| The Unfortunate Rake | |
| Type: | compilation |
| Artist: | Various Artists |
| Cover: | The Unfortunate Rake.jpeg |
| Released: | 1960 |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Length: | 50:30 |
| Label: | Folkways |
| Producer: | Kenneth S. Goldstein |
The Unfortunate Rake is an album released by Folkways Records in 1960, containing 20 different variations from what is sometimes called the 'Rake' cycle of ballads. The album repeats a claim made by Phillips Barry in 1911 that the song is Irish in origin, a claim made on the basis of a fragment called "My Jewel My Joy" collected in Ireland in 1848.[1] The song is incorrectly said to have been heard in Dublin, when the cited source states it was collected and had been heard in Cork.[2] However, the notes to the album make no mention of what is now thought to be the oldest written version of the song, one called "The Buck's Elegy".[3]
The album contains what appears to be claimed to be one of the earliest-known written versions of the whole song, a "19th century broadside text", sung by A L Lloyd. No source reference is given for this song. The liner notes refer the reader to an article written by Lloyd for "Sing" magazine in 1956.[4] In this article, Lloyd refers to the 19th century broadside published by Such, which is a song called "The Unfortunate Lad". However, the words sung by Lloyd are not identical to those on the Such broadside.[5] Significantly, in view of the research later done on the origin of the song St James' Infirmary, and in view of attempts to find a British hospital with the name St James',[6] some of which research cites this LP as a source, the words St James' Hospital do not feature on the Such broadside, nor in "The Buck's Elegy".
The album also includes the variations that evolved from the earliest song, including the American standards "St. James Infirmary Blues" and "The Streets of Laredo". The album also contains songs written for humorous and political purposes, like "The Ballad of Sherman Wu" and "The Professor's Lament".
