MADDY PRIOR TIM HART
''SUMMER SOLSTICE''
1971
31:38
********************
1 False Knight On The Road 03:01
2 Bring Us in Good Air 03:49
3 Of All the Birds 00:53
4 I Live Not Where I Love 04:22
5 Ploughboy and the Cockney 03:35
6 Westron Wynde 00:25
7 Sorry the Day I Was Married 01:28
8 Dancing at Whitsun 03:38 (Austin John Marshall, Copper Family)
9 Fly Up My Cock 01:43
10 Cannily Cannily 02:23 (Ewan MacColl)
11 Adam Catched Eve 00:23
12 Three Drunkened Maidens 02:14
13 Serving Girls Holiday 03:39
Traditional tracks, except 8, 10
********************
Maddy Prior – vocals
Tim Hart – vocals, acoustic guitar (on 1,4,5,8,12), electric guitar (on 5), acoustic appalachian dulcimer (on 2,10,13), electric appalachian dulcimer (on 13), harmonium (on 2,5), psaltery (on 2), tabor (on 13)
Andy Irvine – mandolin on 10
John Ryan – string bass on 10, 12
Gerry Conway – percussion on 1, bells on 2
Pat Donaldson – electric bass on 1, 5
Robert Kirby – string arrangement on 4
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Bruce Eder
Recorded during Steeleye Span Mark II's early days, Summer Solstice -- the most advanced of the three albums that they recorded together early in their careers -- has a very different feel from the Steeleye work of the era. Tim Hart (vocals, guitar, dulcimer, harmonium, psaltery, tabor) and Maddy Prior (vocals) are working with Sweeney's Men (whence Steeleye Mark I's Terry Woods came) alumnus Andy Irvine and Steeleye Mark I guest drummer Gerry Conway. The sound is mostly fairly spare, just Hart and Prior backed by Irvine on mandolin, John Ryan on string bass, Pat Donaldson on electric bass, and Conway on percussion. The only exception is "Dancing at Whitsun," which features a very tasteful backing orchestral arrangement. Hart and Prior do a version of "False Knight on the Road" that's very different in pacing and nuance from Steeleye's, and a beautiful, droning rendition of "Bring Us in Good Ale." Their voices mesh wonderfully on "Sorry the Day I Was Married," and Prior gets a chance to shine as a solo on "Westron Wynde," "Fly Up My Cock," and the two most Steeleye-like track here, "Cannily, Cannily" and "Three Drunken Maidens."
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (MADDY PRIOR)
Chris Nickson
Maddy Prior has established herself, by dint of both talent and time, as one of the leading female singers in British folk (and folk-rock). Born in St. Albans, outside London, she developed an interest in traditional English music as a teenager and through friends, found her way to the treasure trove of material at Cecil Sharpe House and also to Ewan MacColl, the de facto leader of the folk revival. In the late '60s, she met Tim Hart, an accomplished singer and instrumentalist, and together they recorded three albums which made little impact at the time, not even setting the folk clubs buzzing. However, they had played some folk festivals, including Keele, where they met Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, who was about to form a new band. Prior and Hart became part of the ensemble known as Steeleye Span, who would become an ongoing institution of British folk-rock, with Prior as one of its constants -- she even married Rick Kemp, the bass player who replaced Hutchings.
Woman in the Wings
In 1976, she teamed with another young folk singer, June Tabor, under the Silly Sisters moniker, to record the first of what would be two albums, also remaining with Steeleye until the group officially disbanded in 1978. After that, she embarked on her solo career, her debut, Woman in the Wings, being produced by Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson. She also began another career, as the mother of two children, but still joined a reunited Steeleye in 1980, continuing to juggle band and solo work and evening forming her own group, the Carnival Band, who've supported her on record and tour since 1987. When Prior experienced some voice problems in 1993, Gay Woods, who also been an original Steeleye vocalist, rejoined the band. Prior continued to record more frequently alone, including the albums Year, Flesh and Blood, and Ravenchild and Arthur the King, many of which were concept records. She continued to tour and record with Steeleye Span throughout the early part of the 21st century. Her longtime friend and original collaborator Tim Hart passed away in 2009.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (TIM HART)
James Christopher Monger
Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol. 1
English folksinger and multi-instrumentalist Tim Hart was born in Lincoln, a county town of Lincolnshire, England, on January 9, 1948. The son of a vicar, Hart was best known for his work with groundbreaking British folk-rock outfit Steeleye Span, of which he was a founding member. He began his musical career in the early '60s playing in a band called the Rattfinks while attending St. Albans School (also home to the Zombies). In 1966 he began touring English pubs and folk clubs with vocalist Maddy Prior. The two released a pair of well-received albums (Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) before joining Steeleye Span in 1969. The band, formed by Prior, Hart, and ex-Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, and rounded out by husband-and-wife team Gay and Terry Woods, released its critically acclaimed debut album, Hark! The Village Wait, in 1970. Steeleye Span saw more than a few members come and go throughout its long tenure (still touring as of 2010), but Hart and Prior served as the ensemble’s backbone through 1982 -- the pair managed one more release as a duo, 1971’s lush Summer Solstice, which featured string arrangements from famed arranger Robert Kirby. As a solo artist, Hart released an eponymous record in 1979 with help from a handful of Steeleye members, as well as a pair of nursery rhyme collections in 1981. Health problems led to a 1988 move to warmer climates, specifically the island of La Gomera, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, where he began focusing on family, writing, and photography. In 2008 he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He passed away in his island home the following year on Christmas Eve.
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TO THE TOP
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''SUMMER SOLSTICE''
1971
31:38
********************
1 False Knight On The Road 03:01
2 Bring Us in Good Air 03:49
3 Of All the Birds 00:53
4 I Live Not Where I Love 04:22
5 Ploughboy and the Cockney 03:35
6 Westron Wynde 00:25
7 Sorry the Day I Was Married 01:28
8 Dancing at Whitsun 03:38 (Austin John Marshall, Copper Family)
9 Fly Up My Cock 01:43
10 Cannily Cannily 02:23 (Ewan MacColl)
11 Adam Catched Eve 00:23
12 Three Drunkened Maidens 02:14
13 Serving Girls Holiday 03:39
Traditional tracks, except 8, 10
********************
Maddy Prior – vocals
Tim Hart – vocals, acoustic guitar (on 1,4,5,8,12), electric guitar (on 5), acoustic appalachian dulcimer (on 2,10,13), electric appalachian dulcimer (on 13), harmonium (on 2,5), psaltery (on 2), tabor (on 13)
Andy Irvine – mandolin on 10
John Ryan – string bass on 10, 12
Gerry Conway – percussion on 1, bells on 2
Pat Donaldson – electric bass on 1, 5
Robert Kirby – string arrangement on 4
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Bruce Eder
Recorded during Steeleye Span Mark II's early days, Summer Solstice -- the most advanced of the three albums that they recorded together early in their careers -- has a very different feel from the Steeleye work of the era. Tim Hart (vocals, guitar, dulcimer, harmonium, psaltery, tabor) and Maddy Prior (vocals) are working with Sweeney's Men (whence Steeleye Mark I's Terry Woods came) alumnus Andy Irvine and Steeleye Mark I guest drummer Gerry Conway. The sound is mostly fairly spare, just Hart and Prior backed by Irvine on mandolin, John Ryan on string bass, Pat Donaldson on electric bass, and Conway on percussion. The only exception is "Dancing at Whitsun," which features a very tasteful backing orchestral arrangement. Hart and Prior do a version of "False Knight on the Road" that's very different in pacing and nuance from Steeleye's, and a beautiful, droning rendition of "Bring Us in Good Ale." Their voices mesh wonderfully on "Sorry the Day I Was Married," and Prior gets a chance to shine as a solo on "Westron Wynde," "Fly Up My Cock," and the two most Steeleye-like track here, "Cannily, Cannily" and "Three Drunken Maidens."
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (MADDY PRIOR)
Chris Nickson
Maddy Prior has established herself, by dint of both talent and time, as one of the leading female singers in British folk (and folk-rock). Born in St. Albans, outside London, she developed an interest in traditional English music as a teenager and through friends, found her way to the treasure trove of material at Cecil Sharpe House and also to Ewan MacColl, the de facto leader of the folk revival. In the late '60s, she met Tim Hart, an accomplished singer and instrumentalist, and together they recorded three albums which made little impact at the time, not even setting the folk clubs buzzing. However, they had played some folk festivals, including Keele, where they met Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, who was about to form a new band. Prior and Hart became part of the ensemble known as Steeleye Span, who would become an ongoing institution of British folk-rock, with Prior as one of its constants -- she even married Rick Kemp, the bass player who replaced Hutchings.
Woman in the Wings
In 1976, she teamed with another young folk singer, June Tabor, under the Silly Sisters moniker, to record the first of what would be two albums, also remaining with Steeleye until the group officially disbanded in 1978. After that, she embarked on her solo career, her debut, Woman in the Wings, being produced by Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson. She also began another career, as the mother of two children, but still joined a reunited Steeleye in 1980, continuing to juggle band and solo work and evening forming her own group, the Carnival Band, who've supported her on record and tour since 1987. When Prior experienced some voice problems in 1993, Gay Woods, who also been an original Steeleye vocalist, rejoined the band. Prior continued to record more frequently alone, including the albums Year, Flesh and Blood, and Ravenchild and Arthur the King, many of which were concept records. She continued to tour and record with Steeleye Span throughout the early part of the 21st century. Her longtime friend and original collaborator Tim Hart passed away in 2009.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (TIM HART)
James Christopher Monger
Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol. 1
English folksinger and multi-instrumentalist Tim Hart was born in Lincoln, a county town of Lincolnshire, England, on January 9, 1948. The son of a vicar, Hart was best known for his work with groundbreaking British folk-rock outfit Steeleye Span, of which he was a founding member. He began his musical career in the early '60s playing in a band called the Rattfinks while attending St. Albans School (also home to the Zombies). In 1966 he began touring English pubs and folk clubs with vocalist Maddy Prior. The two released a pair of well-received albums (Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) before joining Steeleye Span in 1969. The band, formed by Prior, Hart, and ex-Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, and rounded out by husband-and-wife team Gay and Terry Woods, released its critically acclaimed debut album, Hark! The Village Wait, in 1970. Steeleye Span saw more than a few members come and go throughout its long tenure (still touring as of 2010), but Hart and Prior served as the ensemble’s backbone through 1982 -- the pair managed one more release as a duo, 1971’s lush Summer Solstice, which featured string arrangements from famed arranger Robert Kirby. As a solo artist, Hart released an eponymous record in 1979 with help from a handful of Steeleye members, as well as a pair of nursery rhyme collections in 1981. Health problems led to a 1988 move to warmer climates, specifically the island of La Gomera, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, where he began focusing on family, writing, and photography. In 2008 he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He passed away in his island home the following year on Christmas Eve.
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