Steeleye Span

Originally as folk duo formed in 1972 by husband and wife Mike and Mandy Morton, they released their debut album "Jack With A Feather" in 1975 under the name Spriguns Of Tolgus. It contained mostly traditional tunes and was written by Steeleye Span's Tim Hart which gives a fair indication of where they were coming from musically at the time. It also brought them to the attention of a major label, Decca Records, and after reducing their name to the more economical 'Spriguns' they released "Revel Weird And Wild" and "Time Will Pass" in 1976 and 1977 respectively.

Jacqui McShee & Friends - English Christmas Carols
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 268 MB | Full Artwork: 37 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Goya # 870 008 | Country/Year: Germany 1994
Genre: Folk, Special Interest | Style: English Folk, Christmas

Jacqui McShee was already singing traditional folk in British folk clubs when she began working with virtuosic acoustic guitarist John Renbourne in 1966. A year later, she agreed to join Pentangle, a band Renbourne was forming with equally skillful guitarist Bert Jansch, bassist Danny Thompson, and percussionist/drummer Terry Cox. McShee's decision to accept Renbourne's invitation proved pivotal to the history of British music as Pentangle joined with Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span to put British folk-rock on the international map…

This 1972 album is actually great! Tons of great melodies and his voice really was really superb. The rock parts are decent, staying on the safe side of 70s soft rock cheese despite the electric guitar and saxophone bits, and a track like "If wishes were horses" sits well alongside the likes of Steeleye Span from that era, but I mainly get into the slow, tender, ballad-type tracks, e.g. "Have you ever really seen the rain?" with just voice and acoustic guitar. …

Allan Taylor - Old Friends New Roads
EAC+LOG+CUE | APE: 208 MB | NO Artwork! | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Stockfisch Records # SFR 357.6047.2 | Country/Year: Germany 2007
Genre: Folk, Acoustic | Style: Singer/Songwriter

Allan Taylor is one of England's most-respected singer/songwriters. His songs have been covered by artists on both sides of the Atlantic, including Don Williams, Frankie Miller, Fairport Convention, Dick Gaughan, the McCalmans, the Fureys, the Clancy Brothers, and De Dannan. Folk Roots praised him for his "ability to crystallize a mood and evoke an era with the ease of a computer memory access, crafting perfect songs with dramatic changes in the spirit of Brecht, Bikel, and Brel." The Oxford Book of Traditional Verse felt as strongly, writing that Taylor was "one of the most literate and sensitive of contemporary songwriters in terms of words and music and one who is capable of exploring more complex subjects than most of his contemporaries."

Featured by Blondie, Roxy Music, Tom Robinson Band, Ike & Tina Turner, Silver Convention, A Taste Of Honey, KC And The Sunshine Band, Suzi Quatro, Pilot, Cozy Powell, Dr. Hook, George McCrae, Tavares, Gonzalez, Timmy Thomas, Canned Heat, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Bobby Goldsboro, Minnie Riperton, Pussycat, Billie Jo Spears and many more.

The talents of Groundhogs guitarist T.S. McPhee and songwriter Mike Batt can be heard on this 'strange' LP, the second and final release from Hapshash. The ultra rare 'Colinda' single is included amongst the 10 featured tracks. Contrary to the first album, which mainly consisted of free music, lyric poetry, Gregorian chants and Andalusian/oriental folk music, Western Flier was a crazy, high-spirited collection of old, well known folk-rock and blues material, spiced with all such currently used, individually distorted studio effects such as fuzz, feedback, phasing, etc. Simply one of the best psych/bluesy/freaked out LPs that came out in the late 60s in UK. The material is distorted and disfigured by the wealth of electronic effects.

Tudor Lodge is an English folk music ensemble, which was formed in 1968, featuring John Stannard and Roger Strevens.Teaming up with manager Karl Blore towards the end of 1970, Tudor Lodge signed by Vertigo Records and their first album released in 1971: Tudor Lodge on Vertigo Records., after which the band played at larger venues, including the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Weeley Festival in Clacton. Weeley attracted 150,000 people and including Mungo Jerry, Barclay James Harvest, Mott the Hoople, the Pink Fairies and Brinsley Schwarz in the line-up.