 |
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.
 |
Parcel of Rogues (1973)Genres: folk-rock |
This is not a successful follow-upper to the sometimes brilliant ”Below the Salt”, on this album real drums are introduced on some occasions in the sound, as well as a rockier approach. Especially the electric guitars are turned up real loud. This is not the reason the album fails; because there are obvious evidences of songs were it all works out fine. The electrifying “Alison Gross” and “The Wee Wee Man” are good examples. The former ends with so much feedback and distortion you’d think it’s Hendrix or Jimmy Page playing, the latter – while a good electric rock track in itself – suffers enormously from the bands decision of repeating the chorus “His beard was long and white as a swan/His robe was neither green or grey/He clapped his hands – down came the mist…” every other second. Other songs as “One Misty Moisty Morning” and, although to a lesser degree, “Alison Gross” also suffer from this. “Rogues In a Nation” is a shot at repeating the grandiosity of last year’s “Gaudete”. It doesn’t make it that far but it’s a good try, though it’s too long. “Robbery With Violins” is a good instrumental, the name says it all. The mystic and enchanting “Cam Ye O’er Frae France” is the real masterpiece on the album (in fact the only one). It’s largely build on Prior’s amazing vocal performance, which is very complicated and trying. Songs like “The Ups and Downs” and “Hares on the Mountain” are especially disappointing, they are just so lame and silly. Some tracks don’t do anything at all, this seems to be because the band is clearly in the phase of forsake the “Below the Salt” and earlier album sounds for the future “folk-commercial” sound of “All Around My Hat”. The band at this time seems very confused at just what they wanted. Alright, so this album isn’t on pair with “Below the Salt”, but it isn’t as bad as it seems on comparison to that album. It is in the shadow of “Salt” but on it’s own it’s a decent album.
 |
All Around My Hat (1975)Genres: folk-rock |
Another inch more pop/rock and another inch less folk-rock, and the pop/rock material is another inch weaker than on ”Parcel of Rogues” as well. It’s however still folk rock that’s played on the album, an album saved by two very good songs, “Black Jack Davy” and “Gamble Gold (Robin Hood)”. The line-up now features a fulltime drummer in Nigel Pegrum, the one and same Pegrum who used to drum in Gnidrolog. Pegrum also plays some flute; notably on “Gamble Gold”. Most songs are very tiresome and pushy in that way that the choruses are many and repeated to boredom in one and the same song, just listen to “Hard Times of Old England” or “Cadwith Anthem” and you will understand. And if they may have done songs like that before the difference is that the material on “All Around My Hat” is simply of low quality (the last song on the record even sounds like Country music to me). Some nice exceptions are however present: besides the abovementioned the heavy “Wife of Usher Wells” is decent enough and the warm and jovial “Dance With Me” is also quite good. This is still folk-rock and the mandolin and the violins are still here, but still it’s more pop/rock than before and a fulltime drummer may also add to this. The material is weak and I suggest that anyone interesting in exploring Steeleye Span or folk-rock should start with some earlier album, on recommendation “Below the Salt”.
