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Below the Salt

 
Album Review: Below the Salt
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Below the Salt

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Spiral Staircase, What We Did on Our Holidays, Watersons, Incredible String Band, Troubadours of British Folk, Vol. 2: Folk into Rock, Oak, Ash and Thorn, Bryter Layter, Parcel of Rogues, Folk Roots, New Routes
  • Artist: Steeleye Span
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1972
  • Total Time: 38:42
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Folk

Review

The most successful of all Steeleye Span lineups, with Bob Johnson and Rick Kemp in place of Martin Carthy and Ashley Hutchings, makes its debut on what could be their best album. There's not a weak note here, and all of its has a harder, more muscular sound courtesy of Kemp and Johnson, matched to impeccable vocals and uniformly excellent material. Kemp's bass playing makes it possible to overlook the absence of a drummer, while the match-up of Johnson and Hart made them one of the best electric guitar teams in English folk-rock (and helps explain Steeleye's successful eclipsing of the post-Richard Thompson Fairport Convention). Prior's voice was never better than on this album, and while Carthy's backing vocals are missed, the group's singing is still up to a very high standard, with "Rosebud in June" perhaps the best a cappella number in their repertory and "Royal Forester" their most charmingly lusty performance. "John Barleycorn" -- which every Traffic fan should hear -- is in a class by itself, and the dazzling "Gaudette" actually made the British charts and got Steeleye Span onto Top of the Pops. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Spotted Cow Traditional Steeleye Span (3:09)
Rosebud in June Traditional Steeleye Span (3:42)
The Bride's Favourite/Tansey's Fancy [Jigs] Traditional Steeleye Span (3:13)
Sheep-Crook and Black Dog Traditional Steeleye Span (4:44)
Royal Forester Traditional Steeleye Span (4:35)
King Henry Traditional Steeleye Span (7:10)
Gaudete Traditional Steeleye Span (2:26)
John Barleycorn Traditional Steeleye Span (4:49)
Saucy Sailor Traditional Steeleye Span (5:53)

Credits

Peter Knight (Keyboards), Steeleye Span (Producer), John Tobler (Liner Notes), Pete (Vocals), Tim Hart (Liner Notes), Gordon Graham (Sound Monitor), Jerry Boys (Producer), Pete (Tenor Banjo), Rick Kemp (Vocals), Rick Kemp (Bass), Pete (Viola), Maddy Prior (?), Bob Johnson (Vocals), Tim Hart (Dulcimer), Bill Giolando (Mastering), Bob Johnson (?), Maddy Prior (Vocals), Prior (Arranger), Pete (Piano), Tim Hart (?), Tim Hart (Guitar), Pete (Mandolin), Pete (Fiddle), Peter Knight (Vocals), Jerry Boys (Engineer), Pete (Violin), Bob Johnson (Guitar), Peter Knight (?), Peter Knight (Violin), Rick Kemp (?), Knight (Arranger), Tim Hart (Vocals)
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Wikipedia: Below the Salt
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This article is about the album. For the novel by Thomas B. Costain, see Below the Salt (novel)
Below The Salt
Studio album by Steeleye Span
Released 1972
Recorded 1972
Genre Electric folk
Length 39:42
Label Chrysalis
Professional reviews
Steeleye Span chronology
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
(1971)		 Below the Salt
(1972)		 Parcel of Rogues
(1973)

Below the Salt is a 1972 album by Steeleye Span, and considered by many fans to be one of their best. The album has a slightly medieval theme, most notably in the artwork and title. The album cover shows the band in period costume at a feast, while the title refers to practice in the Middle Ages of having salt (something of a rarity) placed in the center of the table separating the family from the servants, who were situated "below the salt". Some of the music on the album has a medieval motif, but only a few of the songs arguably date back quite so far. The ballad "King Henry" (Child Ballad 32), and the a cappella "Gaudete" are certainly very old, and the lyrics to "Royal Forester" date from 1293. However, while "Gaudete" is performed in an authentic style, electric guitars abound in the performance of "King Henry".

Gaudete became the band's first hit, reaching number 14 on the UK charts. To give the impression of the choristers approaching and moving away, as if on a pilgrimage, the song was given a long fade in and out.

By this point, Ashley Hutchings had left the band, leaving Maddy Prior and Tim Hart as the only remaining founding members. The album reached number 43 in the UK album charts.

Track listing

  1. "Spotted Cow"
  2. "Rosebud in June"
  3. "Jigs: The Bride's Favourite/Tansey's Fancy"
  4. "Sheep-crook and Black Dog"
  5. "Royal Forester"
  6. "King Henry"
  7. "Gaudete"
  8. "John Barleycorn"
  9. "Saucy Sailor"

All songs on the album are traditional, adapted by Steeleye Span. The lineup of the band (which changed greatly throughout their career) for this album was:

v • d • e
Steeleye Span
Maddy Prior • Peter Knight • Rick Kemp • Liam Genockey • Ken Nicol
Pete Zorn • Tim Hart • Bob Johnson • Nigel Pegrum • Ashley Hutchings • Martin Carthy • Tim Harries • Terry Woods • Gay Woods • John Kirkpatrick • Chris Staines • Terl Bryant • Michael Gregory • Mark Williamson
Studio albums
Hark! The Village Wait (1970) • Please to See the King (1971) • Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (1972) • Below the Salt (1972) • Parcel of Rogues (1973) • Now We Are Six (1974) • Commoner's Crown (1975) • All Around My Hat (1975) • Rocket Cottage (1976) • Storm Force Ten (1977) • Sails of Silver (1980) • Back in Line (1986) • Tempted and Tried (1989) • Time (1996) • Horkstow Grange (1998) • Bedlam Born (2000) • They Called Her Babylon (2004) • Winter (2004) • Bloody Men (2006) • Cogs, Wheels & Lovers (2009)
Live albums
Live at Last (1978) • Tonight's the Night...Live (1992) • The Collection: Steeleye Span in Concert (1994) • The Journey (1999) • Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert (2006)  • Live at a Distance (2009)
Singles
"Rave On/ Reels/ Female Drummer" (1971) • "Jigs and Reels" (1972) • "John Barleycorn / Bride's Favourite/Tansey's Fancy" (1972) • "Gaudete / The Holly and The Ivy" (1972) • "The Mooncoin Jig" (1974) • "New York Girls/ Two Magicians" (1975) • "All Around My Hat/ Black Jack Davy" (1975) • "Rave On/ False Knight On The Road" (1976) • "Hard Times of England/ Cadgwith Anthem" (1976) • "London/ Sligo Maid" (1976) • "Fighting For Strangers/ The Mooncoin Jig" (1976) • "The Boar's Head Carol/ Gaudete / Some Rival" (1977) • "Rag Doll/ Saucy Sailor" (1978) • "Sails of Silver/ Senior Service" (1980) • "Gone To America/ Let Her Go Down" (1981) • "Somewhere In London/ Lanercost" (1985) • "Padstow / First House in Connaught/ Sailor's Bonnet" (1989) • "Following Me/ Two Butchers" (1989) • "The Fox/ Jack Hall" (1990)  • "Lord Elgin/Lord Elgin (live)" (2006)
Compilation
DVDs
Classic Rock Legends (2002) • A Twentieth Anniversary Celebration (2003) • The 35th Anniversary World Tour 2004 (2005)
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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