Steeleye Span (UK)
Below the Salt (1972)
Genres:folk-rock
This is folk-rock to me. Traditional (British) songs that are (or could be) hundreds of years old, performed with modern rock equipment as well as more traditional instruments. The stuff they call folk-rock in USA; singer-songwriters with or without harmonicas, is not really my cup of tea. Steeleye Span is, however, my cup of tea and this is their finest moment. Maddy Prior's voice is as lovely as ever and the others, particularly fiddler Peter Knight and guitarist Bob Johnson, do a fine job in backing her up. I don't care for the mandatory jig or their version of "John Barleycorn", but the rest of the tracks range from good to great. The great ones include the haunting a cappella “Gaudete”, the humorous “King Henry”, the pretty “Sheepcrook and Blackdog” and the beautiful “Saucy Sailor”. If you are thinking of giving folk-rock a shot, start with this one.
This is really English sounding folk-rock stuff. As English as tea or Monty Python and that’s the sound that usually works the most in the folk-rock world. The first three songs are not that interesting though, they are merely warm-up songs for the good things to come. I wish they had left their version of “John Barleycorn Must Die” off the record since it’s quite boring. To hear how it should be done you ought to get Traffic’s version (from 1970 or thereabout). The a-cappella “Gaudete” is a lovely piece that stands out a mile and Maddy Prior’s voice is extra lovely on this. The songs that work all the way are really good, like the electric and eerie (it’s a feeling I get upon hearing this one) “Sheep-Crook and Black Dog”. “Royal Forester" is also an electric thing with the (electric) violin up front and some fine harmony vocals. “King Henry” features all those things you want: violin, harmony vocals – in fact dual vocals, female and male –, an extended vocal and violin section with bass and guitar backing. The acoustic guitar dominates the beautiful “Saucy Sailor” and it also includes some really nice and fitting piano tinkling. Although the album doesn’t include any real drums, that isn’t something you miss or even notice. Some percussion work are present on the record though. This is a good example of traditional English sounding folk-rock and I must concur with the other reviewer in saying: if you feel like exploring this genre then this is one of the best places to start.