A classic example of the band at its live best
08/08/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"although recorded almost twenty years ago, LIVE AT LAST captures the true flavour of Steeleye Span in its heydey - crisp vocals, impeccable playing, and a sound blend rarely achieved by folk-rock groups. Long out of press, it's like a fine old malt whisky, familiar, complex in character, with a hint of spice about it. Their standard repertoire of traditional music and innovative compositions in the British folk style is well represented. Included in this album is the only recording of "Montrose," probably their finest historical interpretation. This long piece is virtually an English Civil War cantata, praising the life of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, the brilliant Scottish general on the Royalist side who won victory after victory for his king only to be betrayed by a Campbell and executed for his pains. An incredible performance of their finest work."
Live at Last
Thomas | UK | 03/07/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best Steeleye Span live album. Most of the tracks(except for Saucy Sailor/Black Freighter) are unique to the album, including False Knight on the Road which, although previously featured on Please to See the King, is sufficiently different in sound and arrangement here to count as a `new` track. They didn`t feel the need to include `All Around My Hat` on this album, either, so there`s no need to skip forward when listening to Live at Last. I think that Kirkpatrick`s accordion sounds great, as it did also on the previous(studio) album, Storm Force Ten. Before that, the band had lost the plot, and the replacement of Knight and Johnson by Kirkpatrick and Carthy was a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to start anew. It`s a shame that this line-up only made two albums before splitting up. They had a very distinctive and rich sound that was far superior to what was to follow a couple of years later when Knight and Johnson returned (to collaborate on Sails of Silver)."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1