It's Jack the Lad

Jack the Lad was an offshoot of Lindisfarne, spawned when the latter band splintered — the half that included Rod Clements and Ray Laidlaw ended up forming what became known as Jack the Lad. They were a rootsier outfit than Lindisfarne, their music steeped in folk, country, jug band, blues, and bluegrass, with elements of old-time jazz mixed in. That's all in evidence on their debut album, a laid-back and thoroughly enjoyable excursion into low amperage but high excitement (and deceptively complex) latter day folk-rock — "Back on the Road Again" recalls Bob Dylan's mid-'60s period in much the same manner as Lindisfarne's "Meet Me on the Corner" without seeming retro, and "Fast Lane Driver" is a mercilessly catchy tune that's also a great blues-rock showcase with a folk jig grafted into the middle that becomes a showcase for some superb fiddle and banjo, before the piece transmutes itself (quite effectively) into a workout on the wah-wah peddle, all without losing the lyric and its narrative. "Turning into Winter," which follows, is a moody progressive folk piece, dominated by a pair of understated acoustic guitars and a fiddle, and "Why Can't I Be Satisfied" is an unpretentious country-folk singalong, with a great beat and superb playing by the whole band.