The Elliots of Birtley: vinyl LP, [P Seeger & E MacColl editors] (Folkways,1962)

	£		20
	$		27

Description

The Elliots of Birtley: A Musical Portrait of a Durham Mining Family was recorded by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl on three separate occasions in the summer of 1961 in the kitchen of Em and Jack Elliot. Some 17 people, all of whose lives were intimately tied to the local coal mines, participated in the recording sessions. The stories and music capture the world of the North-East - a world of "pawnshops and epic street-outings, of Saturday night fist-fights, of evictions, of five-in-a-bed to keep warm, of dog fights and quayside belles... It is a world where the policeman and the pitman are always on opposite sides." 
Liner notes include photographs of the family and short descriptions of each member as well as notes from Seeger and MacColl on the recording sessions. Song lyrics are also included.
These are the authentic voices of the pit folk of the Northumberland and Durham coalfields, just before the rash of pit closures which was to change the area forever. The collection of stories and songs is brilliantly edited by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl who are sympathetic to and knowledgeable about working class culture expressed in word and song. There's enough material here for a socio-economic Master's Degree, but more than the social history, it's witty and bristling with life and warmth. 
The sound quality is very good for a field-recording. There are no visible scuffs or scratches on the record and the cover is in good shape for its forty years.

Unconditional guarantee.

If, for whatever reason, you are not completely happy with your purchase, please return for a full refund (I will also refund the price of your return postage).

price rating

---

My Recently Viewed Auctions

Doo Wop 45 TREBLE CHORDS My Little Girl/Teresa on Decca VG++ promo / $ 23

Friedhof Drug Darkness Black Metal Nsbm Chip-tune Dungeon Synth Wolfnacht Vothan / $ 38

IRON MAIDEN WASTED YEARS Vintage Official Shaped Vinyl Picture Disc Motley Crue / $ 44

MARTIN DENNY / SI ZENTNER: Exotic Suite 45 Sealed (sealed in loose bag, w/ stri / $ 25

Erste Weibliche Fleischergesellin nach 1945 - unplayed 80s ELECTRO 12" Winnetou / $ 29

JOHNNY MAE MATTHEWS I Have No Choice northern soul 45 Big Hit orig / $ 817

BEATLES STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER / PENNY LANE 20th Ann UK Picture disc 7" vinyl / $ 53

Olivia Rodrigo Sour Purple Marble Vinyl IVC Club Edition #/3000 Presale / $ 195

Tiger Rock Tiger B Smith Vinyl Lp Original 1972 German Krautrock Vertigo / $ 363

EVGENY MRAVINSKY Tchaikovsky No.4 ORIG DGG Tulips 18657 GER-1960s LP NM / $ 32

XENAKIS syrmos, medea, terretektorh, nomos gamma ⸺ ERATO 5xLPs box NM / $ 168

Kylie Minogue-Greatest hits Do-LP,PWL International Spain 1992,megarar,unplayed / $ 140