(or medieval rock or medieval folk)
Like everything in time comes back with a centrifugal force and so does history do and comes back, so does and in music.
How it sounds
Like Power Epic Metal without electricity and with instruments that a shepherd could make.
Basically very melodic with medieval motifs, along with several doses of psychedelic rock and folk-rock.
Like the mom of art & progressive rock of the ’70s.
Why listen to it
For its beautiful simplicity and because it has fantastic melodies.
But more importantly, it was the basis and inspiration for many types of rock.
Why not
It becomes very melancholy and after many hours of listening, you can go out naked to chase butterflies.
Or maybe you want to look for medieval festivals and you have no idea from D&D (Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game).
Where we meet it
The United Kingdom and (West) Germany
When did it start
The mid-60s to early 70s
Who are the pioneers
The Incredible String Band with their first album of 1967 “The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion“, added elements of world music and medieval music.
With their second album “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter” (1968), they laid the foundations of the genre.
The Pentangle as well as their member John Renbourn, who with his personal album “Sir John Alot of Merry Englandes Musyk Thynge and ye Grene Knyghte” managed to bring the genre out of obscurity.
You have to listen
Shirley & Dolly Collins, Third Ear Band, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Amazing Blondel, Gryphon, Gentle Giant, Saga de Ragnar Lodbrock, Tri Yann, Jethro Tull, Schandmaul, Faun, Saxon Moon.
Days of glory
Mid-70’s.
Later, however, most bands followed other musical paths, especially the most successful of their kind.
Red card
German bands in particular had a strange tendency to be considered to belong to a higher nation.
But also the fact that in the end, the genre has a very limited range and most of the bands joined progressive rock.
What is it confused with
With psychedelic rock and progressive rock.
How do you describe it to an irrelevant
Some guys have been fighting with barbers and combs and at the same time, they play something medieval.
They sound, in essence, is as bards telling a story accompanied by a strange instrument. Usually someone also plays the flute.