Customer Reviews

All Around My Hat

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album sounds like a glossier version of a "Liege and Lief"-era Fairport Convention. Maddy Prior and whichever of the guitarists is doing the male lead vocals (my CD has lyrics, but no band or song credits) both have fine strong voices, and remind me more than a little of Fairport's Denny and Swarbrick. Although several songs have been decked out with orchestration, it doesn't overwhelm the band like on a Renaissance album. On "Batchelors Hall", the big wall of strings on the chorus makes the vocals seem fuller. The production is crisp, and the playing and harmonies are fine without being showy. I like my folk-rock to lean toward rock, and this album doesn't disappoint. "All Around My Hat", "Hard Times of Old England", and "Dance with Me" are all lively danceable tunes. "Black Jack Davy" is an adultery song reminiscent of "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" or "Matty Groves". "Gamble Gold" describes a fight between Robin Hood and his cousin, while "Dance with Me" cheerfully recounts an elf princess' attempt to seduce a knight. This is my first Steeleye Span CD, and it's given me a taste for more.

Steeleye Span pioneered folk rock along with Fairport convention (whose music I still haven't picked up yet, though I've been meaning to for variety's sake). If you're a Steeleye Span fan, you will like this CD. Period. It's a Steeleye classic, and one of my many favorites.

Skip the newer releases, like: They Called Her Babylon, Bedlam Born, Bloody Men.

Go for the Classics: Tempted and Tried, All Around my Hat, Sails of Silver, Storm Force Ten, Rocket Cottage, Hark! The Village Wait, Please to See the King, Ten Man Mop, Commoners Crown, Now We Are Six, Parcel of Rogues, Below the Salt, Back in Line.

If you must pick up "modern" Steelye albums, pick up: Time (one of their best "modern" releases) and Horkstow Grange (their other good "modern" release). "Winter" is supposed to also be good, on par with the classics (traditional arrangements of holiday songs), though I haven't yet seen it.

The above "classic" albums cover the early and middle years.

In spite of the opinion of the editorial review that you'll find earlier on this page this album deserves greater recognition for its good points. This was my initial Steeleye Span purchase. I first heard "All Around My Hat" on KISW in Seattle, Washington late one night and immediately fell in love with Maddy Prior's voice (I've still got the tape of that original broadcast.) Purchase of the album the next day (sometime in 1975 if memory serves) proved to me that my initial impression was correct. Maddy's wonderful soprano comes through beautifully on this album and it will make any listener sit up and take notice.

If nothing else this album is a wonderful way to introduce others, particularly people with a rock'n'roll background, to English folk music. In spite of the adverse commentary of the editorial I find that this album stands up very well against other Steeleye Span albums (and I have all of them.) The lyricism of "Old England" or "Gamble Gold (Robin Hood)" is also to be found on other Steeleye Span albums, including earlier ones such as _Hark The Village Wait_, with it's wonderful, indeed haunting, version of "Dark Eyed Sailor."

Going to the other end of the spectrum is the strictly instrumental "Sum Waves (Tunes)." It's arrangement is simple, in keeping with the instrumentation, and certainly worth the time it takes to listen to it. In like manner "Cadgwith Anthem" is done largely a cappela (there are some horns mixed in for the last verse), hardly the overly orchestrated, poorly mixed tune that the editorial writer would have you believe make up this album.

Suffice it to say that this album belongs in any Steeleye Span fan's collection. Also, if you have no other Steeleye Span album, this is the one to have. If you're at all like me you'll end up with all the wonderful albums from this very talented, if much overlooked and misunderstood, group of eclectic Englishpersons. The music has held up extremely well with the passing years and I am sure that it will continue to do so.

This was my first Steeleye Span album, and on first hearing Black Jack Davy I was enchanted. It`s a fine example of Bob Johnson`s talent for adapting a traditional tune in such a way that it is completely re-invented, given new life, but still manages to sound `traditional` and `authentic`. Wonderful. This is one album that I always listen to right the way through and never get bored with any of the tracks. If the `purists` don`t approve then no one is forcing them to buy/listen to it. British traditional music just HAD to be adapted to a rock format - it was inevitable, and frankly I think that most of Steeleye Span`s rearrangements of old songs actually sound much better than the original dry and stuffy old acoustic versions. That`s my opinion, anyway. The only reason there was no folk/ROCK back in ye olde tymes was because musicians didn`t have electric instruments.....
In response to an earlier reviewer, and to the best of my knowledge, Tim Hart sings lead vocal on Wife of Ushers Well, Bob Johnson on Gamble Gold, and Rick Kemp(bass player) sings lead vocal on Batchelors Hall. The first album that Peter Knight(fiddler) sang lead on, I think, was Sails of Silver(1980).

This would have to be one of my favourite albums. The title track is an old 19th Century Folk Song which is given a modern flavour yet stil retains its origins thanks to Maddy Prior's exquisite vocals and her talented band of musicians. Since buying this album I have colected every Steeleye Span CD that I could get my hands on and was very happy to learn that Maddy Prior went on to achieve success as a solo artist. This band's unique sound will enthrall and and capture the listener.

My mom bought this in 1976, and I've listened to it ever since, going from vinyl, cassette, to CD. Maddy Prior's lovely voice inspired me to start singing when I first heard this, and I haven't stopped yet. Wonderful!

All aound my hat is truely one of Steeleye's best. The album kicks off with "Black Jack Davy", a wonderful, amazing swithc off between male and female vocals. The Highlights include "The Wife of Ushers Well", a beautiful 3 part harmony (I have a live version where they use five part harmony), and "All Around my Hat", which is basically a jig with lyrics. Even while riding in a car I can't help but dance to the lively rythm. I bet Maddy Prior was dancing in the recording studio when she recorded this song. You would have to be a pretty sour square not to like "All Around My Hat". It's a great album. Trust Me! (I'm under twelve years old)

I can't really agree with some of what one of the other reviewers (Mr. Morley) makes of this Steeleye Span album. Almost everyone else agrees that "Parcel of Rogues" and "Below the Salt" are far and away their best albums; "All Around My Hat" irritated a lot of people in the folk community when it came out for its rather blatant attempt at crossover at the expense of ground already gained. That said, neither can one really criticize the results in absolute terms. Pryor's voice *does* sound great, the title cut *was* a hit, and the material does stand up reasonably. But the arrangements are less interesting and more pop-like than either the albums that preceded or followed it, giving one a greater feeling of sell-out than planned exploration. I've actually always preferred the rather less-known "Rocket Cottage," which followed it, but that's not available now. Perhaps the most that can be said about "All Around My Hat" is that it was an experiment that succeeded commercially yet ended up alienating the group's core following, which remained folk-oriented rather than pop-oriented.

Steeleye Span / All Around My Hat: British folk done Rock style. This is a wonderful and entertaining CD. Listening to this album is pure joy. Five Stars.

"All Around My Hat" from 1975 was Steeleye Span's follow-up album to the artistically very successful "Commoner's Crown". A new producer, Mike Batt, had been hired and there is generally a harder and less polished sound on this album. "All Around My Hat" was the be the band's best selling album. The title-track single was also their most succesful hit-single reaching number 7 on the UK charts.

The songs are mostly new band compositions to old traditional lyrics, a concept the band had followed for some years at this point. Like on "Commoners Crown" the songwriting is generally great, with great melodies such as "Wife of Usher's Well", "Black Jack Davy", "Bachelors Hall" and of course "All Around My Hat".

"Hard Times of Old England" is a traditional tune in the same boogie beat as the title track, and almost as catchy. "Cadgwith Anthem" is another traditional tune, performed in Steeleye Span's wellknown and impressive a capella style.

A few tracks come out slightly light weight, which is the reason that I don't rate the album quite as highly as "Commoners Crown" and "Parcel of Rogues"; but it's still easily worth five stars.