I came to this music initially through Steeleye Span... and then moved on to the hardcore unaccompanied singer

With me it's the other way round. Having managed to avoid most UK Folk Rock over the past 40 years, I'm now giving an ear to such things in the spirit of perverse curiosity. I can't say I'm too impressed, but it is informative as to understanding a good deal of what I've heard sung as traditional in folk clubs over the years, be it terms of style, source & vocal affectation. Right now I'm listening to a double CD set compiling Steeleye Span's first three albums - a nice way to pass a cold, rainy, windy afternoon in Fleetwood, but afterwards I'll be reaching for Camembert Electrique as an antidote.

The Captain spoke earlier of the continuity of style. I wonder, whither the provenance of this style? And to what extent can style itself be considered traditional, especially in a post-traditional culture such as our own, where even the term Folk Singer is oft disputed along the lines of the you are not a folk singer; you are a singer of folk songs; there is a difference and we should care about it variety? Elsewhere I argued that Folk Song and Traditional Song were in no way synonymous, and that whilst Folk Song was largely a matter of context, Traditional Song transcends context, and could (and has) made the transition into areas of pop, rock, classical & experimental musics without any loss to its essence which exists irrespective of the stylistic assumptions, or indeed affectations, of Folk Music.

No real point, just in listening to these early Steeleye Span recordings I can maybe see where it all came from. But where's it all heading?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOIW4x3uD28