“We got into British folk. We started listening to Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, and Pentangle; those are the three biggies. Strawbs, Amazing Blondel, a lot of more obscure bands: Yellow Autumn, Windy Corner. A lot of Pentangle. I had never listened to that stuff before. Just like before the previous album, I had never checked out Neil Young or Joni Mitchell or anything. So the same thing sort of happened, but with British folk.” Tim Smith, Midlake

A few weeks back, STACKS’ debut column inspired a mini-debate amongst our readers (all two of ‘em!) regarding musical trends and the power current artists wield to revive interest in music of the past. It’s a bit of a chicken/egg argument…do contemporary artists inspire us to delve back into the rich archives of music or are they merely drawing blood from a vein that was there all along? Column A, Column B and all that.

Denton, Texas’ Midlake released it’s third full length album yesterday, The Courage of Others, an album that is certainly on my short list of most anticipated releases this year. I haven’t actually had the opportunity to hear the album yet, as I’m stubbornly holding out for the delayed vinyl pressing. But I’ve read plenty of the pre-release press that’s been floating out there. Main songwriter and vocalist Tim Smith has been quite revealing regarding the main influences of this latest effort, which has been nearly four arduous years in the making: British folk of the late 60′s and 70′s.

Midlake is certainly not the first band in recent memory to mine these sources for inspiration (albums from Trembling Bells and Espers, perhaps most prominently, come to mind), but this does mark a bit of a left turn from the Laurel Canyon territory of the band’s breakthrough second effort, The Trials of Van Occupanther.

Let’s take a quick look at Tim Smith’s road map and sample the “three biggies”, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Pentangle. (If any readers out there are familiar with more obscure names such as Amazing Blondel, Yellow Autumn, Windy Corners, Mellow Candle, the Trees, please drop a line in the comments. I’d love to hear more of this stuff.)

Pentangle “Traveling Song”

Pentangle formed in 1967 and was considered something of a super group, merging the talents of two of the budding British folk scene’s most well-loved guitarists, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, with two of the jazz world’s most talented rhythm section players, bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox. Add in the unique stylings of vocalist Jacqui McShee and what resulted was a revelatory mix of folk, jazz and blues that pushed boundaries in ways that had many musical purists’ crying foul. I’ve always had a bit of a hard time getting my head wrapped fully around the Pentangle’s sound, but the first time I heard “Travellin’ Song”, the band’s first single, my mind was blown. It may be the band’s most straightforward moment and I love the way it builds layer upon layer over its repetitious core. Lead vocals from Bert Jansch on this one.

Fairport Convention, “Who Knows Where The Time Goes”

While immersing myself into the world of Pentangle has sometimes been a bit of an effort, not so with Fairport Convention. The music they created in the bands first three years, five albums worth from 1968 to 1970, has become some of my most cherished. The subsequent solo work of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson (along with his then wife Linda Thompson) ranks right there as well. We’ll certainly come back to this deep well for a deserving, more in-depth treatment down the line at STACKS. For now though, let me share with you the one song I would pick to introduce Fairport Convention to any newcomer, “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?”, from the band’s third album Unhalfbricking. Undisputed enduring classic, I envy anyone hearing it for the first time.

Steeleye Span, “The Dark-Eyed Sailor”

I’ve always been a bit daunted by Steeleye Span, as it was my impression that they traded in the less appealing merry minstrel/ren-faire aspect of the Brit folk era. These fears are probably well-grounded, as they were co-founded by former Fairport Convention bassist Ashley Hutchings, who defected in order to return to playing music with more traditional roots. The band’s first album Hark! The Village Wait shares more in common with early Fairports than I expected though. Plenty to like here as it turns out, as the muscular, rolling “The Dark-Eyed Sailor” shows.