Customer Reviews

Rocket Cottage

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

 

 

Steeleye Span had its commercial breakout success in 1975 with "All Around My Hat", both the single and the album of the same name. Their next effort, 1976's "Rocket Cottage tanked commercially, and I could not understand then, and cannot now, why. As a whole, I find this album more enjoyable that "All Around My Hat". The opening track "London" (also the lead-off single) is exactly in the vein of "All Around My Hat" and if anything sounds a little too close like it. Other standout tracks include the mesmorizing "Fighting For Strangers" (play it loud!), "Sir James the Rose", "The Twelve Witches" and "The Brown Girl" (Maggie Prior's vocals in fine form!). Quite frankly, there isn't a weak song on the album. I decked one star from my rating because this is a straight reissue (the CD clocks in at 43+ min, where are the extra tracks such as single B-sides and/or live tracks?), the sound quality is acceptable but not brilliant, and while there are fine (if straighforward) liner notes on Steeleye Span's career as a whole, there is no information whatsoever on the recording on this album (when, where, etc.), although the CD does include the lyrics to the songs. In the end, enjoy the album for its fine songs. Electric Folk at its best!

Steeleye Span's Rocket Cottage stands as my all time favorite of this genre. Fiddles, mandolin, harp and Maddy Prior's awesome, reedy voice make this FOLK music, as do the old-timey lyrics. But the electric bass, full drum kit and electric guitars make it ROCK. It is easy to hear a powerful Zep influence in the arrangements, which move me to goose-bumps now just as they did when I bought the LP about a million years ago. If you like folk music but sometimes think it is a bit tame, you will listen to this CD with your mouth open, all the way. Every song is a standout in one way or another, but Opheo/Nathan's Reel and Sir James the Rose get me near tears with their tales of heroic love, gone well or poorly. Fighting for Strangers is as great an anti-war anthem as you'll find. Hell hath no fury like The Brown Girl, who'll "dance upon your grave for twelve month and a day," if you slight her. Here is folk music ARRANGED into hyperspace, as the title suggests. I wish I could give it more than five stars. Vocally, instumentally--perfect execution. I'm done raving now.

I was disappointed on first hearing this album and it took quite a few listens before it grew on me. I still have my reservations about it. It has a much chunkier bass, drums and guitar sound than the preceding "Hat" album. On the instrumental Sligo Maid, for instance, Peter Knight plays second fiddle(no pun intended)to Bob Johnson`s rocky guitar riff, which is a shame. The live recording of this track on "Gone To Australia" is a better version, with the fiddle playing taking pride of place. Another instance of this preponderance of guitar is on James the Rose which, to me, sounds like a straight rock song, which is all well and good, but Steeleye were capable of much more imaginative arrangements of traditional songs than that. The same might be said for Twelve Witches if it weren`t for the fact that the repetitive and uninteresting(by Steeleye standards) musical arrangement is saved by Rick Kemp`s brilliant vocals. London is a pleasant enough offering, jolly and jaunty. Maddy Prior is in great voice on Orfeo, at the end of which is a truly gorgeous violin solo, Nathan`s Reel, named after Peter Knight`s son, incidentally. Brown Girl is a sort of pop-sounding rendition of a traditional song. Not bad, but probably my least favourite track on the album. Again, it`s the uninspired and uninspiring arrangement, but Maddy sounds as good as ever. Tim Hart and Maddy sing on Fighting for Strangers (Tim the verses and Maddy the chorus) - great track with some interesting percussion from Nigel Pegrum mixed in. The last track on the album, The Drunkard, is something of a controversy amongst fans, because it was recorded `in real time` and before the song starts there is some spontaneous banter amongst the band members who then launch into an unscheduled and jokey performance of a few lines of `Camptown Races`. None of this is a problem for me, however. I think it adds a certain charm and character to the album. The Drunkard is a sad and moving traditional song, well sung by Maddy, and with some lovely mandolin and violin accompaniment. Anyway, it all comes down to individual taste. Fans who take exception to The Drunkard are probably the same people who consider James the Rose to be a classic, which I don`t happen to agree with. I almost forgot to mention The Bosnian Hornpipes, which is a brief a capella piece, the title of which I think is an example of the band`s sense of humour, i.e. it`s neither Bosnian nor a hornpipe. Short but sweet.

This is one of my favorite folk-rock albums of all time, along with Steeleye's All Around My Hat. The British folk heritage is definitely there in songs like Orfeo, and almost every song is great rock music as well.

With their ninth effort, Steeleye made what just may be their first somewhat uneven album. It is a close call.

There are some real gems here. "Orfeo/Nathan's Reel," and "The Twelve Witches" can stand with any classic Steeleye track. They alone are worth getting this CD for. Then there are the almost as good tracks like "London," "Fighting For Stranger" and "Sir James The Road."

The problem is that at times this album does not quite hang together as a whole, and the production occasionally seems a bit ill suited. Still, these are fairly minor quibbles. Steeleye fans will no doubt want to get this one, although neophytes would be best advised to look elsewhere for their introduction.

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.

I was disappointed on first hearing this album and it took quite a few listens before it grew on me. I still have my reservations about it. It has a much chunkier bass, drums and guitar sound than the preceding "Hat" album. On the instrumental Sligo Maid, for instance, Peter Knight plays second fiddle(no pun intended)to Bob Johnson`s rocky guitar riff, which is a shame. The live recording of this track on "Gone To Australia" is a better version, with the fiddle playing taking pride of place. Another example of this preponderance of guitar is on James the Rose which, to me, sounds like a straight rock song, which is all well and good, but Steeleye were capable of much more imaginative arrangements of traditional songs than that. The same might be said for Twelve Witches if it weren`t for the fact that the repetitive and uninteresting(by Steeleye standards) musical arrangement is saved by Rick Kemp`s brilliant vocals. London is a pleasant enough offering, jolly and jaunty. The Bosnian Hornpipes, which, to the best of my knowledge, has nothing to do with either Bosnia or hornpipes, is a brief a-capella traditional-sounding ("diddly-aye" etc..) piece. Short but sweet. Maddy Prior is in great voice on Orfeo, at the end of which is a truly gorgeous violin solo, Nathan`s Reel, named after Peter Knight`s son, incidentally. Brown Girl is a sort of pop-sounding rendition of a traditional song. Not bad, but probably my least favourite track on the album. Again, it`s the uninspired and uninspiring arrangement, but Maddy sounds as good as ever. Tim Hart and Maddy sing on Fighting for Strangers (Tim the verses and Maddy the chorus) - great track with some interesting percussion from Nigel Pegrum mixed in. The last track on the album, The Drunkard, is something of a controversy amongst fans, because it was recorded `in real time` and before the song starts there is some spontaneous banter amongst the band members who then launch into an unscheduled and jokey performance of a few lines of `Camptown Races`. None of this is a problem for me, however. I think it adds a certain charm and character to the album. The Drunkard is a sad and moving traditional song, well sung by Maddy, and with some lovely mandolin and violin accompaniment. Anyway, it all comes down to individual taste. Fans who take exception to The Drunkard are probably the same people who consider James the Rose to be a classic, which I don`t happen to agree with.

During the "sophomoric studio antics" the previous reviewer mentions, the comment about "getting stoned" is actually one of the band member's (Nigel?) mentioning that the song they're playing sounds an awful lot like "Everybody Must Get Stoned."

I was disappointed on first hearing this album and it took quite a few listens before it grew on me. I still have my reservations about it. It has a much chunkier bass, drums and guitar sound than the preceding "Hat" album. On the instrumental Sligo Maid, for instance, Peter Knight plays second fiddle(no pun intended)to Bob Johnson`s rocky guitar riff, which is a shame. The live recording of this track on "Gone To Australia" is a better version, with the fiddle playing taking pride of place. Another instance of this preponderance of guitar is on James the Rose which, to me, sounds like a straight rock song, which is all well and good, but Steeleye were capable of much more imaginative arrangements of traditional songs than that. The same might be said for Twelve Witches if it weren`t for the fact that the repetitive and uninteresting(by Steeleye standards) musical arrangement is saved by Rick Kemp`s brilliant vocals. London is a pleasant enough offering, jolly and jaunty. Maddy Prior is in great voice on Orfeo, at the end of which is a truly gorgeous violin solo, Nathan`s Reel, named after Peter Knight`s son, incidentally. Brown Girl is a sort of pop-sounding rendition of a traditional song. Not bad, but probably my least favourite track on the album. Again, it`s the uninspired and uninspiring arrangement, but Maddy sounds as good as ever. Tim Hart and Maddy sing on Fighting for Strangers (Tim the verses and Maddy the chorus) - great track with some interesting percussion from Nigel Pegrum mixed in. The last track on the album, The Drunkard, is something of a controversy amongst fans, because it was recorded `in real time` and before the song starts there is some spontaneous banter amongst the band members who then launch into an unscheduled and jokey performance of a few lines of `Camptown Races`. None of this is a problem for me, however. I think it adds a certain charm and character to the album. The Drunkard is a sad and moving traditional song, well sung by Maddy, and with some lovely mandolin and violin accompaniment. Anyway, it all comes down to individual taste. Fans who take exception to The Drunkard are probably the same people who consider James the Rose to be a classic, which I don`t happen to agree with. I almost forgot to mention The Bosnian Hornpipes, which is a brief a capella piece, the title of which I think is an example of the band`s sense of humour, i.e. it`s neither Bosnian nor a hornpipe. Short but sweet.

The Drunkard is a wasted song,apart from that track not a bad CD.