Compilations of UK Folk/Folk-Rock

Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 00:04:13 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.music.folk,uk.music.folk
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I was recently doing some searching around online and found reference
to several compilations of British folk and folk-rock. I was hoping to
sound out folks' opinions on them.
#1) A 4-LP set, apparently released in 1974 by Island/Transatlantic,
called _The Electric Muse: The Story of Folk into Rock_ From what I
can tell it chronicles British folk and the rise of folk-rock in the
60s and early 70s.
#2) A 3-CD set, called _The New Electric Muse The Story of Folk into
Rock_, released in 1996 by Castle. From what I can tell, this is an
'updated' version of the previous set, with many (but not all) of the
same songs, as well as more recent material
#3) _The New Electric Muse, vol 2: The Continuing Story of Folk into
Rock_, released by Castle in 1997. It looks like this is just an
extension of the previous set, with UK folk and folk-rock artists from
the 70s through the 90s.
#4) Troubadours of British Folk_, vols 1-3. These were three
individual CDs put out by Rhino in 1995., each emphasizing a slightly
period in the folk and folk-rock tradition.
A few questions I'm specifically interested in.
Would these collections be primarily of interest for the neophyte
listener who wants an 'introduction' to the British folk/folk-rock
tradition? Or do you they have something worthwhile to offer even to
folks who are already pretty familiar with the music-- including not
only the big names (Pentangle Fairport Steeleye, Billy Brag, Runrig,
etc.) but even lesser-known worthies like Mr. Fox, the Trees, Hedgehog
Pie, etc.
Are these just collections of songs or are they 'more than the sum of
their parts'? I ask because, good compilations often have extensive
liner notes that really put the music in a broader historical/cultural
context, or they arrange the songs in such a way that you can really
'hear' the history of the music as your listening. How are these in
that regard?
Finally, I guess I'm curious as to whether you think it's worth seeking
them out, given that they are out of print, and given that, so far as I
can tell, most of the songs can be found on the CDs by the actual
artists.
Alternately, if you know of any other compilations you'd recommend, I'd
like to hear about those.
Thanks for your thoughts...
-- Jim C.