STEELYE
SPAN –EST’d 1969
From the opening notes of the first song,
I felt that I was listening to an older album by Steeleye Span. Not the oldest,
since there was percussion. While I knew it was a new release to celebrate 50
years of the group, the sound essentially was the same. There have been
personnel changes, and obviously new traditional folk ballads are not being
written. But the way in which the music is arranged, adapted, and performed is
superb.
To understand what an accomplishment this
is, compare/contrast Steeleye with the other venerable folk/rock group,
Fairport Convention, who has been around roughly the same amount of time. Fairport’s
lineup has change many times over the decades. Their current line up could not
be expected to play, for example, Liege
and Leaf. To me that says that they have decided to branch into new
directions, and more power to them. Their annual Croperdy Festival carries on
the old ways and features newer music.
But that Steeleye has found younger
musicians who play traditional material says to me that it is possible to
re-create the past. There are two songs from the Child book (The Boy and the Mantle- Three Tests of
Chastity) and Mackerel of the Sea.
Along with more traditional material are some newer songs. Roadways is based on a John Maesfield poem, ad Reclaimed written by Rose-Ellen Kemp, daughter of Maddy Prior and
Steeleye alumnus Rick Kemp.
I remember hearing both Steeleye and
Fairport in concert during the 1970s. Steeleye came to a folk music festival at
Penn State; since I was with campus radio, I was fortunate to interview them
and hung around with a number of the band (also Aly Bain and the Boys of the
Lough).
Est’d
1969 is a good introduction to a seminal band. They intentionally chose not
to put together a release of earlier recordings, but to present new material.
And may they continue!
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