Jon Bartlett--

" I hear less than I did in Helen Schneyer's voice than I did,...

What sort of 'less'? You mentioned 'pace', but seem to refer to general content. When I listen to the last album of Helen, I know that her voice was no longer what it was when I heard her in person in the late 70s & early 80s, and the last few times I heard her 'live', it was the same. Still, it felt to me like she never lost the intensity of the song.

Martin Carthy, I have only heard 'live' twice, so I can't judge easily, but he certainly seemed to give a strong performance each time.

John Jacob Niles? ummmm.. well, I can barely stand to listen to his theatrical presentations. I suppose it is just a matter of taste.

(Come back to the Getaway, and we'll hash it over at length! ☺)