The British Folk Revival
by Dr Mike Brocken

When I wrote in our About page that the new virtual-format MT would be able to publish 'Articles, pamphlets, work-in-progress, even whole books ...' I wasn't expecting the last of these ideas to come to fruition in the immediate future.  But I was wrong!

Our earlier Article, on Topic Records and the WMA is, in fact, but one chapter of Mike Brocken's PhD thesis on the folk music revival as part of the wider popular music genre.  The whole work is likely to be published in commercial book form later this year or next, but he has given us permission to publish it here, first, in its original form.  I realise that a few of our readers will feel that there is, perhaps, little more that they wish to know about 'Folk Music' or popular music, and that MT's remit should be restricted to traditional forms.

Nonetheless, I believe that Mike's encyclopaedic work contains a great deal that should concern all of us - any intelligent and well-written work dealing with something which so informs the culture of which we are part (like it or not) must be of interest and value.  I also think that - while I don't agree with all of them - his insights into the sociological and philological aspects of the wider world of music are both fascinating and thought provoking.

Rod Stradling - 15.5.98

Contents:

Part One: Social, political and cultural context
Foreword a Popular Music Studies perspective 12Kb
Just a Collection of Antiques and Curious? an introductory commentary 72Kb
Nicely Out of Tune - 1 from quixotic patriotism to postwar utopianism 25Kb
Nicely Out of Tune - 2 postwar utopianism 80Kb
The Battle of the Field political context of a hagiography of the revival - Topic and the WMA, EFDSS, MacColl, Lloyd, etc. 110Kb
Morris On challenging folk historicity - folk meets pop 62Kb
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? cultural assimilation and the implications of folk/rock 62Kb
Part Two: broadly theoretical work
Venus in Tweeds folk industry and media 87Kb
Fully Qualified Survivors what is a folk scene and is the folk club a legitimate representative? 66Kb
Rise up Like the Sun performance in the British folk club 67Kb
Empty Pages reception and intertextuality 54Kb
The Prospect Before Us festivals and youth - the road ahead? 42Kb
Part Three: Reference
Bibliography and interview details 31Kb
Topic Records Discography The Works - almost? 345Kb

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