Folque – s/t (Philips 1974)

Legendary folkrock band from Norway. They were inspired by both the Norwegian folkmusic heritage and contemporary (70’s) adaptations of traditional English repertoire. The latter can be heard in Folque’s take on ‘Allison Gross’. That song was also interpreted by Steeleye Span on their ‘Parcel of Rogues’ album the year before. Both versions are catchy as all hell, and – like most of this great debut album – uptempo. But here you’ll also find some slower and darker gems like the opener ‘Skjøn Jomfru’, ‘Ravnene’, ‘Sinclairvise’ and not at least their interpretation of the old English trad. ‘Cruel Sister’ (also covered by Pentangle on their album ‘Cruel Sister’). Here it’s simply called ‘Harpa’. This is simply one of my favourite songs within folk/folkrock in general. The melody is simple, but so incredibly beautiful. At the same time, the lyrical content is really dark and twisted! This kind of contrast is actually very common in old folkrock. Sweetness on top, and grim forboding tales underneath – that’s how we like it. By the way, in Lisa Helljesen Folque had one of the best and most powerful folk vocalists you’ll likely to ever hear. What a legend. The musicianship also is first class, and the album offers rich instrumentation. I especially like the violin playing, but this was not a band that was interested in long show off-solos. This was really a song oriented band where all members contributed to make a unified sound – the sound of timeless Norwegian folkrock! There’s not a weak song here at all, and you have no other alternative than to get this album. In my opinion, Folque – at least on their earliest albums – were certainly in the same league as the canonised British folk rock bands from the same time period. Essential stuff!