Ravenchild
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Ravenchild
- Artist: Maddy Prior
- Rating:
- Release Date: May 16, 2000
- Total Time: 51:58
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: World
Review
On Ravenchild, Maddy Prior teamed up again with keyboard player Nick Holland and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, whose arsenal included Uilleann pipes and low whistle, as she had on her previous album, Flesh & Blood. The centerpiece of the album was a six song suite dubbed "In the Company of Ravens" (also the title of the first song), a series of Prior originals concerning the carrion birds who give the word "ravenous" its meaning. This was sometimes gritty stuff, as Prior described the birds' eating habits, though their mating habits were far more inspiring. The album also contained a three song suite, "With Napoleon in Russia," tracing that famous historical defeat. Then there was "Rigs of the Time," a condemnation of contemporary media culture set to a traditional melody, and the album concluded with what Prior herself described as the eerie traditional song "Great Silkie of Sules Skerry." The music and Prior's singing could be haunting, but Ravenchild was an album of disquieting material, whether the subject was aviary, historical, or contemporary. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi| Raven: Thug Passion (2000 Album by Crush) | |
| Ravendusk in My Heart (2007 Album by Diabolical Masquerade) |
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Ravenchild
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Ravenchild
| Maddy Prior | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Maddy Prior | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 52:08 | |||
| Producer | Troy Donockley, Nick Holland | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
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| Maddy Prior chronology | ||||
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Ravenchild is an album by Maddy Prior.
Ravenchild is the first album album that Maddy recorded after she stopped working with the Carnival Band. It has a distinctive flavour that we can now recognise as the influence of Troy Donockley. There are frequent sound effects such as wind, echo and washes of synthesiser chords. Alongside 5 traditional songs are ones written or very much adapted by Maddy. In general she is strong on words, but not so memorable with her self-composed tunes. The well-known song "Rigs of the Times" is here updated to offer social criticism of monopolies and faceless international industries. "Rich Pickings" contains the first example of Maddy singing in rap style. By far the best track is "Dance of the Wind". In an exultant extended guitar solo, Troy Donockley sounds like Mike Oldfield. It is surprising that he is not given co-authorship of this track. "Bold Poacher" is a song that Maddy had sung with Steeleye Span on "Parcel of Rogues", but Tim Hart had sung the lead vocals in that version. Maddy admits that she had previously been embarrassed to sing "Twankydillo" because of the silly-sounding title, but once she discovered that "Twanky" means "gin" (as in "widow twanky") she liked it once again. Tracks 3,4 and 5 are continuous. Tracks 3 to 6 have the heading "With Napoleon in Russia". Tracks 7 to 12 have the heading "In the Company of Ravens".
Track listing
- "Twankydillo" (Trad) – 2:57
- "Bold Poachers" (Trad) – 4:12
- "Boney (Shanty: Boney was a Warrior)" (Trad) – 1:51
- "Scorched Earth (The Bonny Bunch of Roses)" (Trad) – 4:21
- "Loot" (Words: M Prior/ Tune: Trad) – 5:00
- "Rigs of the Times" (Words: M Prior/ Tune: Trad) – 4:06
- "In the Company of Ravens" (Maddy Prior) – 3:09
- "Young Bloods" (Maddy Prior) – 4:09
- "The Masts of Morrigan" (Maddy Prior) – 3:42
- "Rich Pickings" (Maddy Prior) – 4:32
- "Ravenchild" (Maddy Prior) – 3:00
- "Dance on the Wind" (Maddy Prior) – 3:56
- "Great Silkie of Sules Skerry" (Trad) – 6:56
Personnel
- Maddy Prior - vocals
- Nick Holland - keyboards, backing vocals
- Troy Donockley - Uilleann pipes, electric and acoustic guitars, low whistle, tin whistle, cittern, backing vocals
- Terl Bryant - drums and percussion
- Nick Beggs - Chapman Stick
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
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Mentioned in
Ravenchild
(2000 Album by Maddy Prior)
Maddy Prior
(Celtic Artist, '70s-2000s)
English folk music
(1990 - 1999)