FTX-094 Freewheeling RUSSCO (with guitar) - "Woody Guthrie, Bobby Dylan and Me"

1. FACE THE WORLD, MY SON - 2'53"

2. WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE - 4'23"

3. SMOKY AND GUINESS - instrumental - 1'42"

4. THIS COUNTRY OF MINE - 2'57"

5. HAVE YOU SEEN MY BROTHER? - 2'30"

6. MAXMILLIAN FRY - 3'32"

7. GOING DOWN (or WAKE UP IN AN ALLEY) - 2'01"

8. YOU'LL TAKE THE PRIZE (GODDESS OF LIFE) - 2'28"

9. SAILING ON AN ENDLESS SEA - 2'13"

10. HOW COULD THEY KNOW? - 2'30"

11. WHAT I'M GOING TO DO - 2'51"

12. SEEKER AFTER PEACE - 2'15"

13. ABERFAN - 1'43"

14. IN LONDON TOWN - 2'31"

15. WOODY GUTHRIE, BOBBY DYLAN AND ME - 2'26"

16. SARAH JANE - 2'33"

17. THE UNIVERSAL PROPHET - 2'46"

18. DOIN' ALL RIGHT, BOY (HOBO'S SONG) - 2'36"

19. THE BLUE AND THE GREY (JASON & JOHNNY) - 3'20"

20. THE NORTHBOUND TRAIN - 3'00"

21. WHILE A NATION SLEEPS - 3'29"

22. MAKE ME HAPPY, MAKE ME FREE (MOONGLOW) - 4'18"

Thanks to the chorus: Sarah Mason, Howard McCabe & Lynn Sorby

Recorded by Peter Kennedy, Soundpost Studios 6th November 1975. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax Cassettes 1975.

Of all the London street buskers, on the scene in 1975, who were making use of contemporary folk guitar styles for his own compositions, Russco, was undoubtedly the most outstanding, and his songs the most inspired, and likely to stand the test of time. Now, a quarter of a century later, they seem as fresh as the day they were recorded. Peter first came across him singing in "The Spinning Wheel", a popular tourist restaurant on the seafront at Paignton where he was certainly bringing in the customers. Before he returned to London at the end of the holiday season, he came to the studio at Dartington and put down those of his songs he felt might almost fit into the category of folksong. At that time Russell regarded his own songs as being the English equivalent of folksongs currently being performed by well-known American folk artistes leading the romantic liie of the penniless hobo - freewheeling - with no belongings of their own but an acoustic guitar and a l2-string - and with plenty to say about the world becoming polluted - heading for disaster - with nobody bothering to do anything about it - and all this happening - to quote one of his memorable lines - "while a nation sleeps". Listen to him - every song has a powerful message and Russco can put it across.