Spanning The Years - Steeleye Span

What is there to say about Steeleye Span to the unacquainted? The immediate comparison that leaps to mind is to the contemporary British folk-group, Fairport Convention, but it is unlikely that many of Fairport's fans will have managed to miss out on Steeleye altogether, and they, too, have faded rather into obscurity, rendering the comparison quite useless. Therefore, to start from the beginning:

Steeleye Span are one of those groups ...
...line-up for more than two albums at a time. That said, the thing about Steeleye is that it doesn't matter what incarnation of the band you are listening to, they are *always good*. My RealOne Player informs me that they fit into the category of 'folk-rock', but with the exception of a few songs - such as the techno-enhanced Thomas The Rhymer - I would say that the emphasis is a great deal more on the folk.

Over the years, Steeleye ... more

What is there to say about Steeleye Span to the unacquainted? The immediate comparison that leaps to mind is to the contemporary British folk-group, Fairport Convention, but it is unlikely that many of Fairport's fans will have managed to miss out on Steeleye altogether, and they, too, have faded rather into obscurity, rendering the comparison quite useless. Therefore, to start from the beginning:

Steeleye Span are one of those groups who don't seem to be able to keep a static line-up for more than two albums at a time. That said, the thing about Steeleye is that it doesn't matter what incarnation of the band you are listening to, they are *always good*. My RealOne Player informs me that they fit into the category of 'folk-rock', but with the exception of a few songs - such as the techno-enhanced Thomas The Rhymer - I would say that the emphasis is a great deal more on the folk.

Over the years, Steeleye Span have recorded an incredible number of songs, many of which have been traditional English folk-tunes. Some of these they have recorded faithfully to the original accepted renderings, but many they have altered with their inimitable electric edge. Further songs are American folk-tunes, while there are also a considerable number that the band wrote for themselves. The most famous of Steeleye Span's songs, however, is probably Gaudete, a monastic chant in Latin usually associated with Christmas albums. ('Gaudete' means 'Rejoice'; the line is 'Gaudete, Gaudete! Christus est nostus...' which means, 'Rejoice, rejoice, for Christ is born!')

Gaudete is certainly a worthy song to buy the album for on its own, presided over as it is by Maddy Prior's pure, Celtic-inspired voice singing what would ordinarily be the choirboy's part. However, this album contains a further thirty-four tracks, most of which will not be familiar in this form to those of the public who do not venture into the folk-music scene. They are an eclectic mixture, of which my personal favourites are the heart-rending 'Lovely on the Water'; the gloriously mischievous 'Marrowbones'; 'Long Lankin', the band's take on the Northern folk-story; the wonderfully bouncy 'All Around My Hat'; and 'John Barleycorn', an electrified folktune whose melody established itself recently in my head and refused to decamp for a fortnight.

I cannot say whether this album would be accessible to the general public, given that I am personally a fan of folk-music. What I can say, however, is that Steeleye Span are never static in their style, and that there is enough variety on this album that even the biggest sceptic is sure to find something to like. And, besides - have you ever *tried* modern folk-music? You might just be surprised. And with Maddy singing, you really can't lose. 

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