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“I
t wasn’t even advertised. It mind that part of Topic’s strength had been
was Gerry Sharp putting the making those thematic albums, but they
word around that they were weren’t really reacting very readily to that
looking for some younger big explosion of young performers who
person who was perhaps were taking the music on, inspired by the
more in touch with what was going on. In tradition, and by Topic Records. The club
hindsight it was probably because Bill scene was a very vibrant scene, with people
Leader was totally separate from Topic by who could really deliver, who hadn’t devel-
then, after having worked with them for oped their music whispering into micro-
quite a long time… Bert Lloyd was the phones in their computers in their bed-
artistic advisor/ director but he was not rooms, but had to go out and perform in
really that concerned with running the front of people. And that’s always what
company. I think Gerry was recognising excited me – the quality that brought to
that Topic hadn’t really got anybody performance.”
who’d got any idea… not dissimilar in
Forty years and a slow role reversal
some ways to where I might be now. He’d
later, Tony readily admits that he doesn’t
have been about 60 odd. He wasn’t in
go out much any more and doesn’t find
touch. He and Alan Bush, who put the
much of what the current wave of young
Topic’s first release, 1939
money into Topic as a loan when it left
folk performers do to his taste.
the Workers’ Music Association, went to a
few favourite clubs, but they didn’t really
like it. That sounds like I’m being insult-
ing; they didn’t like it very much but they
recognised its social and cultural value. I
think that the impetus to record people
“I
don’t really mind what they
those records. On a personal level there’s
do, as long as they don’t do
something in the performance of per-
it all over me. Part of the
formers of that generation that I don’t
obvious reason for making
find in performers of this generation, in
The Voice Of The People was
the main. There is in the performance of
like the Watersons had come from Bill
to make the music available. I grew up
Eliza Carthy, who for me has it all. And if
Leader and Bert Lloyd to a certain extent.
without having a clue about working peo-
there were more like Eliza, in terms of
Though Bert wasn’t a hundred per cent
ple’s music and culture. It was almost as
sheer emotional content, if you like, then
Topic man, he was Bert doing his own
though it was hidden from us deliberate-
I would be happy.”
thing, so he wouldn’t be thinking ‘Oh,
ly, and I can even be persuaded to devel-
what should Topic record? Oh here’s an
op a conspiracy theory about it, but leav-
Presumably this then explains the min-
idea, you might want to do that’, which
ing that aside, I wanted to do what I
imal output of releases by new names on
he did do, but it wasn’t the main thrust.”
could to right that situation. Once it’s out
Topic over the past decade, who seem to
there, which is what I’ve been trying to
have been content to stick with a handful
“They also wanted someone to make
do, then whatever people do with it is
of key artists like Eliza Carthy, Martin
the tea and pack some records, so a young
fine. I don’t have to like it. My personal
Simpson, June Tabor and Martin Carthy
person. The main role was not that they
likes and dislikes aren’t relevant but the and hand over the ‘flagship of the contin-
were looking for a young Tony Engle to
fact that they can take and do something uing folk revival’ role to new labels like
tell them what to do, but they were look-
with it, that was all the point of making Navigator?
ing for a young Tony Engle to do all the
stock work, and if he happened to have a
bit of contact with what was going on
…and passes it on to young upstart David Suff (left), 2009.
then that was going to be good.”
“So I went for the interview and in my
naïvety thought ‘Where’s the big neon sign
that says Topic Records?’ It was in a street
in South End Green, Hampstead, very big
semi-detached houses, four storeys, right
up by the Heath, and Topic ran out of the
basement. It was a house that was owned
by Gerry’s wife, Peggy. Communism or very
strong left-wing ideals were not necessarily
the opposite of having a big house in
Hampstead. I used to laugh sneeringly at it,
and I realise that the history of me and
Topic is the history of stupidity and igno-
rance. What are they going to do? Give all
their money away? Anyway, Peggy still had
a job – I don’t know what it was, but that’s
where the money was. She was his second
or third wife, I’m not sure. He ran the com-
pany out of the basement of the house,
and it was a relatively low salary.”
“So I went for the interview, aged 23.
If I was American I would have been ‘full
of piss and vinegar’ – full of tea and por-
ridge, probably! As one does at that age
you know, your ignorance gives you great
power to tell them what they’re doing
wrong, which I did. Looking back it was
childish, arrogant, stupid, but if it did one
thing it seemed to indicate that this young
twit is not for turning. Other people prob-
ably went along saying ‘Oh it’s wonderful’.
But Gerry, being a cantankerous old guy,
said ‘Well, I don’t like this bloke but he
seems to be straight, and certainly he’s
cheap enough’, so I got the job.”
f
“It was a love/ hate relationship
because I was stupid enough to state my
views. I’m not and wasn’t particularly politi-
cally minded in terms of political parties,
but I did have a deep abiding interest in the
real traditional music. It was obvious to my Photo: Matthew Suf
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