Malicorne - Légende (Deuxième époque: 1978-1981) (1989)

It's standard procedure to refer to Malicorne as "the French Fairport Convention," though the comparison isn't really that appropriate. While Fairport Convention took traditional British Isles folk music and put it through a rock & roll filter, Malicorne went clear back to renaissance France for its influences, and imposed less modernism on what it finds. The group was led by Gabriel Yacoub, a guitarist with an exceptional singing voice, and recorded and toured throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s before breaking up. Malicorne's albums are generally now available in the U.S. only as pricey and hard-to-find imports; this album remedies that regrettable situation somewhat by compiling the highlights from the group's last five albums. It opens with a 16th-century anti-war song, sung a cappella, then proceeds to demonstrate the band's remarkable stylistic range as it veers from adaptations of Renaissance dance tunes to modern folk-rock. The band's use of such ancient instruments as the hurdy-gurdy, krumhorn and rebec makes their sound unique, even when guitars and drums predominate. Highly recommended.~Rick Anderson