Amazing Blondel
Fantasia Lindum

Welcome to the Elizabethan parlor of The Amazing Blondel, where three virtuosic musicians in period costumes await you.

Do not be intimidated by their absorbed and reflective faces. The cover of 'Fantasia Lindum', an album released by Island in 1971, speaks volumes about the atmosphere created by this British group. The Amazing Blondel are by far the best among those folk-rock bands that emerged at the end of the sixties.

The group immediately stood out from the others for the Medieval flavor of their pieces, played not only with excellent acoustic guitars but also with traditional instruments such as the lute, the harpsichord, the oboe, and the dulcimer. The suite called Fantasia Lindum opens the side, extending over the entire A side. It begins with a fantastic “Prelude and Theme,” a true medieval gem of the group, which introduces one of their best tracks "Swifts Swain And Leafy Lanes," where the inspired voice of John David Gladwin, the band's leader, accompanies an enjoyable motif made of acoustic guitars and traditional instruments. The choirs of the other two multi-instrumentalist members, Terence Alan Wincott and Edward Baird, are very evocative.

The following tracks maintain an impressive originality and freshness, and their excellent catchiness likely opened the doors for the group to the American and European markets. Despite the strong British folk roots of their tracks, there are no shortages of West Coast influences, which was normal for the era, see Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Indeed, it is on the second side with "Safety in God Alone" and "Toye" that this influence stands out more. The side closes with the splendid "Seige Of Yaddlethorpe," a military march with bagpipes and splendid drum rolls from a special guest, Jim Capaldi of Traffic, label mates.

'Fantasia Lindum', reissued on vinyl at the end of the eighties by Dischi Ricordi in an economic series, is now available in a CD box set along with the first album, a must-have for fans of the genre.