Hark! The Village Wait

by Peter Saint-Andre

2009-05-28

As recently noted, I've been listening to Bach's Cello Suites quite a bit (often once a day!). Another recording that's been top of mind for me of late is Hark! The Village Wait by Steeleye Span. My friend Manuel introduced me to this one, since he knows that I also like Mellow Candle, Fairport Convention, and other folk-rock / prog-folk bands of the early 70s. I've listened to several of Steeleye Span's later albums on Spotify, but in my ever so humble opinion none is as strong as "Hark! The Village Wait" (their debut from 1970). As with much of Fairport Convention, most of the tunes here are old British folk songs, updated with modern arrangements. I especially like their performances of "The Blacksmith", "Blackleg Miner", "My Johnny Was A Shoemaker", "Twa Corbies", and above all "Lowlands of Holland". I like this recording so much that I even bought the CD! :)


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