The Radio Ballads

Originally produced for the BBC, each one-hour radio-ballad consisted of recorded actuality from members of the public, a script and songs made by Ewan MacColl, musical arrangments and direction by Peggy Seeger, production and editing by Charles Parker, musical participation by singers and instrumentalists and ingenious procedures innovated by BBC technicians. The final programs were tapestries of speech, sound and song and were considered revolutionary for their time. They opened up new vistas and techniques for radio documentaries and many of Ewan MacColl's most popular songs were made for them.

For a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the production of the radio ballads read Ewan Mac Coll's story of "The Radio Ballads: How they were made, when and by whom".

Six of the radio-ballads were put on disc by Argo Records. The whole series has recently been issued on Topic Records.

1957 The Ballad of John Axon
A true Casey Jones story about a Stockport railwayman. BBC's entry for the 1958 Italia Prize.(TSCD 801)

1958 Song of a Road
About the building of the Britain's first motor highway, the M-1. (TSCD 802)

1959 Singing the Fishing
Dealing with the herring fishing industry. Winner of the Italia Prize (documentary category) for 1959. (TSCD 803)

1960 The Big Hewer
Dealing with Britain's coal miners. (TSCD 804)

1961 The Body Blow
Dealing with five people paralysed by polio. The first of the radio-ballads to deal with a non-industrial subject. (TSCD 805)

1962 On the Edge
About Britain's teenagers. (TSCD 806)

1963 The Fight Game
Dealing with professional boxing. (TSCD 807)

1964 The Travelling People
About Britain's nomadic peoples. (TSCD 808)

ASK FOR THEM AT YOUR RECORD STORE. If there are problems, contact Topic Records, 50 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EF, England.
Tel: (+44) [0] 171 263 1240
e.mail: tony.engle@topicrecords.co.uk

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