Various Artists: When Will They Ever Learn? A Story Of U.S. Folk Music: 1963-1969, 4CD Box Set

• 100-track, 4-disc box set covering an era when folk music shed its hootenanny skin by addressing political and social issues while becoming more open to change, embracing rock, country and high-class folk pop.

• Key artists: Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Barry McGuire, John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Cher, The Byrds, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Simon & Garfunkel, Tim Hardin, Gordon Lightfoot, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt and Johnny Cash.

• Key songs include ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone?’, ‘Morning Dew’, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, ‘There But For Fortune’, ‘What Have They Done To The Rain?’, ‘Me And My Uncle’, ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’, ‘High Flying Bird’ and ’Get Together’.

• This anthology was compiled and annotated by Mick Houghton, author of the acclaimed Sandy Denny biography (I’ve Always Kept A Unicorn) and Becoming Elektra – The True Story Of Jac Holzman’s Visionary Record Label.

• Top flight mastering by Alec Palao.

The catalyst for the folk revival in 1958 came through a most unlikely No.1 hit, the Kingston Trio’s take on traditional murder ballad ‘Tom Dooley’. It helped bring folk music into the mainstream adding topicality and greater substance to popular music as well as fostering a sense of ‘getting back to the roots’ in myriad ways. Pete Seeger, more than anyone, was the bridge between the old and a new breed of songwriters and interpreters already emerging, such as Bob Gibson, Fred Neil, and Dino Valenti.

‘When Will They Ever Learn?’ picks up the story in 1963 just as the Kingston Trio was becoming passé and Peter, Paul and Mary were taking Dylan songs, notably ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, into the charts. Among the upsurge of new talents – Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Judy Collins etc. - Dylan may have been the figurehead, but folk music was a fruitful and competitive breeding ground. This anthology aims to identify the protagonists in all their diversity, tracking and tracing who, where, how and why they joined forces, or simply did their own thing.

It also presents plenty of powerful female voices including Malvina Reynolds, Odetta, Hedy West and Karen Dalton. By the mid-60s, more artists were making a mark, such as Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Tim Buckley and Gordon Lightfoot. Others followed the lead taken by the Byrds, the Mamas & the Papas, and the Lovin’ Spoonful; the Grateful Dead, the Youngbloods, and Kaleidoscope were among these.

So many great songs came to light, both traditional and contemporary. Bonnie Dobson’s oft-covered ‘Morning Dew’ was one of a number of emotive songs evoking a fear of nuclear annihilation and its consequences. Other classic anti- war songs include ‘Come Away Melinda’, ‘What Have Thy Done To The Rain’, and ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone?’ where Pete Seeger presciently asked “When Will They Ever Learn?”.

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