Part 3 in an implausible yet mesmerising and delightfully entertaining series.
PUBLISHER BLURB:
This series of books comprises a major social and cultural history of Britain, reflected through the prism of music — mostly folk music. It amounts to a hidden history of both Britain and music, and is part oral history and part incisive criticism, with a fair amount of humour thrown in.
The ten part series is based on the life of 90-year-old Bill Leader, the prolific sound engineer and producer, who was the first to record Bert Jansch, the Watersons, Anne Briggs, Nic Jones and Connollys Billy and Riognach, and among the last to record Jeannie Robertson, Fred Jordan and Walter Pardon. Bill straddled the golden age of traditional singing and the folk revival. He agreed to the biographical treatment if due prominence be given to colleagues who may have since slipped from the world’s eyes.
Through the series, a parade of the great and good come and go. These include Paul Simon, Brendan Behan, Pink Floyd and Christy Moore, all recorded by Bill at one time or another. Secrets, surprises and heresies are rife and something jaw dropping happens at least every four pages.
Each book comes with illustrations by PETER SEAL and rare photographs.
VOL. 3 BLURB:
Bill Leader’s big idea, to go where the music is playing and catch it on the wing, is comparable to the moment when technology freed film directors to shoot on location. It gets great results if you don’t mind roughing it. The third instalment of Mike Butler’s voluminous study of the legendary sound engineer, his life and times and our lives and times, is mainly concerned with field trips and traditional music making, but opens with the building of a recording facility on the top floor of the Workers’ Music Association in 1957.
Sounding the Century proposes a new way of writing about music and mixes the methodology of oral historian and music critic. Characters that have crossed Bill’s path are given pen portraits – from E.P. Thompson to Bob Dylan – and the writing is strong on the thrill of discovery. Mike Butler has even been compared to H.G. Wells…
‘In any number of books H.G. Wells goes into great detail explaining and describing the main character’s youth, upbringing, the world around him, his growing political awareness, alliances, disillusionments, etc. In a not dissimilar fashion to you. But yours is even more comprehensive and fascinating’ – Andy Nagy.
Find it here: https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/history-politics-society/sounding-the-century-bill-leader-co-8194/
And find my review of Vol.2 here: https://theafterword.co.uk/sounding-the-century-vol-2-horizons-for-some-1956-62/
I was thrilled to be asked to write a foreword, 2,400 words as it transpired, to this latest (third) instalment in Mike Butler’s implausible yet essential projected 10-volume ‘Sounding the Century’ series of books about recording engineer / producer / label mogul Bill Leader and his circle of oddballs, folkies, puppeteers, hawkers, inventors, pioneers, visionaries and left-leaning dreamers.
If you are AT ALL interested in music history in Britain/Ireland from the 1950s to the 70s and particularly in meeting interesting and often eccentric characters from that monochrome era – I heartily recommend Mike’s books. 🙂 I recommend starting at Vol. 2 and picking up 1 and 3 after that. They all sort of overlap chronologically to an extent but the lens points in different directions when they do. Each can be read separately.
Have taken your advice. Looking forward to a vast wallow in the darker recesses of my record collection as a result.
Incidentally, another of my Dad’s records that have recently undergone a thorough cleaning is the fantastic ‘Makem and Clancy Concert’ double LP: solid slabs of vinyl on the Blackbird Records label – what a terrific listen that is! I know Bill didn’t record that one of course, but he was definitely in their orbit.
Excellent! I think you’ll enjoy it – I’ll be interested to hear your take on Mike’s gently intoxicating writing style. 🙂
I posted most of the four episodes of Rab Noakes’ 1996 BBC radio documentary on Bill Leader online a month or so back. Here’s the first:
By odd coincidence, just today I’ve been cleaning some of my father’s old LPs, retrieved from his shelves before the old house was sold, and one of them is a rather wonderful Alistair Anderson English concertina celebration on the Trailer label, recorded at Bill’s Leader Sound studio at 209 Rochdale Road (it says here) in Halifax.
Years ago (about 50) we’d gone to see the mummers Easter play in Sowerby Bridge and ended up at Bill Leader’s house which must have been that one.
Terrific tales, both 🙂