| The King of Elfland's Daughter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 1977 |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Studio | Wessex Sound Studios, London |
| Genre | Progressive rock, British folk rock |
| Length | 35:34 |
| Label | Chrysalis |
| Producer | Bob Johnson, Peter Knight |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
The King of Elfland's Daughter is a 1977 concept album by former Steeleye Span members Bob Johnson and Peter Knight. It was based on the 1924 fantasy novel of the same name by Lord Dunsany. [2] The cover illustration is by Jimmy Cauty.
Side 1
Side 2
Aside from the musicians on the album, also featured was a cast of actors and musicians who played the parts of the characters in the book:
The cast provided all the vocals for the album. Bob Johnson is one of four backing vocalists on "Alveric's Journey Through Elfland". Peter Knight did not contribute any vocals.
Orchestrated and conducted by Peter Knight, except for "The Rune of the Elf King" which was orchestrated by Paul Lewis.
Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner, known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major influence on the sound of the British music scene in the 1960s, he was instrumental in the formation of several notable British bands including The Rolling Stones and Free. Korner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024.
A half-elf is a mythological or fictional being, the offspring of an immortal elf and a mortal man. They are often depicted as very beautiful and endowed with magical powers; they may be presented as torn between the two worlds that they inhabit. Half-elves became known in modern times mainly through J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings but have origins in Norse mythology. A half-elf appeared in Lord Dunsany's 1924 book The King of Elfland's Daughter.
Peter Knight is an English folk musician, a former member of British folk rock group Steeleye Span. Born in London, Knight learnt to play the violin and mandolin as a child before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired him to take part in Irish pub sessions. He teamed up with guitarist and singer Bob Johnson until 1970 when he joined Steeleye Span. The parting was short-lived, as Johnson himself also joined Steeleye Span in 1972. Since 2016, he has performed as a duo with Bellowhead founder and melodeon player, John Spiers.
Andrew McIan Fraser was a British musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He also founded the rock band Sharks after leaving Free in 1972.
Robert Michael Leonard Johnson was a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of the British folk rock band Steeleye Span from 1972 to 1977, and again from 1980 to 2001.
Rocket Cottage is the ninth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in 1976 by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Mike Batt, it was hoped that the album would cement the band's popular and commercial success, building on their breakthrough into the UK Top 10 with their previous album All Around My Hat and its title track, which reached #5 on the UK singles chart. By the time it was released, the sudden explosion of the British Punk scene saw audience tastes in the UK rapidly shift away from formerly popular genres like folk rock and progressive rock, and groups that previously been critical favourites, like Steeleye Span and Yes, soon found themselves being derided as "dinosaurs". Rocket Cottage did not reach the Top 40, and it was the last album recorded by the "classic" mid-seventies lineup of the group, with Peter Knight and Bob Johnson both subsequently leaving the group.
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Time is the fourteenth studio album by Steeleye Span. The album was released in 1996, after a seven-year hiatus, and was their first on the Park Records label. The impetus for the album was a 25th anniversary reunion tour the year before, during which most of the former members of the band performed together. Maddy Prior was experiencing voice problems so she spoke to Gay Woods, a founding member who had left the band after the first album, to rejoin. Woods initially resisted this move, since she had not performed publicly for some time, but Prior eventually prevailed and Woods returned to the band. The result was only the second Steeleye Span album to feature two female singers, which was used to very good effect on the ironic "Old Maid in the Garrett" and to a lesser extent on "The Prickly Bush" and "The Cutty Wren". Both, Prior and Woods, provide lead vocals on different songs. Priors' voice troubles are reflected in her musical choices on this album; she generally sings less powerfully and in a lower range, but still effectively. Woods also introduced a few Irish elements to the bands' repertoire, including the "Old Maid in the Garrett/Tam Lin reel" and her bodhrán. This album was to be Prior's last album with Steeleye Span until 2002's Present.
The King of Elfland's Daughter is a 1924 fantasy novel by Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany. It is widely recognized as one of the most influential and acclaimed works in all of fantasy literature. Although the novel faded into relative obscurity following its initial release, it found new longevity and wider critical acclaim when a paperback edition was released in 1969 as the second volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series.
Colin Hodgkinson is a British rock, jazz and blues bassist, who has been active since the 1960s.
B.B. King in London is a studio album, the nineteenth, by B.B. King, recorded in London in 1971. He is accompanied by US session musicians and various British rock- and R&B musicians, including Ringo Starr, Alexis Korner and Gary Wright, as well as members of Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie, Greg Ridley, Steve Marriott, and Jerry Shirley.
Rocket 88 is an album recorded live in Germany in 1981 by the boogie-woogie band Rocket 88. The band had a casual line-up, and founder/producer/band-member Ian Stewart in his liner notes makes reference to the other "permanent" band-members who were not present for that particular recording. Although it is rumoured that there are numerous bootleg live takes from other concerts, it is the band's only officially released album. It was recorded using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
The Rock is the third album from Frankie Miller, and the only one officially credited to The Frankie Miller Band. The album features backing from The Memphis Horns and The Edwin Hawkins Singers.
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The Party Album, also known as The Party LP is a 1978 live blues recording by Alexis Korner. The double album features Alexis Korner and various guest musicians singing a mix of both classic blues songs as well as some of Korner's own. The concert was a celebration of Korner's 50th birthday.
Devil's Answer is a song by British rock band Atomic Rooster from their album, In Hearing of Atomic Rooster (1971). It is also a compilation of their live recordings, released in 1998 by Hux Records.
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