Customer Reviews

Original Masters

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Steeleye Span was easily the most rock-oriented of the small handful of British traditionalist bands that first appeared in the late '60s. They were also the most popular, attaining unexpected chart successes at home. Span simultaneously managed to develop a surprisingly huge U.S.-based cult following thanks to a fortuitous and enthusiastically received appearance as the opening band to labelmates Jethro Tull during one of Tull's most extensive early 70's North American concert tours. For a few years, their wonderfully catchy songs were regularly played on more adventurous FM radio stations. Although the band broke up in 1977, they soon reformed and to date still sporadically tour to the delight of progressively smaller audiences throughout the world.

If you are going to buy only one album from Steeleye Span, make it ORIGINAL MASTERS, a great collection of songs from the band's most productive and exciting period (1970 -1976). Nearly all of the band's finest tunes from their first 10 albums are on hand, including their two UK Top Ten hits, "All Around My Hat" and "Gaudete". The regrettable inclusion of a live track and two forgettable jigs does nothing to mar the brilliance of the remaining 19 tracks. A few of the songs are somewhat dated by clunky 70-ish rock arrangements, but overall most of them have a real timeless feel.

If you have any interest whatsoever in traditional folk music (British or otherwise) and/or eccentric rock music from any era, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of ORIGINAL MASTERS.

This double album was my introduction to Steeleye Span, some 20 years ago, and the songs it contains are still among my favorites. It's a good and representative sampling of cuts from their early albums, great tunes with good instrumentation and strong vocals. It also includes a song, The Bonny Moorhen, that wasn't released on any of the separate albums, and is well worth a listen.

With the exception of the two instrumental jigs and the live version of The Wife of Ushers Well, each of the songs here are terrific. True none of the musicians are virtuosos but they deliver the material with such energy and enthusiasm that one can't help but be swept up by the joy of their collective efforts. Each tune is a traditional English folk song re-modeled in a contemporary rock sound. Masterful. Maddy Prior's vocals in particular standout. A wonderful introduction to a unique and exceptional band. Highly recommended...Simon

I like a lot of these songs, but I purchased the CD for some of the songs that Amazon shows as being on the disc that aren't. Either Amazon copied the song list from the LP version of "Original Masters" or the CD has been changed.

The actual CD track list is (1) Sir James the Rose (2) Black Jack Davy (3) All Around My Hat (4) The Wife of Ushers Well (5) Fighting for Strangers (6) Thomas the Rhymer (7) Seven Hundred Elves (8) Long Lankin (9) Elf Call (Disc Two)(1) Cam Ye O'Er Frae France (2) Bonny Morhen (3) Alison Gross (4) The Mooncoin Jig (5) Drink Down the Moon (6) Skewball (7) Lovely on the Water (8) Jigs: The Bride's Favorites/Tansey's Fancy (9) One Misty Moisty Moorning (10) Saucy Sailor (11) Gaudete.

My mother had this album on tape in the 70s. It began a love of British folk music that has lasted to this day.

The tracks on "Original Masters" (yes, Amazon's listing is wrong - see the Spotlight Review for corrections) are at turns entertaining, lighthearted, mysterious, haunting, and chilling. Though purists object to the rock styling, which is dated at times, this compilation is accessible and endlessly satisfying.

Folk is music for everyone, and all human (and supernatural) life is here. My favourite songs which follow have lost none of their power in the twenty-five years that I have known them. As Ray Charles explained when asked why he loved country music, "It's the stories".

* Sir James The Rose - gasp at his betrayal and killing.
* Black Jack Davy - the mystery of marital relationships.
* The Wife of Usher's Well - wonder, as I still do, exactly what happened to her sons.
* Lovely On The Water - timeless sadness (and Maddy Prior's voice at its purest).
* Thomas the Rhymer - a mystical encounter in medieval Scotland from a genuine historical figure (Thomas Learmount).
* Drink Down the Moon - a heady arrangement and allusive lyrics to transport you to another time.
* Saucy Sailor - ask yourself if you are truly free.
* Long Lankin - the horror of remote places (in this case, the Northumberland moors). Worthy of a metal cover version.

The LP version of this CD was my introduction to Steeleye Span -- I was enchanted by what others who have reviewed it found to be disappointing, that is infusing folk ballads with driving rock accompaniment. That is very much to my taste, and my music collection is filled with others that do the same thing -- Steve McDonald, Great Big Sea, Wolfstone, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like my trad, too, but this is a fresh twist on an old friend.

My big quibble is that they left off a couple of songs from the LP version that I really liked, such as A Calling On Song, and substituted a couple of others that are at best all right. However, for the most part, I am as pleased with this as I was with the original album, and highly recommend it to anyone with a taste for something a little different.

Other artists/albums recommended: Steve McDonald (Sons of Somerled, Legacy); Wolfstone (anything); Great Big Sea (esp. the live albums).

My aunt gave me a vinyl copy of this today. It is some great stuff. I have been listening to Steeleye Span since I was less than a year old. It is a greatest hits compilation of songs from their albums up until Rocket Cottage. The majority of the songs, if not all, are all traditional lyrics, subjects ranging from war heros to murder to evil to romance. I would reccomend this to anyone wanting to hear some great stuff. So get this album, it rules.

I was familiar with Maddy Prior through "Summer Solstice" and "Carols and Capers," both of which I like very much. So Steeleye Span came as something of a shock.

To my trad-folk tastes, this music is *embarrassing.* It sounds like something out of Spinal Tap. It's all the more frustrating because they're still recognizably great songs -- often performed by great voices -- but they're buried under so much art-rock posturing that you can barely hear them.

Obviously if you're a Steeleye Span fan you're going to say I'm missing the point. If you're only familiar with the artists in their more traditional mode, though, be sure to listen to the samples before you buy the CD.