WCVE Public Radio

This weekend on The Electric Croude, as we enter the autumnal majesty of October, George Maida digs deep into his vinyl collection to explore the art of the English ballad. “Centuries before motion pictures arrived, when people did have time to relax, it was often through recounting tales–somewhere down the corridors of history they were married to music,” says producer Maida. “That’s how the famous Child Ballads came to be.”

Such ballads were long but as engaging as any best seller. Every aspect of the human condition found a thread into these structurally elongated songs. In the 1970s an extra spark of vitality and imagination was added to the mix when groups such as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and others added electric instruments to compelling arrangements.

Tell us about some of your favorite ballads from the 1970s.

Tune in this Saturday (October 9, 2009) at midnight for The Electric Croude on WCVE Public Radio.