Spot the glaring error in the opening sentence.
Jules
Always at least one! I'd also take some issue with his point about Fairport taking the songs out of their more academic settings. Yes, that is true on one level, but Fairport by way of Swarb and Ashley's increasing interest in traditional music, also surely leaned heavy on Martin Carthy's approach which was (and still is) a combination of both source singers like Walter Pardon and collections like Cecil Sharp's. Point is, using Martin Carthy as example, there already was somebody not purely singing the songs like they belonged in some museum or front parlor room with a spinet. There were already people taking liberty with songs. And sorry...putting aside the discussion of the songs, to not even mention in passing the tune set is a serious mistake. As Ashley once pointed out, the tunes being electrified had really NOT been done like that before. Not to mention being a lot of fun even if you were not all that keen on folk. Those tunes come on and you can't help enjoying.
All IMHO of course.