British folk icons
Tim Hart and
Maddy Prior recorded two albums of traditional music together before joining the seminal folk-rock band
Steeleye Span. In 1967 the duo released Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol. 1 on the small but influential Tepee Records label. Recorded in mono, the album featured minimal arrangements of obscure songs from the yet to be plundered Cecil Sharp and English Folk Dance & Song Society libraries -- the source of many of the burgeoning scene's most famous recordings -- and showcased the pair's impeccable vocal skills. Folk Songs of Olde England, Vol.2 followed in 1969 -- this time in stereo -- and introduced the first rendering of John Connolly's "Fiddler's Green" as well as "Copshawholme Fair," which appeared on
Steeleye Span's debut,
Hark! The Village Wait. During the recording of the group's second record,
Please to See the King,
Prior and
Hart finished their third and finest LP,
Summer Solstice. Featuring 13 songs and boasting arrangements by
Robert Kirby, the record is considered by many to be one of the most important folk releases of the decade. Castle's
Heydays anthology collects all three of these landmark albums -- the first two have been long out of print -- on a two-disc set with extensive liner notes and interviews with the artists. This is a must for any fan of British folk music. ~ James Christopher Monger