Reviews

Tim Hart & Maddy Prior
Album: Heydays (Boxset)
Label: Talking Elephant
Tracks: 39
Website: http://www.talkingelephant.co.uk

Many of you will know these tracks - or if you don't, you will be aware of Tim and Maddy as founder members and the long-term backbone of Steeleye Span. If you do not know their duo recordings, or haven't heard these pre-Span albums, and especially if you are a lover of the English Folk tradition, you'll love this box set. Sadly, Tim died in 2009; but, as we know, Maddy powers on with her Carnival Band

Previously released in a similar format in 2003 on Castle Music, the three original vinyl albums presented here have long been out of print. Even the 2003 CD set is hard to find. All three albums consist of traditional folk tunes - many of which were presumably culled from the archives in Cecil Sharp House or passed around the folk circuit by avid collectors.

Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 1 was released in 1968, followed by Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 2 in 1969 - both on the obscure Teepee Records label. They feature Tim and Maddy on vocals, accompanied by Tim's guitar and dulcimer. The third LP, Summer Solstice, was released on B&C Records in 1971, after the duo had joined Ashley Hutchings, and duo Gaye and Terry Woods, in 1969, to form Steeleye Span and record the latter's debut album (Hark! The Village Wait 1970). Again, the focus on Summer Solstice is on traditional songs, but with additional musicians from the Span/Fairport/Fotheringay stable.

I remember seeing Tim and Maddy at my local college around this time (1971), on a double bill with Gaye and Terry Woods. Both duos played acoustically, and also performed as a quartet. At this distance, I cannot recall whether they also had a bass player join them, (but I like to imagine that they did). What I can say with certainty is that all the music on these CDs conveys a good impression of how they sounded live, in the folk club setting. So, if you were around in the late '60's, or wish to get a feel for the folk scene from which the folk-rock phenomenon exploded, you could not do better than buy this set.

Some of the tracks on the albums will be very familiar to you. Maid That's Deep in Love, or Bruton Town on the first Folk Songs album, or My Son John on Vol. 2. Others were staples of the late 6o's folk scene; Sorry the Day I was Married (on Summer Solstice), for example, seems to have first been recorded on a Mike Waterson LP in 1966 - though the lyrics are thought to date back to at least 1561, and probably originated in Norfolk. Having said this, several of the songs will be unfamiliar to many listeners- or at least are rarely sung and heard these days.

Given the sparse, traditional folk song approach of the first two albums, and the limitations of Teepee Records recording studios, the Folk Songs albums (CD1) are remarkably fresh and clear. What is more, the potential limitations of the duo format are skilfully avoided by the sequencing and presentation of the tracks. With two accomplished singers, and Hart's instrumental dexterity, Tim and Maddy are able to create a thoroughly enthralling set of 13 tunes on each album. Compare Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy and the closely related Farewell Nancy on Vol.1. The former (track 2) is sung as an unaccompanied duet, while the latter is a solo Tim Hart song with guitar accompaniment. The Brisk Butcher creates an upbeat rhythm on dulcimer for Maddy to tell her tale of seduction, whilst the same instrumentation on Earl Richard (Vol. 2) creates a more atmospheric backing to her dirge-like ballad.

Even on Summer Solstice (CD2), the extra instrumentation available is used sparingly; ensemble tunes are interspersed with unaccompanied solo and duet songs. Consider, for example, the following sequence: Fly Up My Cock, Cannily Cannily (Ewan McColl's tune), Adam Catched Eve and Three Drunken Maidens - successively unaccompanied solo Maddy, band ( vocals Maddy), unaccompanied duet, and band (Maddy vocals). However, the influence of the Steeleye Span format can be seen in the fact that Maddy takes the majority of the vocals, with Tim leading on only 3 of the 13 tracks. With the original Span line-up having two female vocalists, (and the commercial success of Sandy Denny with Fairport/Fotheringay, and Jacqui McShee in Pentangle) it was becoming apparent that Maddy's voice was the strong selling. This makes the first two albums even more important in spotlighting the vocal talents of Tim Hart, and the incredibly strong force of the duo's harmonies on duets.

Sadly, Tim died in 2009; but, as we know, Maddy powers on with her Carnival Band, and with frequent revivals of Steeleye Span. She also runs her Stones Barn centre with her daughter, offering creative workshops in singing, songwriting, poetry and performance.

So, there you have it: 39 vintage tracks, brilliantly executed and all available in excellent sound quality at a bargain price. As Neil King would say - 'folk 'n good!'.

Martin Price

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