Electric Eden Revisited

Back on 7th April 2012, I posted a blog about the book 'Electric Eden' by Rob Young.

At the time I considered putting together a playlist of many of the tracks and artists referred to in this excellent book. A lack of time and motivation prevented me from doing so but now it appears that Mr. Young has put together his own collection and it is now on sale.

Here is the blurb from the Spin website:-

Based on the bestselling book by Rob Young, Electric Eden lets you hear how Britain’s traditional music was transformed by folk singers, guitar geniuses, psychedelic troubadours and jazz virtuosos. A generation of musicians drew inspiration from a rural paradise that nurtured the Indian summer of British folk-rock in the late 1960s and early seventies – an Albion dreamtime where mythical landscapes, creative isolation and pastoral time-travelling combined to forge the golden age of folk-rock.

This unique 2CD package was entirely compiled by Rob Young, author of the bestselling book, and includes a thorough and fascinating sleevenote written by Rob which details the story behind the selections. It comes in a stunning gatefold digipak sleeve which has a stickered front cover detailing the album's contents and features such purveyors of the genre as Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Bert Jansch, Pentangle and Nick Drake.


The full track list is as follows:

CD1 ACOUSTIC EDEN1. Peter Bellamy - ‘Oak, Ash and Thorn’ 2. Traffic - ‘John Barleycorn Must Die’ 3. Bert Jansch - ‘The Waggoner’s Lad’4. Fairport Convention - ‘Stranger to Himself’ 5. Archie Fisher - ‘Reynardine’ 6. Bread, Love and Dreams - ‘Brother John’ 7. Bill Fay - ‘Garden Song’ 8. Water Into Wine Band - ‘Stranger in the World’ 9. Tudor Lodge - ‘Willow Tree’ 10. Comus - ‘Diana’ 11. Meic Stevens - ‘Yorric’ 12. Magic Carpet - ‘The Dream’13. Sweeney’s Men - ‘The Pipe on the Hob’ 14. Tim Hart & Maddy Prior - ‘False Knight on the Road’15. Dr Strangely Strange - ‘Dark-Haired Lady’16. Albion Country Band - ‘I Was a Young Man’17. COB - ‘Music of the Ages’ 18. Roger Nicholson - ‘The Carman’s Whistle’19. Bridget St John - ‘Fly High’ 20. John Martyn - ‘She Moves Through the Fair’

CD 2 ELECTRIC ALBION
1. Richard Thompson - ‘Roll over Vaughn Williams’ 2. Steeleye Span - ‘The Lark in the Morning’ 3. Unicorn - ‘Country Road’ 4. Fairport Convention - ‘A Sailor’s Life’ 5. Trees - ‘Glasgerion’ 6. Fotheringay - ‘Gypsy Davey’ 7. David Bowie - ‘Black Country Rock’ 8. John Martyn - ‘Glistening Glyndebourne’ 9. Mike Cooper - ‘Paper and Smoke’ 10. Shelagh McDonald - ‘Mirage’ 11. Spirogyra - ‘Disraeli’s Problem’12. Mick Softley - ‘Time Machine’ 13. Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band - ‘Murder of Maria Marten’ 14. Pentangle - ‘Jack Orion’ 15. Incredible String Band - ‘Painted Chariot’ 16. Nick Drake - ‘Voices’

Although I already own many of the tracks, I have a feeling that this collection might be winging its way to the White Room in the very near future.