A delightful clip of a young June Tabor performing the trad. arr ditty "While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping" - a song about poaching. From the show Fanfare, which was built around the boy band Flintlock, who'd become popular on 1970s kids TV through appearances on You Must Be Joking and Pauline's Quirkes.
What I like about this clip, alongside the performance, is the way that the six young lads plus older male presenter respectfully ask Tabor about her vocal craft (how she gets the "decorators" in with all those twiddly bits and ornaments) and the provenance of the song (Dorset) and seem riveted by what she has to say. There's a funny bit about her practicising in the loo, for the acoustics and privacy, and to not drive her mum mad.
The whole program from which the rendition of "Gamekeepers" comes is below, complete with June joining in a mass performance of "Yellow Submarine" near the end of the show (from 21.48), with her wearing a nautical hat at a rakish angle.
Some more folk-rock on British TV - Steeleye Span (during the period when Martin Carthy was in the band) on an ATV show called Music Room, in 1970. Carthy in particular looks newborn luminous. You got to love the presenter's trendy get-up. They're so earnestly middle class and conscientious about their craft it's touching.
June Tabor's first released recording would be with Steeleye's Maddy Prior under the name Silly Sisters
This, her debut proper, is much better
More top Tabor tuneage....
Two separate songs about a shepherdess maiden in the heather, bonny enough to take as your queen - but quite different in mood.
Have been unable to get the song above, "The Scarecrow" (originally written by Lal Waterson and recorded on the album Bright Phoebus) out of my head for days now.
Tabor's haunting rendition of "The King of Rome" appears at around 24 minutes into this Ken Russell doc In Search of the English Folk Song - plus an interview with her. The song is thematically reminiscent of another Ken's work - Kes, by Ken Loach. Relatively recently written, no trad. arr job, "The King of Rome" is a true story-song about a racing pigeon and heroic-ascent-by-proxy for the earthbound working class man.
Above - another great performance of "While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping", from an outdoor concert in Koln, 1990.
And below - yet another, from Jools Holland
These boots are made for folking.
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