''Time'' is the fourteenth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Steeleye Span 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, ...

. 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 Madeleine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) 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 p ...

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 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. Prior's voice troubles are reflected in her musical choices on this album; she generally sings less powerfully and in a lower range. 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 present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...

''. In some ways, the album represents a revival of

. After a sixteen-year period in which the band released only three albums, the band entered a more productive phase that continues to the present; producing an album once every two years, including two in 2004. The song "Corbies" is a remake of "

Twa Corbies "The Three Ravens" () is an English folk ballad, printed in the songbook ''Melismata'' compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611, but the song is possibly older than that. Newer versions (with different music) were recorded up throug ...

", which appears on ''

Hark! The Village Wait ''Hark! The Village Wait'' is the debut album by the British folk rock band Steeleye Span, first released in 1970. It is the only album to feature the original lineup of the band, as they broke up and reformed with an altered membership immedi ...

''. The theme of "The Cutty Wren" had also been explored before, in the song "The King" on '' Please to See the King'', as well in "Hunting the Wren" on '' Live at Last''. In this version, the band experimented with a complex scheme of vocal and instrumental placement, which is best appreciated with headphones. Overall, this version is much darker than "The King" and somewhat menacing. The album's sound is rather fuller and more lush than their earlier albums, thanks in part to the addition of Harries' keyboards on several songs, most notably "Corbies" and "The Elf Knight".

Track listing

# " The Prickly Bush" # "Old Maid in the Garrett/Tam Lin reel" # "Harvest of the Moon" # "Underneath Her Apron" # "The

Cutty Wren "The Cutty Wren" and its variants such as "The Hunting of the Wren" are traditional English folk songs. The origins and meaning of the song are disputed. It is number 236 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Origin The song is thought by some to repre ...

" # " Go from My Window" # " The Elf Knight" # " The Water is Wide" # "You Will Burn" # " Corbies" # "The Song Will Remain"

Personnel

;Steeleye Span *

- vocals *

Gay Woods Gay Woods (18 September 1948) is an Irish singer. She was one of the original members of Steeleye Span. Early years Gabriel Corcoran was born in Dublin, a neighbour of her future husband Terry Woods. Her elder brothers shared Woods' love of ...

- vocals, bodhrán * Bob Johnson - vocals, electric guitar * Peter Knight - vocals, violin *

Tim Harries 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, an ...

- bass, keyboards, vocals *

Liam Genockey Liam Genockey (born 12 August 1948) is an Irish musician, who is the drummer with British folk rock band Steeleye Span. Biography Genockey was born in Dublin, Ireland. During the 1960s he lived in Plymouth, Devon, U.K, playing in local semi ...

- drums, percussion

References

{{Authority control Steeleye Span albums 1996 albums