Product Review

2007 four CD box set that includes all of the British Folk legends' surviving BBC radio recordings, which were taped between 1967 and 1974. It was thought, until recently, that very few of these recordings from this time remained in the BBC's archive, but a few years ago a box was discovered on a shelf at the BBC. It is a marvelous addition to the Fairport collection and is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the formation of the band the Fairport's, the single best British Folk-Rock band of the late '60 's, did more than any other act to develop a truly British variation on the Folk-Rock prototype by drawing upon traditional material and styles indigenous to the British Isles. While the revved-up renditions of traditional British Folk tunes drew the most critical attention, the group were also talented songwriters as well as interpreters. They were comfortable with conventional harmony-based Folk-Rock as well as tunes that drew upon more explicitly traditional sources and they boasted some of the best singers and instrumentalists of the day. 69 tracks. Universal. 2007.