Steeleye Span

Allan Taylor - Sometimes & The Lady
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 402 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Beat Goes On Records # BGOCD390 | Country/Year: UK 1998, 1971
Genre: Folk | 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." (…)

Allan Taylor - The American Album & Cajun Moon
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 438 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Beat Goes On Records # BGOCD488 | Country/Year: UK 2000, 1970s
Genre: Folk Rock, Acoustic | Style: Folk, 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."…

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."

On A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, Brian O'Donovan, the host of the Celtic Sojourn radio show, compiles a collection of songs that mixes the contemplative with more raucous fare, ancient melodies with modern, and the earthy with the ethereal. The musicians come from all corners of the Celtic world, and include the Breton choir Ensemble Choral du Bout du Monde, who blend medieval vocal harmonies with modern instruments such as the tin whistle and the guitar; Dordan, the masters of Irish baroque music; and the pan-Celtic band the Boys of the Lough. Also included are English performers Maddy Prior (the lead singer of Steeleye Span) and the family group Waterson:Carthy, who deliver a hearty version of the "The Ditchling Carol." The majority of the tracks feature vocals, but the instrumental selections–particularly fiddler Bonnie Rideout's haunting "Gloomy Winter" and the lovely "Midwinter Waltz" from the Boys of the Lough–do a beautiful job of wordlessly evoking the season. By passing over too-familiar Christmas songs in favor of less-well-known melodies, O'Donovan has come up with that rarest of all holiday treats–a gift that that both surprises and delights.

This fiery 6-piece Basque outfit from the mid-70's released a couple of folk-prog albums similar in style to Steeleye Span, Pentangle and Fairport Convention. They integrate many progressive elements to their sound (especially on their second album) but their material is predominantly folk, with male and female vocalists alternately singing solo or in chorus. As compared to many Spanish folk bands, however, Izukaitz make comparatively minor use of percussion. Instead, they'll treat you to the usual guitar/keyboard/bass set with some flute and fiddle, plenty of acoustic guitar, some percussion as well as local (Basque) instruments such as goxoak and xirula.