Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet

Filk Album
Album Title:	Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet
Producer:
Type:	Studio
Date:	1976
Medium:	LP
Fandom:	Star Trek & other
Performer(s):	Leslie Fish and Mary Frohman
Other:	$3.50 plus 75 cents postage was the original price
External Links:
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July 1976 ad, art by Leslie Fish, printed in Pegasus #1

Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet was the first commercially published filk album. Two of its songs, Hope Eyrie and A Toast for Unsung Heroes, won Pegasus awards, and the album was later combined with Solar Sailors onto a single CD, "Folk Songs for Solar Sailors."

Description

From an ad in Warped Space #18:

Hello. Well, here it is—a recorded not- for-profit fanzine—the first, as far as we know. It's something like a mimeo 'zine, except that to appreciate it you have to use a turntable ... and its main subject is filksongs.

One of the joys of attending SF gatherings is the opportunity to join in a traditional filksing. Further adventures (or parodies) of popular fantasy characters are put in rhyme form and sung by everyone with the inclination. Not all of fandom can write clever 'zine material—we hope you enjoy our recorded efforts.

Track Listing

Side A:

1. A Toast for Unsung Heroes
2. Turn and Believe
3. The Ballad of Transport 18
4. Bones
5. Iron Mistress

Side B:

1. Hope Eyrie
2. The Sky-bound Blues
3. The Thousandth Man
4. Few Days
5. The Engineer's Hymn

Reactions and Reviews

This is fandom's first recorded fanzine, and long overdue. It contains ten songs by Leslie Fish, the singer who wowed us at SeKWester*Con. Two of her funniest songs are missing due to objections from Paramount. Leslie's original lyrics and tunes are very memorable and the lyrics she wrote for traditional tuns fit without the 'forced' sound so many filksongs have. The two vocalists are Leslie Fish and Mary Frohman. Mary has the better voice, but many of her pieces sound as if she were led by hand from one note to the next. However, her version of 'Turn and Believe' will keep you humming long after you have heard it. Leslie doesn't have voice quality, but she more than makes up for it with personality. She sings as if she's really enjoying herself, and hopes you are, too. Her best song, 'Sky-Bound Blues,' is severely handicapped by background musicians who don't know the difference between a blues rhythm and a dirge. Robin Oye, Sean Rigby, and the Waco Kid provide the instrumentals and they handle their instrumental fairly. Their chief problem seems to be timing; they are often one-half beat behind the vocalist. This could explain Mary's trouble. Taken as a whole, it is a worthy first effort. Those of who heard Leslie at SeKWester*Con may be slightly disappointed by this record, but I feel it is worth the investment. I, for one, am looking forward to more from this group. Note: Written versions of all twelve songs by Leslie Fish will be available in Sol Plus #3 and #4.

The Editor recommends: FOLK SONGS FOR FOLK WHO AIN'T EVEN BEEN YET, an excellent fan recording of filksongs. (What is a filksong? A folk song, of course.) This record contains many of the well known songs you may have heard at conventions. Hear the talents of Sean Rigby, Leslie Fish, parts of the Dehorn Crew, and the Waco Kid... This is the best audiofanzine around, limited to 500 copies.

FOLK SONGS FOR FOLK WHO AIN'T EVEN BEEN YET (available from T.J. Phoenix Company, P.O. Box 48, Tinley Park, IL, 60477— $4.25) is well worth the price. Composing ten different songs, with words and original music by Leslie Fish, who also does the bulk of the singing and has a fine voice (and who also did the back cover artwork), this

LP is, indeed, very, very good. I can only hope that the Company sells out their run of 500 quickly and goes on to produce further filksong records!