Note: A skiffle version of "Johnny Lad." Ewan MacColl sings solo verses and the company comes in on the chorus -- in this version they'll "drink" the buckles off their shoes instead of dancing them off. The clarinet also performs a solo. This song was printed on an undated broadside in the Bodleian Library collection. It was collected in Peter Buchan's Ancient Ballads and Songs (1828). According to Ewan MacColl, "Johnny Lad" was "originally a very beautiful pastoral song in the tempo of a slow (minor) strathspey. 'Johnny Lad' moved to Glasgow during the late 19th century and was transformed into a children's street song. The lyrics became urbanized and the original air was abandoned in favor of a catchy but much plainer tune." --This Singing Island (1960)
About the session: Songs from Lomax's short-lived skiffle band's only recording date (for Decca Records). Joining Alan were Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, Shirley Collins, Sandy Brown, John Cole, Bryan Daley, Jim Bray, and Alan Sutton.
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