A new edition as part of the Faber Greatest Hits - books that have taken writing about music in new and exciting directions for the twenty-first century. In this groundbreaking survey of more than a century of music-making in the British Isles, Rob Young investigates how the idea of folk has been handed down and transformed by successive generations. A sweeping panorama of Albion's soundscape, from the pioneer spirit of Cecil Sharp to the visionary pop of Kate Bush, Julian Cope and Talk Talk, via the folk influences of Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, Mr Fox, Trees and the early outdoor music festivals, Electric Eden presents a landmark reading of this island's music, and the spirit that informs it.