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1. Nottamun Town - Bert Jansch. This song was popularized by Jean Ritchie and influenced a folk singer or two, like Bob Dylan and Bert Jansch. I’ve just started “getting into” Dylan (call me a late bloomer) and have “been into” Jansch only slightly longer. The divide is strictly British Isles/America for me, I must admit. I’ve been into the music of the latter for ages and am only now starting to explore the former (of course, most of what’s here made its way over from over there… but that’s neither here nor there).

Anyway, this song is steeped in dreams, illusion and madness, which is probably why I like it. It makes me think of a May Day festival gone horribly awry.

(A recent discovery: there’s a live Jean Ritchie version free for the taking here.

2. St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrong & The Hot Five. I tried to stay away from anything too well-known on this little playlist (yeah, okay, so that first one came from the JACK ORION album; hush), but this, I couldn’t resist. Hipsters take note: the White Stripes didn’t write this shit.

(Not that Louis did either, of course.)

3. Pretty Polly - Kristin Hersh. Kristin Hersh has been my favorite female singer for about a decade. She’s also the best contemporary female singer, in my opinion (an important distinction).

Kristin is one of those artists whose material I’ve ingested so much that it has become a part of my internal architechture. So it’s not surprising, I guess, that these folk songs are a part of her internal architechture. All the same, I was genuinely surprised when MURDER, MISERY AND THEN GOODNIGHT showed up.

Kristin wrote some liner notes to this ablum that didn’t quite make it into the liner notes. You can read them here.

4. Sovay - Anne Briggs. I don’t even know where to begin with Anne Briggs, so I’ll just say that she’ll end up in a story (or seven) of mine some day and leave it at that. Luckily, her singing explains it all. Oh, and here’s her picture, too:

5. Gaol Song - A.L. Lloyd. You might wonder what one of the only prison songs in the English tradition is doing on my plate of choice cuts for you all. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a snappy refrain. Besides, if you listen close, you’ll learn that our narrator was only in the pokey for six months — how bad could he have been? (I kid, I kid.)

A. L. Lloyd was a giant in the folk song revival, and did his part to spread a few “authenticy” rumors (guaranteed to get the knickers in a wad), but, well, the guy was a whaler. That’s some serious hardcore.

(Order his album from Fellside. Yes, they’re in England, but they ship really fast.)

6. The Bonnie Wee Lassie Who Never Said No - Jeannie Robertson. To call Jeannie Robertson the grand dame of the folk revival is kind of an understatement. Her importance lies not just in her inspiration to other singers, but in the preservation of authentic tradition.

Jeannie was the real deal. I find this song to be terribly charming and will sing it when nobody’s around.

7. The Gallis Pole - Leadbelly. The obligatory “dork!” track. Why? Because all you people need to know and understand where the Led Zeppelin III awsomeness begins, that’s why.

Yeah, I’m lettin’ it all hang out, here.

8. The Gypsy Laddie - Ewan MacColl. I’ve included Ewan MacColl for two reasons, despite the fact that his singing drives me bananas (sorry). One, like A. L. Lloyd, he was a huge player in the traditional revival. Two, Child #200 contains subject matter that I know a little bit about. I’ve always loved the story.

Steeleye Span do the best rendition of Child #200 around, though the White Stripes did a fair to middlin’ job last year, as well. Both are called “Black Jack Davy” and are worth your download dollar at iTunes or whatever.

9. Queen Among the Heather - June Tabor. Elvis Costello once said something like, “If you don’t like listening to June Tabor, you should stop listening to music.” Oh, how I wish he’d said it somewhere within my vicinity when I was a teenager listening to nothing but his records.

June Tabor freely admits that she took her vocal styling cues from Anne Briggs. Can you tell?

10. House Carpenter - Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson. Another one of my favorite ballads.

11. The Lowlands of Holland - Sandy Denny. If you’ve ever listened to Led Zeppelin IV, you’ve heard Sandy Denny, whether you know it or not. She’s one of Britfolk’s more tragic figures, dead at 32 of a nasty fall down a flight of stairs. She left a sizable catalog behind, but her death is made all the more tragic when you consider the voice we lost.

12. The Recruited Collier - Kate Rusby. This song was made famous by Anne Briggs. Kate Rusby, a contemporary British folk singer, says it’s her favorite. I love Kate’s version. It was the soundtrack for a dazed, lonely walk around Brooklyn once, in which choices were clarified and life-altering decisions were made.

Download this mix here (38MB).

(Disclaimer: this mix contains copyrighted material, but it was made in good faith; i.e., as a way to share some of my interests with my readers. If you’re a representative of any of the artist listed here and take issue with this, let me know, and I’ll take it down immediately. If you’re a listener and you really like one or more of these tracks, consider, you know, paying for it. Thanks!)