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Wintersmith (Steeleye Span album)

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Wintersmith
Studio album by
Released28 October 2013
Recorded2013
GenreBritish folk rock, progressive rock
LabelPark Records
ProducerChris 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).

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

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Steeleye Span
  • Maddy Prior – vocals
  • Peter Knight – violin, vocals (except CD2, tracks 1-4)
  • Jessie May Smart – violin on "deluxe version" CD2, tracks 1 to 4
  • Rick Kemp – bass, vocals
  • Julian Littman – guitar, piano, vocals
  • Pete Zorn – acoustic guitar, saxophone, vocals
  • Liam Genockey – drums, percussion

with:

Tracks

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2013 Standard Edition

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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

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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

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

Critical reception

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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]

References

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  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.