Conversation so far:
What were the wilderness years of Steeleye Span?
The wilderness years of Steeleye Span were the 1980s and early 1990s.
Did Steeleye Span release any albums during the wilderness years?
After a quiet spell, Steeleye Span's 12th studio album Back in Line was released on the Flutterby label in 1986.

Question: what caused the bands output to drop so sharply?
Self-contained rewrite: What caused Steeleye Span's output to drop so sharply during the Wilderness Years?