ON TOUR

A bit of an overlooked live album from Steeleye Span, this one - it was only ever released in Australia, having been recorded there, though the tracks from it have appeared on compilations since (and it's now seen the light of day as part of the Good Times of Old England boxed set). On top of that, it was recorded on the Sails of Silver tour, and that album wasn't an especially well-regarded or commercially successful release.

However, this is still a classic line-up of the band, and whilst the recording quality is a shade below, say, that of Live at Last! or the archival live shows in the Good Times of Old England box, it's still pretty decent. In addition, taken away from the polish that Gus Dudgeon applied to their studio versions, the Sails of Silver songs fit among the older material much better - and there's more than enough older material to keep long-standing fans happy.

Sails of Silver itself might have been a mixed bag in the eyes of many (though I quite like it), but it at least provided this last hurrah. After this, co-founder Tim Hart would leave the band permanently, and they'd part ways with Chrysalis (though they'd briefly return with the Tempted and Tried album), so in that respect it captures the end of an era - and it does so in a manner much more true to that era's spirit than the Sails of Silver album did.