Steeleye Span's Julian Littman adapts Rosetti's Goblin Market for concept album

(Image credit: Garry Lake)

Steeleye Span guitarist Julian Littman will release Goblin Market Music through Park Records on December 1, which will feature all of Steeleye Span as well as Jane Milligan, daughter of the late comic genius Spike Milligan.

You can watch a video below featuring a behind-the-scenes look at creating the song Sacrifice.

The new concept album is based on Christina Rossetti's famous 19th Century poem Goblin Market and came about when author John Matthews set out to adapt the themes in the poem to create a variation on the traditional tarot alongside a guide book. The cards were illustrated by renowned artist Charles Newington.

Newington then spoke to his friend Julian Littman about the project, recalling an old unpublished book he illustrated to accompany the CD A Musical Interlude With Mr Edward Lear, with Spike Milligan narrating, all composed and produced by Julian. Julian was intrigued with this new project and the idea of the Goblin poem and so wrote and produced a concept album with all members of Steeleye and Jane Milligan.

The album was recorded in London, Cumbria, Hastings, Leamington and Surrey and was mixed by Julian and mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering.

Pre-order Goblin Market Music.

Artists

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.