Personnel: Shirley Collins (vocals, guitar, banjo); Barry Dransfield (vocals, violin, fiddle, cello); Dolly Collins (vocals, flute, piano, organ, synthesizer); Philip Pickett (gittern, shawm, recorder, curtal, tenor curtal, cornet, wind); Tony Engle (concertina); Paul Nieman (euphonium, horns); Michael Gregory (percussion).
Liner Note Author: David Suff.
Recording information: Riverside Studios, London, England (1978).
Photographer: Keith Morris.
Unknown Contributor Role: Tony Engle.
Arrangers: Richard Thompson; Shirley Collins; Dolly Collins.
Originally released in 1978, For As Many As Will was the last recorded collaboration between Shirley Collins and her sister Dolly, who died in 1999. And, rightly, it was a very personal affair, covering far more than the traditional folk music that had been their trademark. The pair do ample justice to Richard Thompson's sad "Never Again" -- the first modern song they'd recorded -- before launching into "Beggar's Opera Medley," with songs from John Gay's seminal English opera. It's not what most fans would have expected, but it's right. Even the sound of Dolly using a modern instrument -- a synthesizer -- though it might have been shocking, suited the music perfectly. For the final "Harvest Home Medley," a selection of songs from the Goby gypsy family, the mood reverts to the medieval, Collins' voice backed simply by flute organ and recorder. On "German Tune," the ensemble offers exactly that -- a 14th century German Christmas carol, quite possibly the first recorded Collins tune to venture outside the British Isles. Of course, Collins doesn't completely neglect her beloved traditional music, with favorites like "The Blacksmith Courted Me," "Gilderoy," and "Lord Allenwater" to round out the set. ~ Chris Nickson
Professional Reviews
Dirty Linen (8-9/99, p.52) - "...unquestionable uniqueness and charm....They made some of the most haunting records of the whole folk revival, and they don't sound like anyone else..."
