Shelagh

'Anyone who values what is best in British theatre and film will want to join Selina Todd as she digs deep into the brilliance of Delaney's work – and her character. It's a riveting book' DAVID HARE

A college friend of Nick Drake, Robert Kirby’s first commissioned works as an arranger were his unique, autumnal orchestrations for Drake’s “Five Leaves Left”. The sound was English and melancholic, closer to Vaughan Williams than Phil Spector. He was soon in demand and by the end of the 70s had worked with the cream of the British folk rock world. This is the first collection of Kirby’s very special sound.

Borderlands: The Best of Scottish Folk Review by Timothy Monger
This hefty three-disc collection of Scottish folk music is culled from the late-'60s and '70s catalog of Transatlantic Records. While not necessarily representative of all that was going on in the Scottish folk revival of that period, Transatlantic was at the forefront with an impressive roster of artists like Shelagh McDonald, Ian Campbell Folk Group, Silly Wizard, Archie Fisher, Hamish Imlach, Bert Jansch, and many more. Of particular interest here are several tracks by Owen Hand, a much revered folk singer who recorded two records for Transatlantic before abandoning music altogether, lending him an almost cult-like status. Most of the music here is predominantly traditional in nature, though there are contemporary folk originals and folk-rock tracks as well.

In London in 1958, a play by a 19-year-old redefined women's writing in Britain. It also began a movement that would change women's lives forever. The play was A Taste of Honey and the author, Shelagh Delaney, was the first in a succession of young women who wrote about their lives with an honesty that dazzled the world. They rebelled against sexism, inequality and prejudice and in doing so challenged the existing definitions of what writing and writers should be. Bypassing the London cultural elite, their work reached audiences of millions around the world, paved the way for profound social changes and laid the foundations of second-wave feminism.

British Acid Folk Underground. First extensive compilation documenting the cult of 70s UK Acid Folk underground. Features such heavyweights as Sallyangie, Sandy Denny, & Pentangle. Castle. 2004.