The Imagined Village - Hard Times of Old England (Cambridge Folk '08)

The Imagined Village plays "Hard Times of Old England" on the mainstage of the Cambridge Folk Festival 2008. The Imagined Village are:

Benjamin Zephaniah
Billy Bragg
Chris Wood
Eliza Carthy
Johnny Kalsi
Martin Carthy
Paul Weller
Sheila Chandra
Simon Emmerson
The Copper Family
The Gloworms
Tiger Moth
Transglobal Underground
Tunng

http://www.imaginedvillage.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• imagined
• village
• hard
• times
• of
• old
• england
• cambridge
• folk
• festival
• billy
• bragg
• chris
• wood
• martin
• eliza
• carthy
• copper
• family

[midgiemarsh]

Dinnae agree with Braggs political views but this is a nice song. I love it!

[DefeatedElitist]

I really can't believe the comments I'm hearing about Bragg's singing. He has perhaps the perfect voice for this song. It captures the raw emotion of it, and sounds perfect with the instruments.

[MsBeetroute]

Billy Bragg = one of my heros! Meaningful and agelessly relevant lyrics outweigh any judgement of vocal quality (remember Dylan?) and with the excellent backing of some of the country's finest folk musicians - I'm happy to listen to this anytime.

[marjoriem2]

Oh, you really don't think he can sing? I guess I have to agree that Billy's voice is not the silkiest I've ever heard, but he can certainly carry a tune quite well, and I can't imagine anyone else singing "Brickbat" as well. I tried to post a link here but the system won't let me! There are several clips here on YouTube. By the way, I got to see The Imagined Village in London a few years back and it was a brilliant evening. Chris Wood was new to me, he's wonderful.

[skipy936]

Wish he could sing!

[brucewwoods]

Great...an old theme renewed and reborn for the new England of our time!

[MrAndyguitarman]

Folk music in England is alive and well.

[McGrenzer]

New words to the old song, very applicable for today, but the performance seems sort of retro: hazy-lazy, slippery-slidey, with sitar accompaniment. Maybe more Martin Carthy and less Billy Bragg would help me to like it more. The audience seemed to enjoy it and the narrator did his best to explain it, but I guess I'm still in a Steeleye groove...please forgive me.

[zohar52]

If you listen to the Lyrics in this Grand olde Copper song, you can see the same calamities in America today. I especially like the last verse. It rings with Hope

[ozdave]

@Prydwen3 Noone ever said Bragg could sing! His voice is what it is and he is hardly a darling of the BBC, Nick Griffin is on far more often these days. I think you are confusing Marxism with Socialism, which has represented the poor and working classes for many years against the rich factory bosses and landowners who used to employ them. These are the themes that run through so many traditional folk songs, as well as love and sex!