Shirley Collins's sweet, self-effacing singing keeps her closer to the core of traditional song than many a more histrionic singer. Yet her work has been extraordinarily diverse: she has collaborated with the guitarist Davy Graham, the Incredible String Band, the Albion Country Band and her sister Dolly.

SHIRLEY COLLINS SWEET ENGLAND TSCD476

Her very first album, originally released in 1959, is a mixture of English and American traditional songs with banjo and guitar accompaniments. It bears out her personal philosophy that music should be 'fairly straight-forward, simply embellished, allowing you to think about the song rather than telling you what to think.'

1 Sweet England
2 Hares on the Mountain
3 Hori-Horo
4 The Bonny Irish Boy
5 The Tailor & the Mouse
6 The Lady & the Swine
7 Turpin Hero
8 The Cuckoo
9 The Bonny Labouring Boy
10 The Cherry Tree Carol
11 Sweet William
12 Omie Wise
13 Blackbirds & Thrushes
14 A Keeper Went Hunting
15 Polly Vaughan
16 Pretty Saro
17 Barbara Allen
18 Charlie

Shirley Collins vocals
John Hasted banjo
Ralph Rinzler guitar
Guy Carawan guitar

SHIRLEY COLLINS THE SWEET PRIMEROSES TSCD815

These limpid versions of Southern English songs established Shirley Collins as a unique and influential voice on the folk scene.

1 All Things are Quite Silent
2 Cambridgeshire May Carol
3 Spencer the Rover
4 The Rigs of the Time
5 Polly Vaughan
6 The Cruel Mother
7 The Bird in the Bush
8 The Streets of Derry
9 The False Bride
10 Locks & Bolts
11 Rambleaway
12 A Blacksmith Courted Me
13 Brigg Fair
14 Higher Germanie
15 George Collins
16 The Babes in the Wood
17 Down in Yon Forest
18 The Magpie's Nest
19 False True Love
20 The Sweet Primeroses

Shirley Collins vocals
Dolly Collins pipe-organ
The Young Tradition chorus