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Sleeve Notes
DIRTY OLD TOWN written by Ewan MacColl in 1946 for a Theatre workshop production, 'LANDSCAPE WITH CHIMNEYS', a documentary play about Salford, Lancs.
THE MANCHESTER RAMBLER written by Ewan MacColl in 1933, and became the official song of the Ramblers Federation. Since then it has travelled as far as the logging camps of British Columbia, where the words have been adapted to suit the logging industry.
THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE written by Ewan MacColl in 1958, this song has been sung by at least a dozen popular groups and singers.
FREEBORN MAN written by Ewan MacColl in 1966 for a radio-ballad entitled 'THE TRAVELLING PEOPLE', this song has since passed into the folk tradition and is sung by gypsies and travellers in Scotland, England and Ireland.
SPACE GIRL written by Ewan MacColl in 1952 for a short ballad-opera, to be performed by Theatre Workshop, entitled 'YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE'.
BLACK VELVET BAND a traditional song, from the singing of Harry Cox, agricultural labourer from Catfield, Norfolk.
THE BIG HEWER written in 1 961 for a BBC documentary radio-ballad on coalminers, THE BIG HEWER'.
THE SHOALS OF HERRING written in 1961 by Ewan MacColl for a radio-ballad on the herring fishing, entitled 'SINGING THE FISHING'.
MAIDS, WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG a traditional song, collected from Sam Lamer of Winternon, Norfolk, in 1961.
THIRTY-FOOT TRAILER written by Ewan MacColl in 1966 for the radio-ballad, 'THE TRAVELLING PEOPLE'.
PEGGY GORDON learned by Peggy Seeger from Elizabeth Cotton, a North Carolina negro woman, this song became very popular in 1959 and 1960.
POOR PADDY WORKS ON THE RAILWAY a traditional song, collated by Ewan MacColl in 1952 from two separate versions.
BALLAD OF SPRINGHILL The Springhill mining disaster of 1958 was the first to receive world-wide television coverage. Ewan and Peggy saw it during a visit to Paris and this song — a joint composition — was the result.
SWEET THAMES FLOW SOFTLY written for an experimental production by the Critics Group, based on ROMEO AND JULIET, which was broadcast to schools in May 1966.