Recorded by Bernard Mattimore in London in March 1959;
Session supervised by Paul Carter and Colin C. Pomroy;
Liner notes by Peter Kennedy;
Cover photo by Colin Tait

Musicians

Shirley Collins: vocals, 5-string banjo;
Robin Hall: guitar

Tracks

Side 1

1. The Berkshire Tragedy (Roud 8; Child 10; G/D 2:213)
2. The Foggy Dew (Roud 558; Laws O3; G/D 7:1496) (3.05)

Side 2

3. Geordie (Roud 90; Child 209; G/D 2:249) (3.12)
4. Brigg Fair (Roud 1083) (2.29)

Review

This review is from Gramophone, March 1960:

Sweet England, eighteen love songs and ballads “from Southern England” sung by Shirley Collins (Argo LP RG150), carries a sleeve-note in which Alan Lomax predicts that within ten years Miss Collins could be a major artist. He may be right, but at the moment I should like to hear more assurance and more variety in her singing. It is right and proper for a folk singer to sound anonymous, but that is hardly the same thing as lacking presence. Nevertheless, this is a useful collection of songs, including such delightful items as The Cuckoo and The Bonny Labouring Boy. It seems a little odd, though, to find an Irish, a New Zealand and three American songs in the line-up, even if one of the American items—Omie Wise, a mountain murder ballad—is given the dead-pan, faintly sardonic treatment it demands. Purists may also object to the accompanying banjos and guitars, which add an extra transatlantic flavour to the music. Similar criticisms can be levelled at The Foggy Dew (Collector JEB3), on which—in addition to the title-song—Miss Collins sings Brigg Fair, The Berkshire Tragedy and Geordie. Fuzzy recording doesn’t help to improve matters.

Produced by Paul Carter;
Recorded by Bernard Mattimore in London in March 1958;
Supervised by Colin Pomroy and Paul Carter;
Liner notes by Frank Purslow;
Cover photo by Colin Tait

Musicians

Shirley Collins: vocals, 5-string banjo

Tracks

Side 1

1. The Unquiet Grave (Roud 51; Child 78) (4.01)
2. Newcastle (Roud 8086) (2.28)

Side 2

3. The Irish Girl (Roud 308; G/D 5:946; Henry H711) (3.29)
4. I Drew My Ship (Roud 402; G/D 4:792) (2.17)

Review

This review is from Gramophone, February 1961:

I suppose Shirley Collins is aiming at a similar effect to A. L. Lloyd, but anonymity is not the same thing as apathy, and too much of Miss Collins’s singing on Collector JEB5 sounds both transparent and sleepy. Apart from The Unquiet Grave, a song which inevitably rivets the attention, the performances on this EP are sadly lacking in vitality. (And after praising Collector Records for an improvement in quality, I now have to back-pedal and warn would-be purchasers of this Shirley Collins EP—not one of their most recent issues—that my copy contained one or two flaws.)

Recorded by Bernard Mattimore in London in 1958/59;
Supervised and produced by Colin Pomroy;
Cover design by S. Hudson

Musicians

Shirley Collins: vocals, 5-string banjo;
Robin Hall: guitar

Tracks

Side 1

1. Dance to Your Daddy (Roud 2439; G/D 8:1562) (1.44)
2. The Spermwhale Fishery (Roud 484; G/D 6:1116; Henry H180)

Side 2

3. My Bonny Miner Lad (Roud 2599)
4. The Foolish Boy (Roud 469; G/D 8:1696; Henry H732; TYG 58)

Recorded in London in 1958/59;
Engineer Bernard Mattimore;
Supervised by Paul Carter and Colin C. Pomroy;
Produced by Colin C. Pomroy;
Cover design by A. Cain

Musicians

Shirley Collins: vocals, 5-string banjo;
Robin Hall: guitar

Tracks

Side 1

1. Love Is Teasing (Roud 1049)
2. She Moves Through the Fair (Roud 861; Henry H141) (3.28)

Side 2

3. The Bold Irish Boy (Roud 5684)
4. Must I Go Bound? (Roud 18829; Henry H218ab)
5. Dennis O’Reilly (Roud 676)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Alistair Banfield for the cover pictures of the two English Songs EPs.

Thanks to Quentin Kean for pointing me to the Gramophone reviews which help to determine the issue date of these EPs more precisely.