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September 20, 2010

John Barleycorn Reborn: Dark Britannica - Various


"Dark folk doesn't particularly mean anything to me, certainly not anything religious or political.  I chose to use the term like the dark ages: a time of cultural development that was assumed not to have happened because nobody wrote about it.  It's exactly what has happened with this music.  The media assumes because they aren't covering the music, it doesn't exist or grow.  There are those who fuse psychedelic music, paganism, folklore, rock and other aspects with folk that makes it sound unconventional, strange or experimental.  This may be seen as curious in comparison with traditional folk performed using the authentic instruments.  I think folk music can possibly be traced back in some way to our lives on these Islands tens of thousands of years ago through the song motifs, symbology, simplicity and communal basis.  The past is dark, unknown and strange to us so dark folk is I suppose on this release, me trying to trace these threads back to our past via the songs."

Thus Mark Coyle, compiler of Dark Britannica's exploration of the John Barleycorn myth. Barleycorn, barley personified, encounters great suffering before succumbing to an unpleasant death - all this corresponding to the various stages of barley cultivation, such as reaping and malting. The theme is well chosen. It captures the British Isles on the turn from Pagan to Christian: Barleycorn dies so that others may live and enjoy the reviving effects of drinking his blood.

Whicker man or vicar man?

(Update: There are two further CDs of this series available at The Real Nitty Gritty. Big thanks to Anon in comments for this one!)

(Great review to be had at terrascope online)

Oddi wrth y brawd
tinkers
cuss


8 comments:

Pastaman Vibration (ye-ah!) said...

Paul Whicker Man the Tall Vicar Man I'd say. Good find. This is some mid life crisis you're having Brawd, keep them freaks a rollin'

wackystuff said...

Wow! Thanks for turning us on to this set.

Y Brawd said...

You're all welcome sons and daughters of albion (or wherever).

Crisis? What crisis?

Now where's my divining rod got to?

Pastaman Vibration (ye-ah!) said...

Hard to find these days is it, YB?

I may load this up to take with me to deepest Dorset where me and the GLW are headed on Friday for a week. Just received another consignment of Terrascope stuff as well so any escape from the odd and angular, at least musically, is unlikely.

Anonymous said...

When this CD came out you could have obtained a further 2 CD's worth of songs etc you were given a link whereby one could d/l this extra stuff and there are also the track by track info which was available as a large PDF file.
It may still out there

Hope this of use -

Anonymous said...

Try here for the extra stuff.
http://therealnittygritty.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-barleycorn-reborn-rebirth.html

Anonymous said...

Great stuff this. Makes me want to sit around a campfire drinking and being pagan.

Unknown said...

Jo here from the band Mary Jane. For any interested parties a 3rd cd compilation is being released very shortly by Cold Spring.

CSR178CD (December 2012)- Various Artists - Hail Be You Sovereigns, Lief And Dear

Here is a direct link to buy:

http://coldspring.co.uk/discography/csr178cd/