grass & Fever Few Folk for the 21st century on 180g vinyl. "...elegant, witty, daring and powerful..." - Shirley Collins We also continue our Voice of the People offer with four more volumes at the special price of £25.00: TSCD655 - Come all my lads that follow the plough TSCD656 - Tonight I'll make you my bride TSCD657 - First I'm going to sing you a ditty TSCD658 - A story I'm just about to tell      Those nice chaps at Fledg'ling continue to celebrate 21 years of the label with their own monthly special offers. The CDs they have chosen for May at the special price of only £21.00 for this bundle of 4 classic albums from their catalogue are: FLED 3023  SHIRLEY COLLINS  Adieu To Old England FLED 3051  DAVY GRAHAM  Hat FLED 3055  DORRIS HENDERSON with JOHN RENBOURN  Watch the Stars FLED 3071  ROBIN WILLIAMSON & His Merry Band  Journey's Edge   The Full English at Cambridge Folk Festival 2014 - Photo by Phil Carter The Full English head out on the road this week for their final live tour; catch them while you can at the following venues: Saturday 2nd May ~ Bristol Folk Festival, BRISTOL Sunday 3rd May ~ The Lyceum, SHEFFIELD Monday 4th May ~ The Engine Shed, LINCOLN Tuesday 5th May ~ St. George's Hall Concert Room, LIVERPOOL Wednesday 6th May ~ Royal Hall, HARROGATE Thursday 7th May ~ Town Hall, BIRMINGHAM Friday 8th May ~ Anvil, BASINGSTOKE Saturday 9th May ~ St. Mary in the Castle, HASTINGS Sunday 10th May ~ Cecil Sharp House, LONDON