Relive British Folk-Rock's Golden Age With This Playlist
From
Folk guitarist John Renbourn is one of the artists you'll hear in World Cafe's British folk-rock playlist. David Redfern/Getty Images hide caption
Folk guitarist John Renbourn is one of the artists you'll hear in World Cafe's British folk-rock playlist.
David Redfern/Getty Images
Shirley Collins' recent World Cafe session is a perfect jumping-off point for exploring the world of British folk and folk-rock in the 1960s. Bands like Fairport Convention and artists like Richard Thompson got their start as "British Byrds" with electrified folk tunes. While Fairport began by covering other singer-songwriters (like Joni Mitchell, before she was known), it soon realized the bounty of British ballads — check out the band's electrified version of "Tam Lin" for an example. You'll find that and more in this hour-long snapshot of the golden age of British folk-rock, which includes music by Pentangle, John Martyn, Steeleye Span and others.