Pentangle were a fascinating outfit. Very jazzy and complex take on folk music. Both Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span electrified ttaditional English folk. Fairport featured guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson who went on to a stunning solo career. Pentangle had Bert Jansch, who was considered the "Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar". All those bands had magnificent female singers. If you enjoyed this, seek out their albums, they are real treasures.
I read that for "She moves through the fair. Sandy sung her solo version and the band improvised around this. I have always loved how Richard Thompson's restrained guitar compliments Sandy's voice
Waited awhile for this one and wasn't disappointed.Sandy Denny is from another dimension of talent...probable Pleiadian constellation ? Maddy awesome in her more...authentic English isms.This genre is very rich and rewarding.Nice one chap.
I love Fairport Convention and Pentangle! Both Sandy Denny and Jacqui McShee are wonderful singers. Maddy Pryor of Steeleye Span is too, but I'm not too familiar with their music. I love Sandy's solo work, as well as guitarist/songwriter extraordinaire Richard Thompson. Thanks, Jay, for this marathon! I've thought for a while N&L would get into the Brit folk-rock genre! 🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
Light Flight from Penangle was the theme song for a BBC TV show called "Take Three Girls" which was broadcast from 1969-1971. The actual title of the Fairport Convention song is She Moves Through the Fair. Great reaction Nick!
Steeleye Span is not my favourite of this selection, but Maddy Prior is indeed amazing. Her collaboration albums with June Tabor as Silly Sisters are also amazing and worth experiencing.
She Moved Through the Fair my absolute favourite traditional Irish folk song,played by my favourite English folk/rock band. Stunning vocals by Sandy Denny. Plus the, then very young, Richard Thompson on lead guitar. Well worth a journey down the Fairport rabbit hole.
Yes…that style of women’s voices came out of the folk traditions of Britain and the US…and you can hear it in the voices of Sandy Denny, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Sinaid O’Conner, Mimi Farina….and yes…in the rock genre, Grace Slick. Powerful, clear, and without distortion.
Oh yes, this was a good marathon Jay! To answer your question Nick, I was 16 when these first three albums came out. The British folk-rock scene of the late sixties/early seventies is a fascinating period, as you can hear from this marathon. Although I was already getting side-tracked by The Moody Blues, Yes, King Crimson and the like, bands such as Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span made gorgeous music that I would dip my toe into occasionally. This has made me think I should reacquaint myself with their albums. I never came across Trees who were not as successful as the other three. The Strawbs of course I followed closely, and this track became the vehicle for Rick Wakeman's keyboard solo in their live gigs when he joined for the next two studio albums before moving on to Yes. Their live album 'Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios' has Rick in full flow on this song. I really enjoyed this marathon, thanks Nick and Jay.
So glad you enjoyed my selections, Nick, I had a feeling you would. A couple of minor clarifications; the title of the marathon was supposed to be “British Folk Rock”, and the Fairport Convention song is entitled “She Moves Through the Fair” which is based on a traditional folk song. I believe you have encountered Sandy Denny on your channel before through the band Fotheringay, which she was with for one album after having left Fairport. She also did some recordings with Strawbs even before joining Fairport Convention. This scene was very closely connected in its development It is interesting how the Strawbs evolved from a folk/psych outfit to more of a full fledged progressive band over time. Steeleye Span was started by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings along with Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. I included Trees as an example of how good some of the lesser known artists from this genre and time really were. What can you say about Pentangle? Some of their longer songs really showcase the incredible guitar playing of both John Redbourn and Bert Jansch, but all of the members were supremely talented. It is just happenstance that most if the singers are female, but that is an important defining feature of this music. When you get to the Lindesfarne marathon the singers are male and you will encounter the wondrous songwriting of Alan Hull. I hope to to some more of these down the line as there is so much amazing music that too often gets overlooked.
A good selection. I am very familiar with four of the groups and have all their albums, but Trees is a new name to me. I'll have to try to find the 2020 release collecting their albums.
For me the most iconic members of Pentangle are Jacqui McShee, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. Love Bert's version of Blackwaterside on Jack Orion. Fairport Convention gave us Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. Gaudete by Steeleye Span gives me goosebumps. I love that they sing in Latin. Very impressive
In Pentangle don't forget Danny Thompson on string bass. Even with those two great guitarists, the bass player could still upstage the other band members at times (certainly the times I saw them live). Nobody plays the bass quite like Danny!
Just about anything off the first three Pentangle albums is top notch. Also check out the solo works of the two guitarists John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Bert was the compositional genius behind Pentangle. He carried his innovative guitar and compositional style into the band while John added the decorative lead guitar sounds. All of the members brought unique skills and influences into the band - Terry Cox's incredibly precise and expressive drumming and Danny Thompson's wild and passionate jazz bass. The Trees album from which Murdoch is taken, On The Shore is a masterpiece. Every song is good.
Just a surface scratch of this treasure trove.Try Steeleye's-Lowlands of Holland-When i was on Horseback-Bonny Moorhen-Blacksmith or Fairport's-Matty Groves-I'll keep it with mine-Nottuman Town.They're mostly old English yarns given the electric treatment but they live within you forever and even give a little sociological tuition along the way.
Hi Nick, Pentangle ? It must be at least 50 years since I heard this song. Took me a while to figure out where ? Probably on the radio, but it was a televison theme to "Take Three Girls", which I vaguely remember, but I did have a crush on a blonde girl in the series. Heck I must have been 13/14 at the time. It was 1960's clothes in England, so the mini skirt would have been promenant, and 60's fashion was without doubt the best of it's time. Talk about time travel. ...I still need to play rest of the video, but I just had to write this. 60's & 70's the happiest times of my life !!
She Moves Through the Fair. (There are some great videos of these bands playing live......add Fortheringay for more Sandy Denny.....she has a solo BBC performance too. Richard & Linda Thompson! so many greats.
Strawbs,one of my favorite bands, seen them probably 12-13 times both Acoustic and Electric shows ..they kill it, Dave Cousins is a genius.....great guy too.Dave who is singing has a "different" voice,you either love it or hate it, I wouldn't say he was a " conventional singer....
Believe it or not, Jacqui from Pentangle started a folk club in the Ye Olde Red Lion, as pub about 300m from my house when I was 10! By the time I was drinking in there, they had long gone though. Sandy Denny's voice is so magnificent and haunting. Liege and Lief is a favourite album of mine. Grave New World from the Strawbs was a favourite of mine from '72. Never heard Trees before, so that was a pleasant surprise. Bias went onto be part of Barclay James Harvest and of course with the Moody Blues for many years. It was hard to keep up with all the changes in Steeleye Span! Another great folk rock band that came out with some fantastic tracks. Maddy Prior is still active with the band at the ripe old age of 75!
The British "Folk Rock" movement is one hell of a rabbit hole to go down. Pentangle and Fairport Convention, (the pioneers of this genre were formed in the mid to late 1960's), a meld of often ancient English folk song and rock/jazz instrumentation intermixed with their own compositions particularly Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson in Fairport. Heady stuff indeed. Surprised you didn't recognise Sandy Denny who had a profound effect on you when you reacted to one of her songs "The Sea". Surprised you never followed up on this with some of her other amazing songs. Steeleye Span, FYI, were formed two years before Steely Dan by Ashley Hutchings, bassist and founder of Fairport Convention and had far more commercial success than the other bands here. Sandy also had a brief stint in Strawbs, though this band was always a vehicle for the songs of Dave Cousins. I tried to point you in the direction of their track "The Battle" when you did one of your previous reactions to the Strawbs, which is truly amazing. Finally, nice to see Trees getting a play, they were very underrated at the time and didn't really have much commercial success.
Just another quick comment while I've got the wind in my sails. Amongst all the other amazing musicians featured here, double bass player Danny Thompson, (Pentangle), is worth highlighting. He goes way back to the early days and was playing bass guitar with Roy Orbison's UK touring band travelling round the UK and Europe in the 1960's with the Big O, The Beatles and others before the Beatles had their first chart "hit" and became the headline act on the tour, some of Danny's anecdotes about this tour are absolutely hilarious The rest is history, as they say. Danny has had a long and distinguished career over the years including a long association with the legendary John Martyn, an artist I've been plugging away trying to get featured on your channel but to no avail. I was hoping one of your Patreon's, who have your ear, would take up the case but it would seem not. As with John's great friend Nick Drake, you'd wonder how such great music has gone under your radar should you give it a listen.
I actually thought about including one of John’s songs here. So many great artists to do! Sadly, NnL are not going to grow their channel as quickly if they focus on less known acts exclusively, but I hope they will not start chasing the algorithms too hard (look at the number of views on that Bohemian Rhapsody cover video, the sheeples all clicked on that one lol) as the eclectic selections on this channel are what makes it stand out from all of the fake reactors trying only to make money. Hopefully they will be able to balance both approaches.
Nik this is definitely the dreams of my youth. I have The Strawbs 1st album on vinyl and Fairport Convention 'Leige and Leaf' on CD. These bands were very popular on the concert and festival circuits.
This is an awesome collection of British Folk Rock. Showcasing some of the best female vocalists ever in this genre. The Musicianship of the players here is on full display. Pentangle has some LIVE videos that will definitely impress, (I know you're not fond of them). Hear me out as to why you should reconsider. For some artists, like say Steely Dan, the production of what they did in the studio was remarkable. But the true test, IMO, is how well an artist or band delivers a live performance. As most prog fans know well, nothing compares to the connection one feels when watching all of the many superbly talented players execute flawlessly on stage. Even if it is a video, you can appreciate just how incredible this era - late 60's to early 70's - was musically. Also, watching them interact on stage with each other, and the audience, enhances everything. Take Pentangle: Jacqui McShee, perched on a stool, Danny Thompson, killing it on upright bass. Renbourn & Jansch; infusing jazz, bluegrass, and even Indian sitar, along with traditional folk, to make a unique blend of acoustic bliss. The late Sandy Denny, had such an emotive voice, that reached into your soul. Played piano, guitar, and composed brilliantly. What a tragic loss. Maddy Prior, another goddess of the genre. Thanks for these great picks Jay! Which would be a worthy rabbit hole? Hmmmm....
There is a live version of Where is this dream of your youth which features a keyboard solo by Rick Wakeman. It is from the album Just a collection of antiques and curios.
Apart from The Beatles and 70s prog rock, this selection pretty much represents the rest of my entire collection and gig going history. Still lots to discover so keep going. 😃
Fairport are still going (few line up changes along the way), they also curate their own festival each year in Cropredy, Oxfordshire. Their’s was to some extent a sort of British reaction to the electrification of US folk music.Worth looking up the Albion Band too which is an ever changing folk collective, try the album ‘Rise up Like the Sun’ a very bucolic English sound.
Pentangle songs still amaze me 40 years after I first heard them. Love going back and hearing some of them - though this was never one of my favourites.
Oh - but Sandy Denny and Fairport doing "She moves through the fair" - the best version of that song, both for the band, but mainly because Sandy Denny was one of the greatest celtic style singers of all times. Such a great singer.
I doubt Sandy ever could have sung stuff she didn't feel. She had to sing like this, because it was authentic to her, and she couldn't do anything else.
A lot of the immigrants to the USA brought their own musical roots with them. There is a fabulous series (6 dvd's or cd's) from BBC4, called Transatlantic Sessions, which featured musicians and singers from the USA, Canada including French Canadian, Scotland Ireland and England. Some of my favourite artists took part, such as James Taylor, John Martyn, Iris Dement,Julie Fowlis and so many more. A treasure trove of Celtic, folk,bluegrass and country music.
I was going to mention Renaissance as another band for this genre. But apparently you have already covered them. Good selection, knew 3 of the 5. Thanks for the introduction to Strawbs and Trees.
Nice Trees getting a shout, they only made 2 albums and the 2nd 'On The Shore' is a masterpiece of the genre. Strawbs also horribly underrated, all their early stuff (both with and without Rick Wakeman and Sandy Denny) is top notch stuff in my opinion often truly creating the crossover of prog and folk.
That's a hell of a song to have be the first time you've heard Fairport Convention. They were all so young and so good. That Sandy Denny died at the age of 31 is almost incomprehensible; we could have had three or four more decades of her voice and songwriting.
Bravo for your superb selection. On The Shore by Trees is a lost treasure, as is Mellow Candle's Swaddling Songs. For a mid 70s female vocalist and folk rock that shares similarities with Sandy Denny and Fotheringay, I would recommend Spriguns, and their albums, Revel, Weird and Wild, and Time Will Pass. One of Sandy Denny's greatest moments (and there were many) comes in the Fotheringay track The Banks of the Nile.
Nicknlex, I really enjoy your channel. The Dan and Rush are two of my all time favourites. The comments have already suggested Bert Jansch, but I would also recommend Davey Graham and Wizz Jones. Keep up the good work. JohnM
It's a very short step from Fairport Convention to Richard Thompson. Probably my favorite acoustic guitarist. Not that I have any problem with his electric guitar skills.
It was the Strawbs first *released* album. Not their first *recorded* album, which was "All our own work", including a great version of Sandy Denny's "Who knows where the time goes". I was at the Strawbs final live concert (because of Cousin's ill health, but hopefully not the end of their recording career). It was emotional for a lot of us there.
Apparently, Trees' vocalist Celia Humprhis sadly died on 11 January 2021. Interestingly, more people will have heard her voice than they may think. After fronting an underground band, she later actually became the official loudpseaker announcement voice for the London Underground rail network.
Funny you should find Dave Cousins’ voice similar to Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull- both are Scotsmen! And although he wasn’t on this album, Rick Wakeman was a member of the Strawbs.
I’ve watched two marathons by you today; this one of British folk rock, and the other of American folk rock and singer/songwriter tradition (CSN, CSNY, Little Feat and Jackson Browne). I loved both, and so did you. Does that mean that these genres will become part of your normal rotation, or are they exceptions and will not be pursued further? I will certainly sub if you intend to delve further into these genres in addition to your normal prog rock fare.
Much as I love the folky Jethro Tull period, for British Folk Rock, Steeleye Span were for me the greatest exponent of the art. Maddy Prior, like Annie Haslam & Kate Bush, have been THE female vocalists for me for the last half century. Please react to some more Steeleye Span, as there are SO many glorious interpretations of traditional folk music they did in the 1970s.
Not so much because it was fashionable, but because these singers are using the phrasing of British traditional folk songs/singing. It's a particular idiom/style, and separate from rock singing. Pentangle mixed it with jazz, and the others used electrification in a rock sense. These bands were not considered rock by my schools at the time.
I was so lucky to have seen all these bands, apart from the Strawbs....the early seventies was so rich for innovative folk/rock!! Please listen to Fairport's "Who knows where the time goes"!!
Sandy Denny was the British equivalent of Joan Baez or Judy Collins…..especially I think she and Judy sounded so similar. Utterly gorgeous voice….so talented….and died way too young. I believe it was in 1971 when she was named top British female singer and Robert Plant top male singer.
As someone else mentioned the live version of this Strawbs song from Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios is far better and a great demonstration of the potential and ability of a younger Rick Wakeman.
If you'd like to know more about this era of Folk-Rock music in the UK, I'd really recommend a book called Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music, by Rob Young. It's a fascinating and detailed account of how these musicians and bands evolved out of traditional folk music from both the UK and the US.
I'll be honest with you that The Strawbs, as much as I love them, will not likely generate the numbers of views that you might want or expect to get from more top tier bands, but I think you'd really appreciate a lot of their music and I'd urge you to explore them in private at the least.
The singing style is not so much of a time as of a received style, English folk - timeless. Trees are quite obscure but very good. They only made two albums as far I know.
Steeleye Span was the sound track of my college years, and we memorized them all and sang them in 4-part harmony. Fairport was awesome, and "Liege and Leaf" was a life-changing album. Pentangle was the background jam, Jacqui and Bert and John. I have to say, if you're going to sample Span, you'd do better to listen to "Weaver and the Factory Maid" and "Thomas the Rhymer" and "One Misty Moisty Morning" and "Cam Ye O'er Frae France" and "All Around My Hat" and "Long A'Growing" and "Little Sir Hugh" and a dozen other great cuts. There aren't many bad Span tracks but some are greater than others.
For info, Strawbs did a live version of the song you played on an album called ' Antiques and Curios ' with Rick Wakeman plying keyboards, great song! Live version 9 mins long and it is here ua-cam.com/users/results?search_query=antiques+and+curios+strawbs
Love these bands…but this is not British rock music. It is folk and folk rock genre. Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen, Stones were British rock. Quite a difference.
Just love Sandy Dennys voice. I can see why Led Zeppelin had her sing on the Battle of Evermore tune.
Pentangle were a fascinating outfit. Very jazzy and complex take on folk music.
Both Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span electrified ttaditional English folk. Fairport featured guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson who went on to a stunning solo career. Pentangle had Bert Jansch, who was considered the "Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar". All those bands had magnificent female singers. If you enjoyed this, seek out their albums, they are real treasures.
Very well put, I would add that this is actually all British Folk Rock and I still play most of these, don't forget the Strawbs had Rick Wakeman.
Going to see Fairport and the Stawbs at Fairport's festival in August this year. Superb music. British Folk rock
@@manuman27 Sounds great!
And a bit later Fairport had Dave Swarbrick - whose fiddle playing was in a class of its own. RIP Swarb.
Pentangle was (is?) interesting because when everyone else what was doing folk-rock crossovers, they were doing folk-jazz crossovers.
Sandy's voice tears at the heartstrings like no other.
I read that for "She moves through the fair. Sandy sung her solo version and the band improvised around this. I have always loved how Richard Thompson's restrained guitar compliments Sandy's voice
Waited awhile for this one and wasn't disappointed.Sandy Denny is from another dimension of talent...probable Pleiadian constellation ? Maddy awesome in her more...authentic English isms.This genre is very rich and rewarding.Nice one chap.
Maddy is in my top five favourite singers but no one will ever replace Sandy at number one for me.
I love Fairport Convention and Pentangle! Both Sandy Denny and Jacqui McShee are wonderful singers. Maddy Pryor of Steeleye Span is too, but I'm not too familiar with their music. I love Sandy's solo work, as well as guitarist/songwriter extraordinaire Richard Thompson.
Thanks, Jay, for this marathon! I've thought for a while N&L would get into the Brit folk-rock genre!
🎵❤️🎵 Debbie
The British folk-rock era was great, and I'm sure Lex will love it.
Light Flight from Penangle was the theme song for a BBC TV show called "Take Three Girls" which was broadcast from 1969-1971. The actual title of the Fairport Convention song is She Moves Through the Fair. Great reaction Nick!
Jacqui McShee, Sandy Denny, Celia Humphris, Maddy Prior, thank you very much!
Sandy Denny is one of my favorite female singers; so are Jacqui McShee and Maddy Prior.
Excellent. 70s folk rock from the UK, great music!
Loved every bit of this one, but especially Steeleye Span, Maddy Prior is amazing.
Steeleye Span is not my favourite of this selection, but Maddy Prior is indeed amazing. Her collaboration albums with June Tabor as Silly Sisters are also amazing and worth experiencing.
Yup, I've seen Steeleye in concert in the 1970s and you're absolutly right: Maddy Prior is astonishingly good. Cheers.
Still a great band. See them whenever I can.
She Moved Through the Fair my absolute favourite traditional Irish folk song,played by my favourite English folk/rock band. Stunning vocals by Sandy Denny. Plus the, then very young, Richard Thompson on lead guitar. Well worth a journey down the Fairport rabbit hole.
Yes…that style of women’s voices came out of the folk traditions of Britain and the US…and you can hear it in the voices of Sandy Denny, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Sinaid O’Conner, Mimi Farina….and yes…in the rock genre, Grace Slick. Powerful, clear, and without distortion.
Oh yes, this was a good marathon Jay! To answer your question Nick, I was 16 when these first three albums came out. The British folk-rock scene of the late sixties/early seventies is a fascinating period, as you can hear from this marathon. Although I was already getting side-tracked by The Moody Blues, Yes, King Crimson and the like, bands such as Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span made gorgeous music that I would dip my toe into occasionally. This has made me think I should reacquaint myself with their albums. I never came across Trees who were not as successful as the other three. The Strawbs of course I followed closely, and this track became the vehicle for Rick Wakeman's keyboard solo in their live gigs when he joined for the next two studio albums before moving on to Yes. Their live album 'Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios' has Rick in full flow on this song. I really enjoyed this marathon, thanks Nick and Jay.
I just happened to pop in, and voila! How exciting! Here we go...
So glad you enjoyed my selections, Nick, I had a feeling you would. A couple of minor clarifications; the title of the marathon was supposed to be “British Folk Rock”, and the Fairport Convention song is entitled “She Moves Through the Fair” which is based on a traditional folk song. I believe you have encountered Sandy Denny on your channel before through the band Fotheringay, which she was with for one album after having left Fairport. She also did some recordings with Strawbs even before joining Fairport Convention. This scene was very closely connected in its development It is interesting how the Strawbs evolved from a folk/psych outfit to more of a full fledged progressive band over time. Steeleye Span was started by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings along with Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. I included Trees as an example of how good some of the lesser known artists from this genre and time really were. What can you say about Pentangle? Some of their longer songs really showcase the incredible guitar playing of both John Redbourn and Bert Jansch, but all of the members were supremely talented. It is just happenstance that most if the singers are female, but that is an important defining feature of this music. When you get to the Lindesfarne marathon the singers are male and you will encounter the wondrous songwriting of Alan Hull. I hope to to some more of these down the line as there is so much amazing music that too often gets overlooked.
A good selection. I am very familiar with four of the groups and have all their albums, but Trees is a new name to me. I'll have to try to find the 2020 release collecting their albums.
For me the most iconic members of Pentangle are Jacqui McShee, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. Love Bert's version of Blackwaterside on Jack Orion. Fairport Convention gave us Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. Gaudete by Steeleye Span gives me goosebumps. I love that they sing in Latin. Very impressive
In Pentangle don't forget Danny Thompson on string bass. Even with those two great guitarists, the bass player could still upstage the other band members at times (certainly the times I saw them live). Nobody plays the bass quite like Danny!
Just about anything off the first three Pentangle albums is top notch. Also check out the solo works of the two guitarists John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Bert was the compositional genius behind Pentangle. He carried his innovative guitar and compositional style into the band while John added the decorative lead guitar sounds. All of the members brought unique skills and influences into the band - Terry Cox's incredibly precise and expressive drumming and Danny Thompson's wild and passionate jazz bass.
The Trees album from which Murdoch is taken, On The Shore is a masterpiece. Every song is good.
This was a really good marathon!!!
Just a surface scratch of this treasure trove.Try Steeleye's-Lowlands of Holland-When i was on Horseback-Bonny Moorhen-Blacksmith or Fairport's-Matty Groves-I'll keep it with mine-Nottuman Town.They're mostly old English yarns given the electric treatment but they live within you forever and even give a little sociological tuition along the way.
Hi Nick, Pentangle ? It must be at least 50 years since I heard this song. Took me a while to figure out where ? Probably on the radio, but it was a televison theme to "Take Three Girls", which I vaguely remember, but I did have a crush on a blonde girl in the series. Heck I must have been 13/14 at the time. It was 1960's clothes in England, so the mini skirt would have been promenant, and 60's fashion was without doubt the best of it's time. Talk about time travel. ...I still need to play rest of the video, but I just had to write this. 60's & 70's the happiest times of my life !!
Every young man in the 🇬🇧 had a crush on her. ❤
@@manuman27 Oh Ged, your comment made me smile sooo much. Cheers Ged !!
@@jimled50jl49 Your welcome. Excellent tv First time I heard Pentangle (still a fan)
Lisa Goddard was the blonde. Back in the day
That would be Lisa Goddard but for me it was Avril; Angela Down
She Moves Through the Fair. (There are some great videos of these bands playing live......add Fortheringay for more Sandy Denny.....she has a solo BBC performance too. Richard & Linda Thompson! so many greats.
Strawbs,one of my favorite bands, seen them probably 12-13 times both Acoustic and Electric shows ..they kill it, Dave Cousins is a genius.....great guy too.Dave who is singing has a "different" voice,you either love it or hate it, I wouldn't say he was a " conventional singer....
Love it myself.
On The Shore by Trees is a truly amazing album more folks should hear!
Absolutely! Fool is one of the scariest songs I've ever heard.
Title track is a desert island choice for me.
Believe it or not, Jacqui from Pentangle started a folk club in the Ye Olde Red Lion, as pub about 300m from my house when I was 10! By the time I was drinking in there, they had long gone though.
Sandy Denny's voice is so magnificent and haunting. Liege and Lief is a favourite album of mine.
Grave New World from the Strawbs was a favourite of mine from '72.
Never heard Trees before, so that was a pleasant surprise. Bias went onto be part of Barclay James Harvest and of course with the Moody Blues for many years.
It was hard to keep up with all the changes in Steeleye Span! Another great folk rock band that came out with some fantastic tracks. Maddy Prior is still active with the band at the ripe old age of 75!
Sandy Denny is legendary and worked briefly with The Strawbs before joining Fairport.
Big Steeleye Span fan. Maddy Prior has pipes!
The British "Folk Rock" movement is one hell of a rabbit hole to go down. Pentangle and Fairport Convention, (the pioneers of this genre were formed in the mid to late 1960's), a meld of often ancient English folk song and rock/jazz instrumentation intermixed with their own compositions particularly Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson in Fairport. Heady stuff indeed. Surprised you didn't recognise Sandy Denny who had a profound effect on you when you reacted to one of her songs "The Sea". Surprised you never followed up on this with some of her other amazing songs. Steeleye Span, FYI, were formed two years before Steely Dan by Ashley Hutchings, bassist and founder of Fairport Convention and had far more commercial success than the other bands here. Sandy also had a brief stint in Strawbs, though this band was always a vehicle for the songs of Dave Cousins. I tried to point you in the direction of their track "The Battle" when you did one of your previous reactions to the Strawbs, which is truly amazing. Finally, nice to see Trees getting a play, they were very underrated at the time and didn't really have much commercial success.
Nice selection. Steeleye Span were actually an offshoot of Fairport convention. Formed by bassist Ashley Hutchings after he left Fairport.
Just another quick comment while I've got the wind in my sails. Amongst all the other amazing musicians featured here, double bass player Danny Thompson, (Pentangle), is worth highlighting. He goes way back to the early days and was playing bass guitar with Roy Orbison's UK touring band travelling round the UK and Europe in the 1960's with the Big O, The Beatles and others before the Beatles had their first chart "hit" and became the headline act on the tour, some of Danny's anecdotes about this tour are absolutely hilarious The rest is history, as they say. Danny has had a long and distinguished career over the years including a long association with the legendary John Martyn, an artist I've been plugging away trying to get featured on your channel but to no avail. I was hoping one of your Patreon's, who have your ear, would take up the case but it would seem not. As with John's great friend Nick Drake, you'd wonder how such great music has gone under your radar should you give it a listen.
I actually thought about including one of John’s songs here. So many great artists to do! Sadly, NnL are not going to grow their channel as quickly if they focus on less known acts exclusively, but I hope they will not start chasing the algorithms too hard (look at the number of views on that Bohemian Rhapsody cover video, the sheeples all clicked on that one lol) as the eclectic selections on this channel are what makes it stand out from all of the fake reactors trying only to make money. Hopefully they will be able to balance both approaches.
Welcome to Cropredy! 🙂
Perfect marathon! Every track was brilliant. All of these bands were new to me. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face and new artists to enjoy 🙂
Nik this is definitely the dreams of my youth. I have The Strawbs 1st album on vinyl and Fairport Convention 'Leige and Leaf' on CD. These bands were very popular on the concert and festival circuits.
This is an awesome collection of British Folk Rock. Showcasing some of the best female vocalists ever in this genre. The Musicianship of the players here is on full display. Pentangle has some LIVE videos that will definitely impress, (I know you're not fond of them). Hear me out as to why you should reconsider. For some artists, like say Steely Dan, the production of what they did in the studio was remarkable. But the true test, IMO, is how well an artist or band delivers a live performance. As most prog fans know well, nothing compares to the connection one feels when watching all of the many superbly talented players execute flawlessly on stage. Even if it is a video, you can appreciate just how incredible this era - late 60's to early 70's - was musically. Also, watching them interact on stage with each other, and the audience, enhances everything. Take Pentangle: Jacqui McShee, perched on a stool, Danny Thompson, killing it on upright bass. Renbourn & Jansch; infusing jazz, bluegrass, and even Indian sitar, along with traditional folk, to make a unique blend of acoustic bliss. The late Sandy Denny, had such an emotive voice, that reached into your soul. Played piano, guitar, and composed brilliantly. What a tragic loss. Maddy Prior, another goddess of the genre. Thanks for these great picks Jay! Which would be a worthy rabbit hole? Hmmmm....
Pentangle are magnificent
There is a live version of Where is this dream of your youth which features a keyboard solo by Rick Wakeman. It is from the album Just a collection of antiques and curios.
It's amazing as well, a little known favourite of mine.
Fairport are still around - I saw them only last week. They still sound great.
Apart from The Beatles and 70s prog rock, this selection pretty much represents the rest of my entire collection and gig going history. Still lots to discover so keep going. 😃
The Strawbs did quite a bit of 70s (and later) prog rock.
Another guitarist to look into from Pentangle is John Renbourne.
Great selections...especially Fairport Convention. Can't wait to hear this whole set 👏
Fairport are still going (few line up changes along the way), they also curate their own festival each year in Cropredy, Oxfordshire. Their’s was to some extent a sort of British reaction to the electrification of US folk music.Worth looking up the Albion Band too which is an ever changing folk collective, try the album ‘Rise up Like the Sun’ a very bucolic English sound.
Am pretty sure John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is the session bass player on Where Is This Dream Of Your Youth by Strawbs.
Try "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" by Fairport Convention (there's an earlier and excellent Strawbs version). Heartbreaking!
Give Sandy Dennys solo work a listen. "Old Fashioned Waltz" album is golden.
Some great choices there, glad you liked them!👌
I did not think you could pull this off, but to your great credit you did
Sandy Denny puts the others to shame. Esp her singing in 1969
Pentangle songs still amaze me 40 years after I first heard them. Love going back and hearing some of them - though this was never one of my favourites.
Oh - but Sandy Denny and Fairport doing "She moves through the fair" - the best version of that song, both for the band, but mainly because Sandy Denny was one of the greatest celtic style singers of all times. Such a great singer.
I doubt Sandy ever could have sung stuff she didn't feel. She had to sing like this, because it was authentic to her, and she couldn't do anything else.
A lot of the immigrants to the USA brought their own musical roots with them. There is a fabulous series (6 dvd's or cd's) from BBC4, called Transatlantic Sessions, which featured musicians and singers from the USA, Canada including French Canadian, Scotland Ireland and England. Some of my favourite artists took part, such as James Taylor, John Martyn, Iris Dement,Julie Fowlis and so many more. A treasure trove of Celtic, folk,bluegrass and country music.
Every Transatlantic Sessions BBC TV programme - ua-cam.com/play/PLRZ7YA33F4d_-yFVCGn9y2y_6VvhVhXv8.html&si=LSc9S6GLLMlfZolt 9:11
I was going to mention Renaissance as another band for this genre. But apparently you have already covered them. Good selection, knew 3 of the 5. Thanks for the introduction to Strawbs and Trees.
Nice Trees getting a shout, they only made 2 albums and the 2nd 'On The Shore' is a masterpiece of the genre. Strawbs also horribly underrated, all their early stuff (both with and without Rick Wakeman and Sandy Denny) is top notch stuff in my opinion often truly creating the crossover of prog and folk.
Strawbs!
What a great set of tunes. Pentangle kicks off with their best known song.
That's a hell of a song to have be the first time you've heard Fairport Convention. They were all so young and so good. That Sandy Denny died at the age of 31 is almost incomprehensible; we could have had three or four more decades of her voice and songwriting.
John Renbourn from Pentangle did some good solo stuff
Bravo for your superb selection. On The Shore by Trees is a lost treasure, as is Mellow Candle's Swaddling Songs. For a mid 70s female vocalist and folk rock that shares similarities with Sandy Denny and Fotheringay, I would recommend Spriguns, and their albums, Revel, Weird and Wild, and Time Will Pass. One of Sandy Denny's greatest moments (and there were many) comes in the Fotheringay track The Banks of the Nile.
Or "Nothing More"
Nicknlex, I really enjoy your channel. The Dan and Rush are two of my all time favourites. The comments have already suggested Bert Jansch, but I would also recommend Davey Graham and Wizz Jones.
Keep up the good work.
JohnM
You need to checkout the live version of this with Rick Wakeman, he has a fabulous improvised solo
It's a very short step from Fairport Convention to Richard Thompson. Probably my favorite acoustic guitarist. Not that I have any problem with his electric guitar skills.
That’s a marathon that needs to be done!
It was the Strawbs first *released* album. Not their first *recorded* album, which was "All our own work", including a great version of Sandy Denny's "Who knows where the time goes". I was at the Strawbs final live concert (because of Cousin's ill health, but hopefully not the end of their recording career). It was emotional for a lot of us there.
Apparently, Trees' vocalist Celia Humprhis sadly died on 11 January 2021. Interestingly, more people will have heard her voice than they may think. After fronting an underground band, she later actually became the official loudpseaker announcement voice for the London Underground rail network.
Funny you should find Dave Cousins’ voice similar to Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull- both are Scotsmen! And although he wasn’t on this album, Rick Wakeman was a member of the Strawbs.
I’ve watched two marathons by you today; this one of British folk rock, and the other of American folk rock and singer/songwriter tradition (CSN, CSNY, Little Feat and Jackson Browne). I loved both, and so did you. Does that mean that these genres will become part of your normal rotation, or are they exceptions and will not be pursued further? I will certainly sub if you intend to delve further into these genres in addition to your normal prog rock fare.
Much as I love the folky Jethro Tull period, for British Folk Rock, Steeleye Span were for me the greatest exponent of the art. Maddy Prior, like Annie Haslam & Kate Bush, have been THE female vocalists for me for the last half century. Please react to some more Steeleye Span, as there are SO many glorious interpretations of traditional folk music they did in the 1970s.
Good selection of folk groups.
Track 1 was aTV series theme tune.
2 Sandie Denny sang on Zeplin duet.
5 Ian Anderson played on oolater recordinng.
Oolater?
@@w.geoffreyspaulding6588 i am sight impaired and often make typos.
She Moved Through the Fair - a pretty chilling ghost song.
Fairport's Richard Thompson is/was an outstanding talent. He was about 17 years old when this track was first laid down... amazing.
He's even better now. He can do this and then tear out a cover of "White Room" that I would argue bests Eric Clapton.
Love all of this. Try looking at early Gryphon.
Or even current Gryphon - can't wait to see them again in June.
Not so much because it was fashionable, but because these singers are using the phrasing of British traditional folk songs/singing. It's a particular idiom/style, and separate from rock singing. Pentangle mixed it with jazz, and the others used electrification in a rock sense. These bands were not considered rock by my schools at the time.
She moved through the Fair
I was so lucky to have seen all these bands, apart from the Strawbs....the early seventies was so rich for innovative folk/rock!!
Please listen to Fairport's "Who knows where the time goes"!!
Agree on the western feel for Trees. I was thinking the same thing
Sandy Denny was the British equivalent of Joan Baez or Judy Collins…..especially I think she and Judy sounded so similar. Utterly gorgeous voice….so talented….and died way too young. I believe it was in 1971 when she was named top British female singer and Robert Plant top male singer.
No Sandy sadly passed away in 1978.
You an Lexi should listen to Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Fairport Convention. It is stunning.
It's incredible that Sandy never found the fame she deserved.
Richard and Linda Thompson from Fairport did go stuff on their own
As someone else mentioned the live version of this Strawbs song from Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios is far better and a great demonstration of the potential and ability of a younger Rick Wakeman.
Just a brief note: the band is Pentangle, not Pentacle.
If you'd like to know more about this era of Folk-Rock music in the UK, I'd really recommend a book called Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music, by Rob Young. It's a fascinating and detailed account of how these musicians and bands evolved out of traditional folk music from both the UK and the US.
the only one I didn't know was Trees
you could've thrown in some Gentle Giant LOL
Celia Humphris, the lead singer of Trees died on 11 January 2021
It's PEN tangle
Better termed British Folk Rock
Pen-tangle, not Pent-angle.
I'm just noticing now how much Sandy Denny reminds me of Loreena McKennitt.
NicknLex.... 1 year ago you reacted to Grateful Dead.... Casey Jones.
Have you listened to any Dead since?
I'll be honest with you that The Strawbs, as much as I love them, will not likely generate the numbers of views that you might want or expect to get from more top tier bands, but I think you'd really appreciate a lot of their music and I'd urge you to explore them in private at the least.
The singing style is not so much of a time as of a received style, English folk - timeless. Trees are quite obscure but very good. They only made two albums as far I know.
Steeleye Span was the sound track of my college years, and we memorized them all and sang them in 4-part harmony. Fairport was awesome, and "Liege and Leaf" was a life-changing album. Pentangle was the background jam, Jacqui and Bert and John. I have to say, if you're going to sample Span, you'd do better to listen to "Weaver and the Factory Maid" and "Thomas the Rhymer" and "One Misty Moisty Morning" and "Cam Ye O'er Frae France" and "All Around My Hat" and "Long A'Growing" and "Little Sir Hugh" and a dozen other great cuts. There aren't many bad Span tracks but some are greater than others.
Maddy's voice...
For info, Strawbs did a live version of the song you played on an album called ' Antiques and Curios ' with Rick Wakeman plying keyboards, great song! Live version 9 mins long and it is here
ua-cam.com/users/results?search_query=antiques+and+curios+strawbs
Check out some good 70's prog. STRAWBS. - HERO AND HEROINE. Album. You would like the opening or closing songs.
Love these bands…but this is not British rock music. It is folk and folk rock genre. Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen, Stones were British rock. Quite a difference.
True, but the Strawbs got a bit more Rocky and progressive later with albums like Ghosts and Hero And Heroine.
The title of the marathon was supposed to be “British Folk Rock” but it appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle.