Rating:
Genre:
Folk
Release Date: 04/28/2009
Originally released by British
RCA, this debut album by
Steeleye Span's original lineup --
Ashley Hutchings (bass),
Tim Hart (electric guitar, electric dulcimer, banjo, harmonium, vocals),
Maddy Prior (vocals, banjo),
Terry Woods (mandola, mandolin, electric guitar, vocals), and
Gay Woods (vocals, concertina, bodhran) -- barely made it out the door before
Gay and
Terry Woods exited. This was probably the best singing edition of
Steeleye Span, with
Gay Woods and
Maddy Prior melding beautifully on tracks like
"Dark-Eyed Sailor" and
"My Johnnie Was a Shoemaker," and
Terry Woods adding some realistic coarseness on
"The Hills of Greenmore." The sound is fully electric here (with superb playing on the epic
"Lowlands of Holland"), if not as aggressive or well crafted as later albums --
Hart,
Hutchings, and
Woods comprise a good core band, and
Gerry Conway and
Fairport Convention's
Dave Mattacks sit in on drums.
~Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Listen
