The Electric Muse Revisited The Story of Folk into Rock and Beyond

by Laing, Dave; Denselow, Robin; Shelton, Robert; Dallas, Karl

• ISBN13: 9781913172084
• ISBN10: 1913172082
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-09-02
• Publisher: Omnibus Press

Summary

Folk music has been evolving and adapting for centuries, but in the 1960s and 70s came an extraordinary period of change and innovation. Rock musicians borrowed from traditional songs, while folk musicians re-worked ancient ballads using electric guitars and drum kits. From Dylan to Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson and Steeleye Span, the fusion of old and contemporary created a powerful new style: folk-rock. Since then, new and experimental folk fusions have continued, involving anything from rap to electronica. First published in 1975, at the height of the folk-rock boom, the critically acclaimed Electric Muse chronicled the story of the folk movement, from roots to revival. With new chapters on the eras of Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg, June Tabor, Bellowhead, Sam Lee, Stick In The Wheel and others, and featuring new interviews and photographs, this edition brings the fascinating narrative up to date. As in 1975, The Electric Muse Revisited is published simultaneously with a new album set of the same title, on Good Deeds Music.

Author Biography

Dave Laing was editor of Let It Rock magazine, author of Buddy Holly, The Sound of Our Time and Hail Rock’n’Roll, and a trustee of the folk music charity Square Roots Productions. He died in 2019. Robin Denselow has worked as a film director and correspondent covering politics and music for BBC TV and radio, and has written on folk, rock, and world music for The Guardian. He is the author of When the Music’s Over: The Story of Political Pop. Robert Shelton was folk, rock, and country critic for The New York Times and a regular music reviewer for The Times. His wrote five books, including The Country Music Story and the biography of Josh White, and edited Woody Guthrie’s Born to Win. He died in 1995. Karl Dallas was a regular contributor to Melody Maker and other publications, and the author of three books, including Singers of an Empty Day. He died in 2016.