(United Kingdom) The British folk repertoire is a vibrant and compelling one, that relates the stories of the working class men and women who lived through harsh monarchies, the industrial revolution and the rise and fall of empire. "Hard Times of Old England" hails from the 18th Century, and is a song from the Copper family, one of several British folk dynasties.  (It was also made popular by the BritRock band Steeleye Span, who set it to a romping rock shuffle.) Here the song is further altered by The Imagined Village’s Billy Bragg with a new set of updated lyrics (hence "retold"). The Imagined Village is an ensemble created by Transglobal Underground's Simon Emmerson, who envisioned a group that would reflect Britain's contemporary social identity. So along with the latest generation of the Copper Family and Martin and Eliza Carthy, we have Johny Kalsi playing the Dhol, and Sheema Mukherjee on sitar, in a live performance at the Real World studios.Visit Real World Records