British Folk-Rock - An Overview

Fairport Convention was one of--if not the--first of the English "electric folk" bands. They originally came together in 1967, and continued, with numerous personnel changes, through 1979. After disbanding they played annual reunion concerts until reforming in 1985. They continue to be active today.

Early recordings owed much to American folk-rock, but a distinctive Britishness had begun to emerge by the band's third album Unhalfbricking.

Instrumentation is primarily electric, though there has been, at times, a parallel acoustic version of the band.

The most noted line-up was: Sandy Denny, vocals; Ashley Hutchings, bass; Dave Mattacks, drums; Simon Nicol, guitar; Dave Swarbrick, violin; and Richard Thompson, guitar. See the Wikipedia entry (link below) for a full history.

The band's Official website is HERE, and their Wikipedia entry HERE.

Founded in late 1969 when Ashley Hutchings left Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span tended toward a harder rock sound for their best-known work.

While they have recorded a fair amount of original work, the emphasis is on electric arrangements of traditional material.

The band was even more afflicted with personnel changes than most--Wikipedia lists 14 different rosters--but managed to maintain an overall consistency in spite of it. As of Parcel of Rogues, the line-up was: Maddy Prior (vocals); Tim Hart (vocals, guitar, appalachian dulcimer); Bob Johnson (vocals, guitar); Rick Kemp (bass guitar, drums); Peter Knight (violin, viola, mandolin, piano, recorder, harmonium).

Steeleye Span continues active today, with a new studio album expected in 2009.

An unofficial home page is HERE, and the Wikipedia entry is HERE

Pentangle leans toward the jazzier side of the spectrum--so much so that they almost don't belong on this lens. The flowering of their initial popularity, however, coincided with the rise of British folk rock, and they will almost certainly appeal to anyone who likes others on the list.

Though they do use electric instruments on some recordings, most of their work was done with acoustic instruments. Their material is a mix of traditional and original pieces.

The original line-up, which lasted from 1967 to 1973, was: Jacqui McShee, vocals; John Renbourn, guitar; Bert Jansch, guitar; Danny Thompson, double bass; and Terry Cox, drums.

Beginning in the early 1980s, several successor bands--including one re-designated "Jacqui McShee's Pentangle"--continued to carry the standard. The original band formally reunited in 2008.

You can find Pentangle's MySpace page HERE, and their Wikipedia entry HERE

A relative newcomer in this company, Oysterband formed around 1976 out of the earlier band Fiddler's Dram.

Material is a mix of originals and traditional songs, with a slight lean toward the former (and a few cover tunes thrown in).

Oysterband produces a distinctive rock feel despite using acoustic instruments almost exclusively.

Current line-up is: Chopper (bass guitar, cello, vocals); John Jones (melodeon, lead vocals); Alan Prosser (guitars, viola, vocals); Ian Telfer (fiddle, English concertina, vocals); Dil Davies (drums).

They continue active today.

The band's official website is HERE, their MySpace page is HERE and the Wikipedia entry is HERE

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