Ewan MacColl was one of the most important folk music innovators of the 20th Century. This collection, drawn from his highly influential Topic catalog, is a wide-ranging anthology of traditional ballads and Ewan's own contemporary compositions, much of it new to CD. MacColl was a brilliant songwriter and dramatic interpreter of the great ballads, but more, he was a true innovator, and he also changed how we look at the our own folk traditions. While firmly rooted in the traditions of the British Isles, he achieved worldwide acclaim, and he is perhaps most appreciated in the USA, where he travelled and performed extensively with his wife and musical collaborator, Peggy Seeger. More than 10 years after his death, Ewan MacColl is still the best known and most influential of British folk singers.