Best Reissues
It will come as no surprise to many that Topic Records have dominated this category with their beautiful Topic Treasures reissues series, all of which are beautifully packaged and complimented with some exceptional new introductions and liner notes. It’s the same care and attention given to Hedy West by David Suff’s on his own label Fledg’ling Records. Both are a shining example of how to present music.
It may have taken the best part of forty years for this album to see the light of day, but it still feels like something of a landmark release, and credit must go to Fledg’ling for finally making it available. It is a welcome addition to a consistently excellent body of work by one of the twentieth century’s very finest folk singers.
Anne Briggs – Anne Briggs (Topic Treasures)
All-in-all, this is one of the most significant recordings of the period. A tribute to the recording techniques of Sean Davies and the production of AL Lloyd, a tribute to the work of Topic Records and a tribute to Anne Briggs. This is music to pass on to the next generations.
Dick Gaughan – Handful of Earth (Topic Treasures)
1982 was three years into the Thatcher Years, a period of acute polarisation, between Left and Right-wing, between nationalist and unionist, in both Scotland and in Northern Ireland, and between the haves and the have-nots. Have we really not moved on? Are we still looking at the same things? Despite Handful of Earth being released 38 years ago, these songs still reflect the times, still call out the oppressors and still support the oppressed.
June Tabor – Airs And Graces (Topic Treasures)
June Tabor launched her solo career with ‘Airs And Graces’, a record that remains one of the most essential folk music records of the 1970s and beyond. This Topic Records Deluxe CD re-issue features perfect sound and an abundance of treasures found within.
Bella Hardy – Postcards & Pocketbooks: The Best of Bella Hardy
Postcards & Pocketbooks is a fully comprehensive Bella Hardy retrospective and a well-rounded overview of one of the finest folk singer-songwriters of her generation and a useful staging post from which to launch the next chapter.