Two new titles in The Voice of the People series from Topic Records

It was mighty! It was great altogether!   On 18th March 2016 Topic will proudly release the latest volumes in the widely-acclaimed ongoing series of traditional music from these islands, The Voice of the People;  nearly 200 tracks of the most vital, dynamic music made by Irish immigrants in London over the last six decades make up two 3CD sets: TSCD679T "It was mighty!"  There wasn't a corner of what was to become Greater London in the 1950s where there wasn't some Irish music to be heard, if you knew where to find it. This special collection of recordings presents and explores the fine examples of the music-making of those immigrants from rural Ireland who settled in London in the first couple of decades after the War. TSCD680T "It was great altogether!"  This compilation explores the traditional Irish music which has continued to secure a place for itself in London throughout the last fifty years; demonstrating both the "old" music, completely untouched by the goings-on in Irish popular music, and the traditional music from the current scene led by second and third generation musicians.    This year’s Record Store Day celebrations take place on Saturday 16th April. On the day, Topic will be releasing an exclusive 7” vinyl single by Martin Simpson and some of his musical friends. A double A-side, the single features Martin with Andy Cutting and Tom A. Wright on a brilliant version of Booker T. and the MGs’ ‘Green Onions’, and, on the other side, with Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr on the classic ballad ‘Willie Taylor’.   Fledg’ling Records will also be taking part, with an exclusive reissue of a rare Shirley Collins 7” EP that originally came out on the Collector label in 1964, ‘English Songs volume 2’, in a replica flipback sleeve plus a new inner sleeve with rare photographs. February special offers This month we have four titles from Topic’s highly regarded World Series on offer at the very special price of only £6 each:     TSCD 918  PAPUA NEW GUINEA ~ Healing, Feasting & Magical Ritual TSCD 922  THE TEMPLE MUSIC OF KERALA IN SOUTH INDIA TSCD 923  GUMBOOT GUITAR ~ Zulu Street Guitar Music from South Africa TSCD 925  THE KING’S MUSICIANS ~ Royalist Music of Buganda-Uganda Fay Hield & The Hurricane Party have a fabulous new album Old Adam due in February. Fay’s two albums for Topic are available this month for only £6 each: TSCD 573  FAY HIELD ~ Looking Glass TSCD586  FAY HIELD & THE HURRICANE PARTY ~ Orfeo Shirley Collins on Fledg’ling Records  After splendid 80th birthday celebrations during 2015 and an upcoming book from the Secret Queen of England, our good friends at Fledg’ling Records are offering six of Shirley Collins’ beautiful albums for just £5 each. The perfect chance to fill gaps in your record library or introduce a friend to the delights of Shirley's singing:           FLED 3019  SHIRLEY & DOLLY COLLINS ~ For As Many As Will FLED 3023  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ Adieu To Old England FLED 3028  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ The Power of the True Love Knot FLED 3029  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ False True Lovers FLED 3057  SHIRLEY & DOLLY COLLINS ~ Snapshots FLED 3080  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ Sweet England    Tour News Martin Carthy & John Kirkpatrick Two of folk music’s greatest practitioners head out on tour together in February. Starting at the Marlowe Theatre on 12th February, the tour runs through until 28th February, finishing at Peterborough’s Key Theatre. Details of all tour dates can be found by clicking the following link: John KIrkpatrick & Martin Carthy February 2016 tour Martin Simpson Martin continues his busy schedule of touring, with solo gigs and those with SimpsonŸCuttingŸKerr booked through to September. Details from his website by clicking here: Martin Simpson tour dates   Best wishes from Topic

WASSAIL! WASSAIL! ALL OVER THE TOWN @TopicRecords Christmas Newsletter

The latest news and special offers from Topic Records. WASSAIL! WASSAIL! ALL OVER THE TOWN December is upon us and, as Bob Copper sings in The Trees Are All Bare: ‘Now Christmas is come and our song is almost done For we soon shall have the turn of the year.’ In a year that has seen a fond farewell to The Full English, a welcome to a stunning album and tour by Simpson-Cutting-Kerr, celebrations of Bob Copper and Ewan MacColl on the 100th anniversary of their births, 80th birthday parties for Shirley Collins and tours from Martin Simpson, Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy, it’s clear that folk music continues to resonate loudly in our modern world, and Topic is proud to contribute to its ongoing evolution. All of us at Topic wish everyone a peaceful Christmas in 2015. All customers placing mail orders which are received by Topic up to midnight on Friday 18th December will be entered into a randomly chosen draw to win one of only 5 signed CD copies of Martin Carthy’s last Topic studio album, ‘Waiting for Angels’. Christmas special offers We have some seasonal titles from Topic and our good friends Fledg’ling on offer at the special price of only £6 each during December:     TSCD562  WATERSON:CARTHY  Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man TSCD563  THE WATERSONS  Frost and Fire FLED 3006  THE YOUNG TRADITION  The Holly Bears The Crown FLED 3060  JOHN KIRKPATRICK  Carolling & Crumpets Four more fabulous albums are also on offer at this great price:     TSCD576D  EWAN MACCOLL  Ballads 2CD TSCD774D  VOICE + VISION songs of resistance, democracy + peace 2CD FLED 3094  THE YOUNG TRADITION  Oberlin 1968 FLED 3097  BOB & RON COPPER  Traditional Songs from Rottingdean   All customers placing mail orders which are received by Topic up to midnight on Friday 18th December will be entered into a randomly chosen draw to win one of only 5 signed CD copies of Martin Carthy’s last Topic studio album, ‘Waiting for Angels’. £3 bargains from the Topic catalogue If you need ideas for Christmas presents (or just a present for yourself), these wonderful Topic titles make great stocking fillers at only £3 each!: TSCD496  A.L. LLOYD  English Drinking Songs TSCD523  THE ALBION BAND  Road Movies TSCD528  OLIVER KNIGHT  Mysterious Day TSCD550  BRASS MONKEY  Flame of Fire TSCD565  TIM VAN EYKEN  Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves TSCD571  ELIZA CARTHY  Dreams of Breathing Underwater TSCD574  THE WATERSONS for pence and spicy ale TSCD579  ELIZA CARTHY & NORMA WATERSON  Gift TSCD582  PETER BELLAMY  Both Sides Then TSCD822  LINDA THOMPSON  Won’t Be Long Now We have very few copies remaining of the wonderful book with 7 CDs celebrating Topic’s 70th anniversary, Three Score and Ten; these will not be reprinted once they have gone, so get your copy now at the special price of only £25 during December.    Topic and Fledg’ling collaborated on a stunning review of the artistry of Lal Waterson in the limited edition book and accompanying CD teach me to be a summer’s morning. This month we are offering this superb assessment of a unique talent at only £15. Tour news Martin Carthy has a few pre-Christmas tour dates during December, starting on 5th December at Kings Place in London with support from The Devil’s Interval. Martin Carthy tour dates Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band play at the Great British Folk Festival, Skegness on the weekend of 4th to 7th December. Eliza Carthy tour dates During December, Martin Simpson travels as far North as Barnard Castle in Co. Durham (5th Dec) and as far South as St. Helier in Jersey (19th Dec, his last gig this year). Martin Simpson tour dates

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/