Wintersmith (Steeleye Span album)

Last updated

Wintersmith
Front cover of Steeleye Span cd Wintersmith.jpg
Studio album by
Released28 October 2013
Recorded2013
Genre British folk rock, progressive rock
Label Park Records
Producer Chris Tsangarides
Steeleye Span chronology
Cogs, Wheels and Lovers
(2009)
Wintersmith
(2013)
Dodgy Bastards
(2016)

Wintersmith is the twenty-second studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in October 2013. It features the line-up of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Julian Littman, Pete Zorn and Liam Genockey. Guest musicians are Terry Pratchett (voice), Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian pipes), Bob Johnson (vocals), and John Spiers (melodeon).

Contents

The songs on the album were inspired principally by Wintersmith and other Discworld books featuring Tiffany Aching. There is a spoken contribution by the author, Terry Pratchett.

A double CD Deluxe Edition was released in October 2014: the second disc featured a mixture of new tracks, live performances and demos.

Personnel

Steeleye Span

with:

Tracks

2013 Standard Edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Overture"Bob Johnson/Peter KnightPrior 
2."The Dark Morris Song"Julian LittmanPrior 
3."Wintersmith"Rick KempKemp 
4."You"LittmanLittman 
5."The Good Witch"Maddy PriorPrior, Terry Pratchett (spoken word) 
6."Band of Teachers"PriorPrior 
7."The Wee Free Men"JohnsonJohnson, Prior 
8."Hiver"PriorPrior 
9."Fire and Ice"KempKemp 
10."The Making of a Man"KnightKnight 
11."Crown of Ice"KempKemp 
12."First Dance"KempPrior 
13."The Dark Morris Tune"KnightInstrumental 
14."The Summer Lady"LittmanLittman 
15."Ancient Eyes"JohnsonPrior 
16."We Shall Wear Midnight"KnightKnight 

2014 Deluxe Edition

Tracks - Deluxe Edition Disc 2:

  1. "To Be Human"
  2. "Be Careful What You Wish for"
  3. "Granny Aching"
  4. "Just One Heart"
  5. "You" (live)
  6. "Ancient Eyes" (live)
  7. "The Dark Morris Tune" (live)
  8. "The Dark Morris Song" (live)
  9. "The Making of a Man" (live)
  10. "Crown of Ice" (live)
  11. "Summer Lady" (live)
  12. "We Shall Wear Midnight" (live)
  13. "Ancient Eyes" (demo)
  14. "The Wee Free Men" (demo)

Chart performance

Wintersmith debuted at No. 77 on the UK Albums Chart.[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

The album received very positive reviews and has been described as "a marriage between the written word and music that is devastatingly superb." [1]

Folk Radio UK hailed the release as "a concept album it has that feel of being made for a stage production". [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeleye Span</span> English folk rock band, formed 1969

Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and were commercially successful in that period, with four Top 40 albums and two hit singles: "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Tickell</span> English musician

Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maddy Prior</span> English singer

Madeleine Edith Prior MBE is an English folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police drama Z-Cars. She was married to Steeleye bass guitarist Rick Kemp, and their daughter, Rose Kemp, is also a singer. Their son, Alex Kemp, is also a guitarist and has deputised for his father playing bass guitar for Steeleye Span.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Knight (folk musician)</span> British folk musician (born 1947)

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.

<i>Wintersmith</i> 2006 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Wintersmith is a comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, set in the Discworld and written with younger readers in mind. It is labelled a "Story of Discworld" to indicate its status as children's or young adult fiction, unlike most of the books in the Discworld series. Published on 21 September 2006, it is the third novel in the series to feature the character of Tiffany Aching. It received recognition as a 2007 Best Book for Young Adults from the American Library Association.

<i>Storm Force Ten</i> 1977 studio album by Steeleye Span

Storm Force Ten is the tenth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span, released in 1977 by Chrysalis Records. Until their 2013 album Wintersmith, released 36 years after Storm Force Ten, this album was the band's last production to reach the charts, topping out at 191 on Billboard's Pop charts. After Rocket Cottage, Bob Johnson and Peter Knight left the band. As there was still a contractual obligation, they invited Martin Carthy back again. Back in 1971 when Martin Carthy had joined he had recommended John Kirkpatrick but they decided on fiddler Peter Knight instead. This time they accepted his recommendation and Kirkpatrick's fiery accordion playing replaced Knight's fiddle.

<i>Sails of Silver</i> 1980 studio album by Steeleye Span

Sails of Silver is the eleventh studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in 1980 by Chrysalis Records. The album was produced two years after the band's ostensible break-up. At the request of Chrysalis Records Peter Knight and Bob Johnson both returned, replacing their own replacements Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick, who departed after the release of Live at Last. Despite being produced by Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon, Sails of Silver was a commercial failure, and this proved a final straw for Tim Hart, who departed the band, leaving Maddy Prior as the band's sole remaining founding member.

<i>Back in Line</i> 1986 studio album by Steeleye Span

Back in Line is the twelfth studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. The album was released in 1986, after a hiatus of almost 6 years. It is their first album without founding member Tim Hart, who quit the music business entirely. It is also the last album they recorded with Maddy Prior's husband, Rick Kemp, until They Called Her Babylon; Kemp suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to stop playing for a long time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Zorn</span> American musician

Pete Zorn was an American multi-instrumentalist who was a longstanding member of Richard Thompson's backing band. He was also a member of Steeleye Span, The Albion Band, and Driver 67.

<i>Horkstow Grange</i> 1998 studio album by Steeleye Span

Horkstow Grange is an album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span.

<i>Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span</i> 2002 studio album by Steeleye Span

Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span is the 17th studio album by Steeleye Span, released in 2002. The album contains new recordings of previously released songs.

<i>Bloody Men</i> 2006 studio album by Steeleye Span

Bloody Men is the 20th studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span.

<i>They Called Her Babylon</i> 2004 studio album by Steeleye Span

They Called Her Babylon is an album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. The title track deals with the Siege of Lathom House in 1644, during the English Civil War, during which Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby, held out for four months against Parliamentarian efforts to take the house.

<i>Tonights the Night...Live</i> 1992 live album by Steeleye Span

Tonight's the Night...Live is the second live album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Genockey</span> Irish musician (born 1948)

Liam Genockey is an Irish musician, who is the drummer with British folk rock band Steeleye Span.

<i>Winter</i> (Steeleye Span album) Music album by Steeleye Span

Winter is the 19th studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It is the second album made by a line-up consisting of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Liam Genockey and Ken Nicol. This is their first Christmas album. Most of the songs on the album are traditional folk songs, but it also includes three new pieces expressing neo-pagan views on the Winter season. It also includes a negro spiritual, "Blow Your Trumpet Gabriel", the first time the band had drawn from that particular musical genre.

<i>Cogs, Wheels & Lovers</i> 2009 studio album by Steeleye Span

Cogs, Wheels & Lovers is the twenty-first studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released on 26 October 2009. It is the band's fourth studio album to feature the line-up of Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, Rick Kemp, Ken Nicol and Liam Genockey.

<i>Dodgy Bastards</i> 2016 studio album by Steeleye Span

Dodgy Bastards is the twenty-third studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. It was released in October 2016, and features several arrangements of the Child Ballads.

<i>Estd 1969</i> 2019 studio album by Steeleye Span

Est'd 1969 is the twenty-fourth studio album by Steeleye Span, released on 28 June 2019.

References

  1. Hall, Ian D. (27 November 2013). "Steeleye Span, Wintersmith. Album Review". Liverpool Sound and Vision. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. Gallacher, Alex (23 November 2013). "STEELEYE SPAN – WINTERSMITH". Folk Rock UK. Retrieved 27 January 2018.