Dick Gaughan’s Handful of Earth is a landmark 1981 album of Scottish and Irish traditional song, combining powerful political material with Gaughan’s distinctive voice and intricate acoustic guitar playing. The record moves between traditional ballads, workers’ songs and contemporary writing with an unusually direct and uncompromising approach. Highlights include “Erin-Go-Bragh,” “Now Westlin Winds,” “The World Turned Upside Down” and “Both Sides the Tweed.”
