Description
The Sweet Primeroses is a 1967 album by Shirley Collins. It is a traditional folk album with few influences from the folk rock movement of the time. The album is sparsely accompanied by her own guitar and banjo, as well as her sister Dolly Collins' portative organ. There are a few a cappella performances, as well as occasional choral backing vocals provided by the Young Tradition. The tracks on which she is backed by Dolly's organ have a medieval, slightly haunting feel, as if you are listening to something being performed several centuries ago, not in the 1960s. Even given that Shirley Collins often performed British folk music of the most traditional sort, the starkness of this particular collection might make it among her less accessible works, at least for those in the process ofacquainting themselves with her music. For those who know they like her voice, though, this won't fail to please them.
After a gap of about three years between releases, Shirley Collins
returned to recording with the 1967 LP The Sweet Primeroses. While
the U.K. folk scene was undergoing some changes at the time, in
part due to the influence of folksingers writing their own material
and the emergence of folk-rock, those influences aren't felt at all
on this set, which remains traditional to the core. Collins'
distinctively resonant, slightly smoky/husky voice is accompanied
only by her own guitar and banjo, as well as her sister Dolly
Collins' portative organ; there are a few a cappella performances
as well. Occasionally there are also choral backing vocals provided
by the Young Tradition, although that group was not credited on the
original release. The tracks on which she's backed by Dolly's organ
in particular have a medieval, slightly haunting feel, as if you
actually are listening to something being performed several
centuries ago, not in the 1960s. Even given that Shirley Collins
often performed British folk music of the most traditional sort,
the starkness of this particular collection might make it among her
less accessible works, at least for those in the process of
acquainting themselves with her music. For those who know they like
her voice, though, this won't fail to please them. The CD reissue
adds four tracks from her 1963 EP Heroes in Love that, despite the
four-year gap, are so similar in flavor that you wouldn't suspect
they were recorded at a different time, though these feature only
banjo accompaniment. ~ Richie Unterberger
Related Products
