response 87 of 157:

Feb 4 17:39 UTC 2003

What got me was Amazon's claim that Elfland was in print.  I figured 
there was half a chance they could still get me a copy: such things 
have happened on occasion.  If not, no harm was done.

response 89 of 157:

Feb 12 22:06 UTC 2003

No, I haven't ordered the Thompson yet.  That's how I know this is 
serious.  Also haven't ordered the new Steeleye Span, another band
who I've been devoted to for over 25 years.
 
I did want to mention a couple of things about Thompson.  On the drive
home from our Christmas trip we heard RT's appearance on NPR's "Fresh Air"
show, where he played a cover of Britney Spears' "Ooops! I did it again."
This is going to appear on RT's next fan club release, which is drawn 
from his live show "1000 Years of Popular Music."  
 
Also, there are three outtake MP3s on RT's official web site,
http://www.richardthompson-music.com.  I haven't grabbed them yet myself.

response 91 of 157:

Feb 13 15:19 UTC 2003

It was, that. I also thought that R. Thompson's version of "Banks of 
the Nile" available at the URL above was nice, in a haunting way that 
fits the context of the song very well.

response 93 of 157:

Feb 17 15:21 UTC 2003

I'd order the new Steeleye in a second, but I can't. (I hate money.)

response 95 of 157:

Mar 9 16:36 UTC 2003

Tickets are on sale for that concert fro $25, according to the Ark calendar
email I got yesterday.

response 97 of 157:

Apr 3 08:14 UTC 2003

A review:

After a couple months' worth of Ken and me sitting around talking about 
how we haven't gotten around to ordering Steeleye Span's "Present" yet, 
I now get to report that I not only have ordered it (directly from 
Park, the label), but it's arrived, I've listened to it, and I am very 
pleased with it.  Remakes of classics and old favorites can give either 
a boost to an album or leave it diminished, depending on how the 
remakes react in one's mind with one's memory of the originals.  This 
one mostly gives a boost, ranking rather above the remakes on "The 
Collection" in that regard.

Where the band's last two studio albums, without Prior, struck me as 
lifeless, and the live album "The Journey" was utterly soggy, due to 
lack of rehearsal, here is the return of what I like to think of as the 
silver age Steeleye that so thrilled me on "Tonight's the Night" 
and "Time".  And while perhaps "Present" doesn't _quite_ rise to the 
heights of overflowing energy of those albums' highlights, it doesn't 
have their low points either.

In fact, I'd say the songs here work not so much by bowling me over 
with their energy, than by a kind of slow inexorability.  "Hard Times 
of Old England" for instance is in a considerably slower tempo than the 
original, the vocals are pure Prior (no backing vocals), and there's 
nothing particularly interesting going on in the instrumentals (except 
for an interesting semi-Spanish break from Bob Johnson on an acoustic 
guitar), yet it has great power and presence: I like it better than the 
earlier version.

I can say that for several other songs.  "Two Magicians" (what the heck 
is that doing on a best-of album?), "The Weaver & the Factory Maid", 
and a few other second-rank songs get really heartfelt performances 
that completely overcome the weaknesses of the earlier versions.  Some 
of the masterpieces don't quite measure up to the first versions, 
especially "Cam Ye O'er Frae France", but even that is better than the 
earlier remake; while the new versions of "Long Lankin" and "King 
Henry" don't have anything new to say, they re-say the old things 
pretty well; and "All Around My Hat" (with a prominent squeezebox not 
mentioned in the instrumental credits) bounces its dotted rhythm along 
very nicely.  I was also quite pleased with "One Misty Moisty Morning", 
which struck a nice balance between slavishly copying the earlier 
version and doing something different.

The general heaviness of silver-age Steeleye can be heard most clearly 
on the two remakes of songs from their early period, "Blackleg Miner" 
(which takes the style of the earlier "Back in Line" remake and turns 
it up a few notches, not entirely successfully), and "When I Was on 
Horseback" (a rather paler reflection of what they did to "Twa Corbies" 
on "Time").

The recording style is mostly close and raw, particularly on the 
vocals.  This gives much power to Prior's vocals, especially on the 
more instrumentally complex songs like "Weaver".  But it's most obvious 
on the group vocals, which sound more like the early 1980s Australian 
tour recordings than anything else.  This raw, rough sort of mix makes 
a splendid effect on "The Lyke Wake Dirge" (on which Peter Knight takes 
lead), and creates a "Gaudete" totally unlike any other performance by 
the band I've ever heard.  Besides the difference in recording style, I 
note that the men are all singing harmony only, leaving the melody line 
solely to Prior, giving a weird effect to the all-male runs of the 
chorus.

Prior is in good voice, though not perhaps at her most dazzling.  Bob 
Johnson sings lead on "Sir James the Rose" and "King Henry", on which 
he's good enough but not outstanding - neither is a highlight of the 
album, sounding too much like mere echoes of the earlier versions.  
(The same could be said of "Thomas the Rhymer".)  Peter Knight, 
besides "Lyke Wake", sings lead on "Go Down", the only non-folk song on 
the album, which I'm pleased to say does not stick out like a sore 
thumb in context.  And Rick Kemp takes over Tim Hart's old part 
on "John Barleycorn".  Listening to Kemp sing lead is like listening to 
President Bush give a speech - you're just hoping he'll get through it 
without screwing up - and while he has to bash the tune down a bit to 
fit his voice, he gives it fair gusto, and again I have to say it has 
more vigor and interest than the earlier version.

This is one happy Steeleye fan, signing off.

response 99 of 157:

Apr 30 17:04 UTC 2003

Inspired by David's review, I went to order a copy of the new Steeleye
collection today from amazon.co.uk, and I found that Maddy Prior has 
yet another album out.  The new one is called LIONHART (I hope I remember
that correctly) and it's another release in her series of theme albums,  
following on YEAR and ARTHUR THE KING.

(Counting the new Steeleye album, I think this is three major 
releases for Maddy in 12 months, four in 16-18 months.  She's 
keeping very busy!)
 
Then I find at Richard Thompson's website that he has a 5-song, limited
edition EP being released to "select independent stores and chains"
starting around now.  And, the next "fan club" live RT recording
is for sale at the current tour, and on the web site soon.
It's titled "More Guitar" and it's from the 1988 tour, with a band
lineup of:  RT, John Kirkpatrick, Clive Gregson, Christine Collister,
Pat Donaldson bass (ex-Fotheringay) and Kenny Aronoff drums.
Wow, we only had to wait 15 years for it!  
 
The Thompson/Kirkpatrick/Gregson/Collister lineups which Thompson
toured with in the mid-late 1980s remain my favorite of all his 
post-Linda bands.

Unfortunately I missed Monday's RT show at the Michigan Theater, as
we were driving back from the east coast.

response 101 of 157:

May 4 19:34 UTC 2003

My understanding is that "1000 Years" was a one-man show which Thompson 
toured for a while; I don't think he brought it to Michigan.  It includes
his cover of Britney Spears' "Ooops! I Did It Again," which he played 
on the "Fresh Air" program around New Year's.
 
The Q&A section on the official RT website led me to think that
"1000 Years" would be the next "fan-club" cd issue, so I was suprised
to see the "More Guitar" set from 1988 turn up as the next release.
I'm hopeful we'll see "1000 Years" before long.

Borders didn't have the RT EP when last I checked.  Schoolkids-in-the-
Basement seemed to think it would be for sale with the new album 
starting this week; if that's not the case, I'll probably have to take
Mike up on his offer.

response 103 of 157:

May 6 21:52 UTC 2003

  Well, if anyone else should want one, let me know within a week or so.
  I'll be gone from Seattle after that..

response 105 of 157:

May 7 04:04 UTC 2003

  When I bought one over the weekend they were $4.99 - 10% discount for a
  sale that was going on.  Unfortunately I believe the sale will be ended
  by the time I make another trip over to West Seattle so you'll have to
  pay that extra $0.50..  :-P

  I can probably scare up a padded envelope to ship it in, and estimate
  probably about $1.25 for postage, so probably total cost would be:

        $4.99   purchase price
        $0.44   WA sales tax
        $1.25   shipping
        -----
        $6.68   (or thereabouts..)

response 107 of 157:

May 7 17:26 UTC 2003

(OK, if Twila's going to get one, send one for me too, in her package.)

response 109 of 157:

Jun 6 02:58 UTC 2003

Thanks, Mike, for handling the EP purchase.
 
I procrastinated on ordering "1000 Years" and "More Guitar" from
Richard Thompson's website last week, and today they are 
temporarily out of stock.  Sigh.  And amazon.co.uk is still 
out of stock on Steeleye's "Present."   I just can't win.

response 111 of 157:

Jul 7 18:35 UTC 2003

Little Johnny England, The Ark, Ann Arbor:  Tuesday June 24 2003

I mentioned this concert over on Utne Cafe's music conference, and 
someone asked if the band were Celtic?  *Sigh.*
Nope, they are English, and very retro.  The electric guitar sound 
similar to Bob Johnson's Steeleye Span work is a signature part 
of their ensemble, though in their reliance
on melodeon they are more reminiscent of the various Albion bands.
(Looking at their web page, I see that their melodeon player used to
be in in the Albions!  And, the rhythm section used to be in another 
English folk band called Clarion which Twila adored.)

The basic lineup is electric guitar, bass, drum kit, fiddle and
melodeon.  They described part of their sound as "rumpty-tumpty;" I
think of it more as "rhythmically chunky."

This is a band I enjoy mostly for the nostalgia of their sound; they
really nail that 1970s folk-rock thing.  Most of the songs are
originals, and honestly they are not the best songwriters.  Some of
the better songs come from a friend of theirs, Pete Scrowther, who
lives in Switzerland and is not a part of the group.

Carol M. pointed out that the drummer was pretty
inventive; I was getting fond of the fiddler.  While the fiddler was
never super flashy, he was always spot-on, just right where he should
have been, and he was a pretty good harmony singer too.

LJE played a free show in Ann Arbor, part of the monthly series of
free shows here.   They said they spend a few weeks every year
touring the States, so they must be making *some* market penetration
here.

                              (revised from Utne Cafe)