{"product_id":"various-artists-the-ballad-of-shirley-collins","title":"Various Artists - The Ballad Of Shirley Collins","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2018 soundtrack release now at a much lower price on Pink Vinyl\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidely regarded as the 20th century’s most important singer of English traditional song, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShirley Collins\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is someone who was born to invoke the old songs. Alongside her sister \u003c\/span\u003eDolly\u003cspan\u003e, she stood at the epicentre of the folk music revival during the 1960s and ‘70s. But in 1980 she developed a disorder of the vocal chords known as dysphonia, which robbed her of her unique singing voice and forced her into early retirement. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Ballad Of Shirley Collins\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – which premiered at last year’s London Film Festival – tells this story, though to reduce it to that single aspect does everyone (not least of all Shirley!) something of a disservice. The story proves itself to be something of a time-travelling Transatlantic road-movie of sorts, utilising a motherlode of archive audio to recount the tale of her seminal 1959 song-collecting trip around America’s Deep South alongside her then-lover (and legendary ethnomusicologist) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlan Lomax\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. As well as these songs (notably \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlabama Sacred Harp Convention\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTexas Gladden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSidney Hemphill-Carter\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e) there are more recent offerings, a home recording of Shirley’s sister Dolly Collins, and a BBC session from 1958, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Eight Five Spiritual”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e which gets its first release, some 60 years after it was recorded. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShirley Collins spent her life in song. Even during her time without her performing voice she was telling the stories of others’ music. Not once has she dropped the baton in keeping these songs, these stories, these people alive. The soundtrack to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘The Ballad Of Shirley Collins’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – though diverse – showcases just a fraction of the facets that make up an extraordinary career by anyone’s standards. Deliberately eschewing a straightforward biopic approach, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRob Curry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTim Plester\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’s follow-up to their award-winning documentary \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWAY OF THE MORRIS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, is a lyrical response to the life-and-times of this totemic musical figure. Granted intimate access to recording sessions for Shirley’s first album of new recordings in almost four decades, and featuring contributions from the comedian \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStewart Lee\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Tibet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCurrent 93\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, what emerges is a meditative and carefully textured piece of portraiture. A timely delve into the arterial blood, loam and tears of our haunted island nation. The film was released in October 2018.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EARTH RECORDINGS","offers":[{"title":"Pink Vinyl LP w\/ DL","offer_id":59725660914009,"sku":"SDZ-53900","price":16.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/Untitled-Design-21_22167d35-d52d-49d9-bcbc-28856c26938c.png?v=1791218544","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/various-artists-the-ballad-of-shirley-collins","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}