Below the Salt

Steeleye Span

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 1989)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shanachie
• ASIN: B000000E75
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,903 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Indie Music > Folk > Folk Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Like Fleetwood Mac would five years later, Steeleye Span had lost its most celebrated members, Fairport Convention alumnus Ashley Hutchings and guitarist Martin Carthy, when they reconvened in a comparatively anonymous lineup that proved to be their most successful. This 1972 album found vocalist Maddy Prior and guitarist Tim Hart (who'd worked as a duo prior to joining Steeleye) taking the reins, with violinist Peter Knight providing an instrumental foil for the then-drummerless quintet's electric and acoustic guitars. Prior's regal alto and a carefully chosen program of traditional songs (including a medieval Christmas hymn, "Gaudete," that's among the few rock songs extant boasting a Latin lyric) sustain the album's decidedly pre-industrial mood. Below the Salt stands as a British folk-rock classic. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This 19-year-old music student's favorite album of all time, February 17, 2003

By	BGFN8 "If you ain't listenin' you ain't livin'" (Massapequa, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This album, along with its sister, Parcel of Rogues, are my two favorite albums of all time. I first heard them before I was old enough to walk, talk, and go to the bathroom on my own. My mother used to read me stories and sing the words to the tune of "Spotted Cow." My father used to rock me to sleep singing their songs. I continued listening to these albums as I grew older and older. Last year, I finally purchased them on CD. I will be 20 this year, and this music still remains one of the most listened to in my 200 large and growing CD collection.

It seems odd thinking of them as ordinary people and musicians at times, because for me, they created a world that was, and still is, nothing short of magical. But now that I am older, I know that (I probably sound like a moron now). But anyway, onto the music.

Much of this album is very medieval, telling tales of old. All of the lyrics are traditional, so some terms such as "maidenhead" may not be understood by the inexperienced. My personal favorite off here is "King Henry," an epic tale which can be well described as Beauty and the Beast reversed. It tells the story of a female beast, who forces the poor king kill his beloved animals for food, and sleep with her. In the end, she turns into a beautiful girl. The tune penned by guitarist Bob Johnson in the key of G minor make it all the more thrilling to hear, and to this day remains arguably my favorite song ever.

Every song tells a story and recalls a time hundreds of years ago, as these songs are hundreds of years old. "Spotted Cow" is a romance tale of a woman who has lost her cow, and a man helps her find it, and they also find romance together. The jigs recall festival dancing in Ireland. dancing in Ireland. "Royal Forrester" is a tale of rape and marriage. "John Barleycorn" is a song about the making of beer, different from Traffic's classic version of it, but the Traffic version will also remind one of Steeleye. The hit off this album is "Gaudete," a Christmas latin chant which when listened to sounds like an ancient church choir walking through the hills singing in the wee hours of Christmas morning. There is plenty to offer here as far as story entertainment and excellent music.

This album (along with Parcel of Rogues) as been with me my whole life, and is a major part of who I am. I would recommend this album to anyone wanting to hear great traditional music. If I don't know what else to listen to, just like I have my whole life, I can turn to this and never get bored of it. Hey, I've been listening to it for almost 20 years, and I still haven't tired of it, and I never will. There is no question that when I have children, I will introduce them to this wonderful music. There are many albums I love, but this and Parcel Of Rogues will always hold a special place in my heart.

5/5

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album changed my life--it can change your's too!!!, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

Before I heard Steeleye Span, my musical tastes were only that of hard rock and heavy metal. But when I heard "Below the Salt," my life changed forever! I had never heard of a band that did old English folk songs with a rock attitude until I heard Steelye Span. From the epic "King Henry," to their first major Top 40 hit with the lating chant Gaudete--"Below the Salt" will have you wanting more of Steelye. I recomend ALL their albums. After you try this, get Parecel of Rouges, then "Hark!, the Village Wait." Also try one of their latest, "Time"--the last Maddy Prior album. Their most recent called "Horkstow Grange" is somewhat dissappointing without Maddy but still an album to buy once you get into the band. Let me know what you think. This is the band that changed my life forever--oven your mind, your ears, and open your soul. Travel to a world long ago with tales of ghosts, kings, maidens, and knights. Go their with the help of Steeleye Span!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Their Two Best, November 15, 2003

By	Moldyoldie (Motown, USA) - See all my reviews

With this album, Steeleye Span came to the fore of the British folk/rock movement and made serious headway with American listeners. Though it begins with the precious yet jaunty "Spotted Cow" followed by the forlorn "Rosebud In June" and then some snappy jigs, the songs become progressively complex thereafter. Tunes such as "Sheepcrook and Blackdog", "Royal Forester", the resplendent "King Henry", and a cappela "Gaudete" are haunting beyond belief. The interplay between voices, guitars, bass, and violin is unlike anything one will hear on record. The way these elements and the spirit of Olde England perfectly meld in a relatively "low-production" manner would later be replicated, with added drums and percussion, on the group's other best album Commoner's Crown. Their rendition of "John Barleycorn" breaks the serious mood just long enough to set the stage for the beautiful concluding tune "Saucy Sailor".
I have owned and listened to all the group's albums through Get In Line and must conclude that Below the Salt and Commoner's Crown are the essential albums to own while their other efforts would tend to sway toward more ancillary tastes. Try them for yourself and see.