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PREMESSA: LA SUPERIORITA’ DELLA MUSICA SU VINILE E’ ANCOR OGGI SANCITA, NOTORIA ED EVIDENTE. NON TANTO DA UN PUNTO DI VISTA DI RESA, QUALITA’ E PULIZIA DEL SUONO, TANTOMENO DA QUELLO DEL RIMPIANTO RETROSPETTIVO E NOSTALGICO , MA SOPRATTUTTO DA QUELLO PIU’ PALPABILE ED INOPPUGNABILE DELL’ ESSENZA, DELL’ ANIMA E DELLA SUBLIMAZIONE CREATIVA. IL DISCO IN VINILE HA PULSAZIONE ARTISTICA, PASSIONE ARMONICA E SPLENDORE GRAFICO , E’ PIACEVOLE DA OSSERVARE E DA TENERE IN MANO, RISPLENDE, PROFUMA E VIBRA DI VITA, DI EMOZIONE E  DI SENSIBILITA’. E’ TUTTO QUELLO CHE NON E’ E NON POTRA’ MAI ESSERE IL CD, CHE AL CONTRARIO E’ SOLO UN OGGETTO MERAMENTE COMMERCIALE, POVERO, ARIDO, CINICO, STERILE ED ORWELLIANO,  UNA DEGENERAZIONE INDUSTRIALE SCHIZOFRENICA E NECROFILA, LA DESOLANTE SOLUZIONE FINALE DELL’ AVIDITA’ DEL MERCATO E DELL’ ARROGANZA DEI DISCOGRAFICI .

STEELEYE SPAN
below the salt

Disco LP 33 giri , Chrysalis / Phonogram , 040 1008 A (on sleeve) / 040 1008 L (on label) ,  1972 , Italia , first pressing
 
ECCELLENTI
CONDIZIONI, vinyl ex++/NM , cover ex++/NM

                                                                

Steeleye Span sono un gruppo folk rock inglese.

Il nome Steeleye Span è tratto da una ballata del Lincolnshire Harkstow Grange, che narra di un litigio tra John “Steeleye” Span and John Bowlin. Il nome viene proposto da Tim Hart alla formazione della band, e vince la votazione contro ‘Middlemarch Wait’ e ‘Iyubidin’s Wait’.

Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remain active today. Along with Fairport Convention
they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and
were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles
“Gaudete” and “All Around My Hat“. They had three Top 40 albums. They achieved a certified gold record with sales of “All Around My Hat”.

The name Steeleye Span comes from a character in the traditional song Horkstow Grange (which they did not actually record until they released an album
by that name in 1998). The song gives an account of a fight between
John “Steeleye” Span and John Bowlin, neither of whom are proven to have
been real people. Martin Carthy gave Tim Hart
the idea to name the band after the song character. When the band
discussed names, they decided to vote between the three suggestions
“Middlemarch Wait”, “Iyubidin’s Wait”, and “Steeleye Span”. Although
there were only five members in the band, six ballots appeared and
“Steeleye Span” won out. Only in 1978 did Hart confess that he had voted
twice. Terry Woods maintains that the members had agreed that if more
than one person departed, the remaining members would select a new name,
and he was upset that this did not happen when he and Gay Woods left the band. The liner notes for their first album include thanks to Carthy for the name suggestion.

Throughout their long history, Steeleye Span have seen many personnel
changes but has maintained a strong continuity of tradition. Lead vocalist Maddy Prior
was one of the main attractions of the band’s music, being one of a
handful of strong-but-melodically-voiced women in rock music in the
1970s (along with Sandy Denny, Renaissance‘s Annie Haslam, Jacqui McShee, Linda Ronstadt, and Linda Thompson).

Their typical album is a collection of mostly traditional songs with one or two instrumental tracks of jigs and/or reels added; the traditional songs often include some of the Child ballads.
In their later albums there has been an increased tendency to include
music written by the band members, but they have never got completely
away from traditional music, which draws upon pan-British traditions.

Below the Salt is a 1972 album by Steeleye Span, and considered by many fans to be one of their best. The album has a slightly medieval
theme, most notably in the artwork and title. The album cover shows the
band in period costume at a feast, while the title refers to practice
in the Middle Ages of having salt (something of a rarity) placed in the
center of the table separating the family from the servants, who were
situated “below the salt”. Some of the music on the album has a medieval
motif, but only a few of the songs arguably date back quite so far. The
ballad “King Henry” (Child Ballad 32), and the a cappella “Gaudete”
are certainly very old, and the lyrics to “Royal Forester” date from
1293. However, while “Gaudete” is performed in an authentic style,
electric guitars abound in the performance of “King Henry”.

Gaudete
became the band’s first hit, reaching number 14 on the UK charts. To
give the impression of the choristers approaching and moving away, as if
on a pilgrimage, the song was given a long fade in and out (the single
did not fade in/fade out).

By this point, Ashley Hutchings had left the band, leaving Maddy Prior and Tim Hart as the only remaining founding members. The album reached number 43 in the UK album charts.

A fantastic collection
of folk songs and proper ballads. There’s even a version of “John Barleycorn”
on here, how could you lose? Maddy is in fine voice and the choice of
instrumentation is classic Span. In medieval times, according to the
liner notes, salt being the precious commodity it was, was placed at the
center of the table. Those of power and wealth sat ‘above the salt’
while those of common stature, or less, sat ‘below the salt’. As we can
see from the cover photo there is quite a disparity in selections
between to two halves.

Etichetta:  chrysalis
Catalogo: 0401008 A or L (CHR 1008)
Matrici :  0401008  1 1 520 /  0401008  2 1 520
Data Matrici :  14-09-72

• Supporto:vinile 33 giri
• Tipo audio: stereo
• Dimensioni: 30 cm.
• Facciate: 2
• Gatefold / copertina apribile, green label, white paper inner sleeve

                                                         

Tracce

All songs on the album are traditional, adapted by Steeleye Span

Side one

1. “Spotted Cow”  –  3:01
2. “Rosebud in June”  –  3:36
3. “Jigs: The Bride’s Favourite/Tansey’s Fancy”  –  3:06
4. “Sheep-crook and Black Dog”  –  4:39
5. “Royal Forester”  –  4:29

Side two

1. “King Henry”  –  7:03
2. “Gaudete”  –  2:21
3. “John Barleycorn”  –  4:42
4. “Saucy Sailor”  –  5:45

Players Maddy Prior – vocals Tim Hart – vocals, appalachian dulcimer, guitar Peter Knight – violin, viola, mandolin, banjo, piano, vocals Rick Kemp – bass, drum, vocals Bob Johnson – guitar, vocals

The most successful of all Steeleye Span lineups, with Bob Johnson and Rick Kemp in place of Martin Carthy and Ashley Hutchings,
makes its debut on what could be their best album. There’s not a weak
note here, and all of its has a harder, more muscular sound courtesy of Kemp and Johnson, matched to impeccable vocals and uniformly excellent material. Kemp‘s bass playing makes it possible to overlook the absence of a drummer, while the match-up of Johnson and Hart made them one of the best electric guitar teams in English folk-rock (and helps explain Steeleye‘s successful eclipsing of the post-Richard Thompson Fairport Convention). Prior‘s voice was never better than on this album, and while Carthy‘s
backing vocals are missed, the group’s singing is still up to a very
high standard, with “Rosebud in June” perhaps the best a cappella number
in their repertory and “Royal Forester” their most charmingly lusty
performance. “John Barleycorn” — which every Traffic fan should hear — is in a class by itself, and the dazzling “Gaudete” actually made the British charts and got Steeleye Span onto Top of the Pops.

Recorded at Sound Techniques, Chelsea, London May and June ’72. Production
by Steeleye Span “because after the split with Sandy Roberton we didn’t know
anyone else up to it.” The songs were largely chosen by Maddy and Tim,
with Pete adding the jigs. Bob Johnson provided the tune for
King Henry,
and suggested the band should include
Gaudete,
later a massive Christmas hit. On the album it was faded in and out almost
apologetically. The original idea, says Tim, was to “give the impression
of a group of monks walking through cloisters, singing.” The album also
included the haunting
Sheep-Crook and Black Dog,
the stage favourite
Spotted Cow
(later to be dressed up in a reggae version), and
Saucy Sailor,
still included in the band’s set.

Tim Hart, Robin Denselow:
The Complete Steeleye Span, 1978

Il maggiore successo
in patria gli Steeleye lo hanno raccolto con il loro quarto album, nonostante
l’uscita delle due colonne del gruppo Martin Carthy e Ashley Hutchings (nel suo
caso, pare per divergenze sulla strategia di promozione in tour del loro
lavoro). Al suo posto arrivavano il bassista elettrico Rick Kemp e il
chitarrista Bob Johnson, che diventeranno anche loro elementi portanti del suono
del gruppo. Kemp riprenderà con ancora maggiore convinzione lo stile di Hutchings,
facendo del suo basso elettrico la intera sezione ritmica, mentre l’energico
stile alla chitarra elettrica di Bob Johnson è probabilmente alla base del buon
successo raccolto da questo momento in poi. Brani significativi Gaudete, singolo
trainante del lavoro, e la loro proposta del super classico
John Barleycorn, già ben noto dalla splendida
versione dei Traffic.

Negli stessi anni in cui i
Pentangle sviluppavano il loro percorso
musicale, in Inghilterra nasceva e aveva un piccolo successo (con riflessi anche
in USA) il movimento folk-rock inglese, che si proponeva l’obbiettivo di
recuperare in chiave contemporanea il patrimonio della musica popolare delle
isole britanniche. Oltre ai Pentangle, soltanto altri due gruppi possono essere
considerati parte del movimento, i
Fairport Convention
e gli Steeleye Span.
 
Gli Steeleye Span tra i tre erano i più legati alla tradizione, opportunamente
rivista e rivitalizzata. Dal circuito folk venivano infatti la maggior parte dei
componenti del gruppo, incluso il ben noto interprete e riscopritore della
canzone popolare inglese Martin Carthy (dal
secondo album).

BELOW
THE SALT

Year Of Release: 1972

Overall rating = 12

A Celtic masterpiece, displaying all the subtleties of the genre
without overreaching.

Best song: ROYAL FORESTER

Track listing: 1) Spotted Cow; 2) Rosebud In June; 3) Jigs:
The Bride’s Favorite – Tansey’s Fancy; 4) Sheep-Crook And Black Dog; 5)
Royal Forester; 6) King
Henry; 7) Gaudete; 8) John Barleycorn; 9) Saucy Sailor.

Steeleye Span Mark III falls in place on here – both Ashley Hutchings
and Martin Carthy are gone, replaced by Rick Kemp on bass and Bob Johnson
on guitar. Now this certainly affects the band’s sound in many ways, but
the most important result is that much of the music now sounds less deep
and does not pound on your brains so relentlessly. After all, remember
that the earlier music was very much based on Ashley’s grim, pounding basslines,
and McCarthy’s thick electric jangle; this provided a lush ‘wall-of-sound’
effect that was quite unique and unprecedented, but it was also a bit hard
to take when applied to a whole row of songs, one after another. Took a
lot of time to get used to – imagine that, when you could have spent all
that time reading some Hustler!

Hey, I’m not lamenting; I’m just finding an excuse for getting away with
two of the band’s most vital members. Anyway, their replacements are quite
solid as well, if not as remarkable on their instruments. As a result,
Below The Salt relies far more heavily on acoustic than its predecessors,
but it’s still a ‘folk-rock’, not pure ‘folk’ album: the electric lines
in ‘Spotted Cow’, ‘Royal Forester’ and ‘King Henry’ are unforgettable no
matter what.
Maddy Prior and Tim Hart now mostly take the reins in their hands; Maddy
is featured ever more prominently on the record, and that’s a good thing;
even more interesting, the album spawned their first minor hit in ‘Gaudete’,
and oh what a hit it was. Probably the only song by a ‘rock’ band on Earth
that’s sung completely and entirely in Latin; a hymn taken from the Piae
Cantiones, it’s not exactly beautiful – well, at least, it’s not
any more beautiful than just about any solid religious hymn ever written.
But you gotta remember that these dudes aren’t really church singers, and
the way they pull off that accapella singing is stunning. And they managed
to put this in the charts? A Latin carol? Not even under the ‘gospel’
section? This is at least amusing, even if you hate that kind of music.
But it’s not ‘Gaudete’ that makes me rate the album so high. And it’s not
‘Sheepcrook And Blackdog’, and not the traditional pair of jigs, and not
even the pretty, but inessential version of ‘John Barleycorn’. These are
all good songs, but they don’t really qualify. There are four absolute
Celtic rock masterpieces on the album, and each of them adds at least one
point to the rating. So ‘scuse me, I’ll just rant a lil’ bit. In order
of personal preference.
‘Spotted Cow’ is not particularly amazing in any, well, in any particular
sense, but I adore how all the little bits come in so flawlessly. The vocal
melody – so catchy, so fluent, so pretty and with that heart-wrecking chord
change on the fourth line of each verse. The duet between Maddy and Tim.
The nice acoustic. The ominous distorted electric notes heralding the beginning
of each verse. And the naive romantic lyrics about… well, essentially
it’s about screwing, but you know they used to sing about it nicely
those days. And no, don’t worry, it’s not about screwing
cows.
‘Saucy Sailor’, as far as I know, is one of Maddy’s favourites – I would
have probably missed the song’s charm if I hadn’t read about it and hadn’t
returned back to the song in order to appreciate it some more. It’s the
album closing number, and, just like ‘Lovely On The Water’ off Please
To See The King, it’s dedicated to the subject of sea, sailors and
the eternal ‘love vs. money’ subject. A perfect choice to lead us out of
the enchanted Steeleye world, it’s not even the main melody of the song
itself that’s so beautiful, but the extended coda featuring Peter Knight
on some funny keyboard device (hey, it’s not a vibrophone, isn’t it?) and
some obscure chanting done by Tim.
‘King Henry’, then, is Steeleye Span’s magnum opus. At seven minutes,
it’s one of their longest tracks, and while I do feel that extending the
tune reeks a little of artificialness, they do it masterfully. The song
itself is marvelous, about King Henry’s relations with a ‘grisly ghost’
that I still can’t quite understand: he feeds it with his horses and hawks,
he lays it in his bed, yet he refuses to sleep with it, and in the morning
he finds out that the ghost has transformed into a beautiful lady. Reward?
Whatever. The song shuffles on thoughtfully, alternating vocal sections
with an electric guitar solo, a violin solo and yet one more electric guitar
solo towards the end. It’s all energetic and powerful, and keeps the listener
intrigued – if you ain’t read the lyrics sheet beforehand, you’ll be fascinated.
And now for the grand prize… my favourite number. ‘Royal Forester’. Screwing
again, damn those obscene Scots. But what about that melody? They play
fast and tight, with screeching fiddles and violins in the background while
Rick Kemp pumps out a steady bassline. In fact, it’s gripping me right
now and right away as I put it on… hell, essentially it’s just a jig,
only with vocals overdubbed this time. But it’s not a friendly lightweight
jig, it’s a disturbing jig with nasty-sounding violins and stuff, and a
vocal melody that’s supposed to eulogize the royal forester, but instead
puts an aura of fear and suspicion around him. Well, serve him well; he
should have known better than to rape a mysterious lady (the track is subtitled
“the aboriculturist meets superwoman“. Makes you wanna
grin, doesn’t it?)
As all Steeleye Span albums are supposed to, chances are that Below
The Salt will grow on you and not vice versa. Diehard folk lovers will
scream about the immense profundity and deep hidden sense of these songs;
screw ‘em, there’s none (remember the liner notes to Bob Dylan’s World
Gone Wrong where he tried to unsuccessfully market himself as a philologist
working on ethnic material? A big put-on, that’s what it was). But in the
end, that’s what makes them all the more fascinating: these are living
songs about living people (and just a few undead ones), and Steeleye
Span do a terrific job in making them work in a semi-rocking arrangement.
I mean, folk music will hardly ever move me to tears – that’s what experienced
singer-songwriters are for; but the ‘authentic feel’ on here is so omnipresent
that I have no choice but to take off my hat.
Except that I don’t have a hat, but I don’t think that’ll really interest
anyone. What the hell, go buy Below The Salt instead of listening
to me and my insane rants. This is, without a doubt, the way our friends
the Scots and our friends the Middle Englishmen would have performed these
songs had they access to the electric guitar somewhere around the 16th
century. Unfortunately, stocks were kinda low in those times…

Album review by Robert Loades

Below the Salt

Steeleye Span’s Below the Salt, was first
released in 1972 on the Chrysalis. The title is taken from the practice in
mediaeval times, of placing salt, (a rare and expensive commodity then), at
the centre of the food table. Above the salt sat the family and intermediaries
of the household, below sat the servants and dependants.

The original front cover (or perhaps I should call
it a jacket). shows the group dressed as medieval servants sat below the salt,
the cover opens, jacket like (as most album cover did then ), to give info on
the songs, where they were first collected, plus info about the arrangement
and the lyrics to the songs. There is info about the title, Below the Salt.
Close the jacket and there is a picture of the group as mediaeval lords and
lady above the salt.

Background history.

Below the Salt, was a crucial album for Steeleye
Span. This was the first album for a new group line up. With founder member
Ashley Hutchings, (bass), leaving to form the Albion Band closely followed by
Martin Carthy, choosing to follow a solo career, the group needed two new
members quickly just at a time when their popularity was growing. They found
bass player Rick Kemp, playing bass at the time with bluesman Mike Chapman and
guitarist Bob Johnson.

Both new members had to fit into a successful folk
group that was breaking into main stream popular music, by playing its
traditional folk music on electric instruments. This path had been pioneered
by Fairport Convention, but it was Steeleye Span, that took the music to a
much wider audience.

This was upsetting many folk fan at the time who
did not like traditional music being played on electric instruments, it was
seen by some as all but antireligious. Today the augments may sound silly as
any tradition has to adopt and change or die, but people really did get quite
heated about it then.

This album firmly established Steeleye not only on
the folk scene but the pop music scene too and firmly established the new
group’s line-up. This line up stayed the same until joined a few years later
in 1974 when Nigel Pegrum, joined as drummer on the Album. Now we are six.

 

The group at that time, of recording Below the
Salt, consisted of five members Rick Kemp, bass. Bob Johnson, lead guitar,
(mainly electric guitar). Peter (Pete) Knight, mainly fiddle, but sometimes
mandolin tenor banjo, viola. Tim Hart, guitar plus dulcimer, spoons and often
male vocal lead. With Maddy Prior lead vocalist. Note, at this time the group
had no drummer, so the bass line was held together by Rick’s disciplined
playing.

 

Side one opens with the Traditional song Spotted
Cow, (3.01) Collected from Harry Cox of Norfolk.

Maddy: vocals, morrisette (bells). Tim: vocals,
tabor. Bob: guitar. Pete: mandolin. Rick: bass

Spotted Cow, is a jolly song all about young love,
(or perhaps more accurately young lust), set in the country side in the Merry
England of our imagination. Maddy’s vocals skip along, telling the story
accompanied by Tim, while the musical arrangement gives the whole song a
Morris Dance feel.

Rosebud in June, (3.36) Collected
by Cecil Sharp in 1904 from William King of Somerset.

Rosebud in June, this song is a celebration of the
Shepard’s year country life in general and having a lass to love. Maddy
sings the verses, (even thought it’s a man’s song) and the rest of the
group harmonise with Maddy for the choruses. The lightest of musical
arrangement means that the listener focuses fully on the harmonies of the
voices, this track shows why Steeley’s Harmonises are an important part of
their music.

Jigs: The Bride’s Favourite/ Tansey’s Fancy.
(3.06)

Pete: fiddles, mandolins, tenor banjo. Rick: bass.
Bob: guitar. Tim: spoons.

This really is where Pete is given a chance to
show his versatility and he makes the most of it. These jigs should at least
get you tapping your feet, unless your feet are nailed to the floor. Also note
fiddles not fiddle mandolins not mandolin this is due to some clever mixing.

Sheep-Crook and Black Dog. (4.39) Collected
by Ewan McColl from Queen Caroline Hughes, a gipsy living in Dorset at the
time.

Maddy: vocals. Tim: guitar. Pete: fiddle. Bob:
guitar. Rick: bass, drum.

This is by far the saddest song on the album, with
Tim, Bob and Rick backing up Maddy’s vocals and Pete’s fiddle both in
haunting mood squeeze every last drop of sadness out of this song about a
young Shepard who loses his love to what she see as the high life.

Royal Forester. (4.29) From
the singing of John Strachan.

Maddy: vocals. Pete: fiddle, viola, vocals. Tim:
dulcimer, vocals. Bob: guitar. Rick: bass.

This is a jolly tale of a young man who thinks he
can love them and leave them and a young woman who wants more commitment from
him. Who will win this battle? The group give it the full Folk Rock treatment
so that side finishes on an upbeat high.

Side two opens with King Henry. (7.03)
(Child 32) From “The English and Scottish Popular Ballads” edited by
Francis James Child.

Bob: vocals, guitar. Maddy: vocals, tambourine.
Pete: violin, viola, vocals. Rick: bass, vocals. Tim: guitar.

Bob takes both the vocal and musical lead in this
supernatural tale about King Henry (a tale that you won’t find in any
history book). This is a ghostly tale about a huntsman having to spend the
night in a haunted hall it’s a twist on the tale about a frog and a
princess, (trying not to give the whole plot away here). several changes of
the musical pace on this one Maddy voice is use to haunting effect coupled
with some eerie playing from Pete’s violin and viola combine to make this
one a show stopper, probably why it was chosen to open side two.

Gaudete. (2.21) From
Piae Cantiones. (1582)

this unaccompanied hymn of praise sung in Latin,
was the first hit single for the group (Christmas 72) and so bought the group
a wider audience, (even if many wrote them off as one hit wonders). The song
starts with the group singing the chorus, the sound is very soft and with the
words “Gaudete, gaudete, Christus est natus EX Maria virginae, gaudete. The
whole effect is quite magical transporting your imagination to a monastery,
somewhere in the country, in the early morning as the monk’s parade through
the cloisters on their way to morning prayers. Maddy sings the solo verses.

John Barleycorn. (4.42) Collected
by Fred Hamer from Billy Bartle in Bedfordshire. Dedicated to Margaret Hamer.

Tim: vocals. Bob: acoustic guitar. Rick: bass.
Pete: violins, vocals. Maddy: vocals.

This is a great folk song to sing along with as;
Tim’s vocals tell the story on this version of the tale of death, rebirth,
and why we all enjoy home brewed ale.

Saucy Sailor. (5.45) From
the journals of the Folk-Song Society. Collected by George Butterworth in
Sussex 1907.

Maddy: vocals. Tim: acoustic guitar, voices. Rick:
bass. Bob: guitar. Pete: piano.

The vocal range of Maddy’s voice allows her to
take the lead and tell the story in this battle of the sexes or a lesson in
why you should not judge a book by it covers. The melody is repeated several
times till it finally fades at the end of the recording.

Sleeve Notes

Below the salt – this, as its most vivid, can be found in the use of salt
at the medieval food table. Here salt (an expensive and rare commodity of
the time) was placed at the centre of the table. Above the salt sat the
family and intimates of the household, below the salt sat the servants
and dependants. Usually this.

Spotted Cow

Collected from the singing of Harry Cox of Norfolk.

Maddy: vocals, morrisette. Tim: vocals, tabor. Bob: guitar.
Pete: mandolin. Rick: bass.

I first saw her through the swirling mists that rose from the Thames, her
body illuminated by the gas-lamp beneath which she stood. Her imitation
jewellery reflected the hissing flame and I could just discern the long
slit in her skirt and the badly applied rouge on her cheeks. As I neared
her she turned towards me in a practised manner.
“I’ve lost my spotted cow,” she said in a voice coarsened by the inclement
weather but still retaining the charm of a country accent.
I looked at her, suddenly moved, “What brought you to this sorry state?”
I asked. –

Rosebud in June

From the Journal of the Folk Song Society. Collected from William King
by Cecil Sharp in Somerset, 1904.

“Reality is a complex of related hypotheses,” he said pulling up the horses.
“Take they hypotheses yonder.” He pointed to a flock of sheep with the
wet end of his sucking straw. “Now theyse all related in a complex sort of
way so theyse got ter be real ain’t they.”
Ned looked at him very hard. “Ev you been drinkin’ with parson again?”

Jigs: The Bride’s Favourite / Tansey’s Fancy

Pete: fiddles, mandolins, tenor banjo. Rick: bass. Bob: guitar. Tim: spoons.

So there we was sitting in this dressing room when in comes this guy with
glasses and he says, “Oim afraid youse got de wrong toitles for de toons,”
and the he goes and rattles off a whole load of Garlic what we couldn’t
make out, so we gets the roadies to see him off.
Handy things roadies.

Sheep-Crook and Black Dog

Collected by Ewan MacColl from Queen Caroline Hughes, a gipsy living, at the
time, in Dorset.

Maddy: vocals. Tim: guitar. Pete: fiddle. Bob: guitar. Rick: bass, drum.

With you I would share my position as clerk in the accounts department;
with you I would share my desk, pens and ledgers;
with you I would share my luncheon vouchers and season ticket –
But since you became an ‘exotic dancer’ in that Soho club we seem to have
grown apart.

Royal Forester

From the singing of John Strachan.

Maddy: vocals. Pete: fiddle, viola, vocals. Tim: dulcimer, vocals.
Bob: guitar. Rick: bass.

Subtitled ‘The Aboriculturist Meets Superwoman’.

The first English text appeared in Anchovy Ram’s elementary drum tutor
‘Half way to Para-diddle’, published in 1293.

Although a faithful translation of the original Latin there is still
scholarly dispute as to the spelling of the name ‘Erwilian’ and over the
use of the word ‘leylan’.

King Henry

(Child 32) From ‘The English and Scottish Popular ballads’ edited by
Francis James Child.

Bob: vocals, guitar. Maddy: vocals, tambourine. Pete: violin, viola, vocals.
Rick: bass, vocals. Tim: guitar.

The shrill cry of an owl echoed to a woodland hut telling ‘The Daughter of
King Under-waves’ of the approaching knight. She moved her misshapen form
(cursed on her by a wicked step-mother) through the doorway.
At every step the ground was shaken, at every turn there blew a storm,
the very sky darkened as she passed. But would tonight be the knight.

Gaudete

From Piae Cantiones (Finland, 1582)

Mist takes the morning path to wreath the willows – Rejoice, rejoice –
small birds sing as the early rising monk takes to his sandals –
Christ is born of the Virgin Mary – cloistered, the Benedictine dawn
threads timelessly the needles eye – rejoice.

John Barleycorn

Collected by Fred Hamer from Billy Bartle in Bedfordshire.
Dedicated to Margaret Hamer.

Tim: vocals. Bob: acousitc guitar. Rick: bass. Pete: violin, vocals.
Maddy: vocals.

Adam, Cain and Abel staggered manfully across the field carrying a
plough, a harrow and a grain of wheat … John Barleycorn – mysterious
intimations from above told them to dig three deep furrows and bury him –
this done they returned home and started to draw up plans for the first ale
house.

Saucy Sailor

From the Journal of the Folk Song Society. Collected by George Butterworth
in Sussex, 1907.

Maddy: vocals. Tim: acoustic guitar, vocals. Rick: bass. Bob: guitar.
Pete: piano.

Seven long years he strode the seven seas,
Seven league boots, salt-caked above the knees,
Seven bright stars, the road across the foam,
Seven light verses tell his coming home.

Aus dem großen Plattenangebot der britischen Folk- und Folk-Rock-Szene
zum Ende des letzten Jahres sei hier – last but not least – die vierte LP
von Steeleye Span besprochen. Die Gruppe hatte zuletzt Anfang ’72 von
sich reden gemacht, als sie – nach einem kometenhaften Aufstieg zu einer
der populärsten Folk-Formationen in England – auf einem Höhepunkt
ihrer Karriere mit Ashley “Tyger” Hutchings und Martin Carthy (heute
heißen beide Albion Country Band) gleich zwei bedeutende
Musikerpersönlichkeiten verlor. Nach der Neubesetzung durch
Rick Kemp (Bass) und Bob Johnson (Gitarre) wurde allgemein eine
Wandlung des electric folk-Konzepts und eine stärkere
Hinwendung zum Rock hin erwartet – doch plötzlich ließ die
Gruppe nichts mehr von sich hören und trat erst wieder auf dem
großen Festival im Spätsommer mit einem neuen Repertoire und
dann im November mit ihrem neuen Album an die Öffentlichkeit.

Below the Salt
zu loben, scheint mit überflüssig
– auch in deutschen Folkkreisen hat es sich inzwischen längst
herumgesprochen, dass es kaum eine Gruppe gibt, die in ihren
Bearbeitungen traditioneller Musik Authentizität, Kreativität
und Sinn für zeitgemäße Darbietungsformen in einem solchen
Maße verbindet wie Steeleye Span.

Ich möchte hier vielmehr anhand der LP auf einige Tendenzen aufmerksam
machen, die mir für die Entwicklung der Gruppe charakteristisch
erscheinen. Zunächst: Der vielleicht erwartete stilistische Wandel ist
ausgeblieben. Zwar bringen die beiden neuen Gruppenmitglieder, besonders
Rick Kemp durch sein gewaltig marschierendes Bassspiel (z.B. in
King Henry), neue Anregungen in die Gruppe
– im Ganzen aber führt
Below the Salt
die Tradition der früheren Veröffentlichungen fort (vgl.
Spotted Cow,
Jigs etc.) Dabei ist jedoch zu beachten,
dass Tim Hart und Maddy Prior, nach dem Weggang von Hutchings und
Carthy zweifellos der Kern der Gruppe, mehr und mehr in den Vordergrund
rücken. Am deutlichsten greifbar ist diese Tenzdenz in der Version des
John Barleycorn, die (mit einer
Begleitung, die Peter Knight, Rick Kemp und Bob Johnson fast ganz in den
Hintergrund rückt) fast von einem der Soloalben von Tim Hart und
Maddy Prior stammen könnte. Als Gegenpol zu der etwas freieren
Spielweise der Band in
King Henry) und einigen anderen Stücken
lässt sich eine Wendung von der romantisch eingefärbten
Spielart des Folk zur strengeren Form des mittelalterlichen Gesangs
verfolgen.

Diese Tendenz kommt klar zum Ausdruck in
Gaudete, einem religiösen Lied aus
der Sammlung der Piae Cantiones von 1582, und der Strenge der
Kirchentonarten von
Rosebud in June und
Sheep-Crook and Black Dog.
Dass diese Rückwendung zu den frühen Formen des Folk nichts
Beiläufiges ist, sondern die Entwicklung der Gruppe ganz entscheidend
betrifft, verbürgen Titel und Cover dieser LP, die sich ebenfalls auf
einen mittelalterlichen Brauch beziehen: Die Sitzordnung am Esstisch
wurde nach dem Salz (damals ein sehr kostbares Gewürz) ausgerichtet,
das seinen Platz in der Mitte der Tafel fand; “Below the Salt” saßen
gewöhnlich nur die Diener und Knechte.

Rolf, Sounds, 1973

Quando Ashley Hutchings (basso) lascio` i Fairport Convention e
formo` con Tim Hart (chitarra) e Maddy Prior (violino) gli Steeleye Span,
l’idea era semplicemente di aggiornare il repertorio tradizionale
alla strumentazione elettrica.
Hark The Village Wait (Chrysalis, 1970) non era ne’ particolarmente
originale ne’ particolarmente ben suonato.


Il veterano Martin Carthy subentro` al canto, e il gruppo registro`
Please To See The King (1971), con Lovely On The Water, e
Ten Man Mop (1971), dischi di musica melodica e soffice, piu`
vicina all’easy-listening che al folk-rock.
Hutchings, forse vergognandosi dei risultati, abbandono` il complesso e
si uni` alla moglie Shirley Collins nella Albion
Band. Cosi` anche Carthy. Il sound degli Steeleye Span divenne ancor piu`
rock a partire da Below The Salt (1972), come esemplificato da
King Henry, e il complesso pote` vantarsi di aver mandato
in classifica persino un inno latino a cappella (Gaudete).
Dischi sempre piu` lontani dal folk come Parcel Of Rogues (1973),
con Alison Gross (quasi hard-rock, anche senza batteria),
e Now We Are Six (1974), contenente l’hit Thomas the Rhymer e
Seven Hundred Elves,
cominciarono pero` a proporre materiale originale.
Commoner’s Crown (1975),
All Around My Hat (1975), con All Around My Hat,
e Rocket Cottage (1976)
sono praticamente album di boogie sudista.
Storm Force 10 (1977) segno` un ritorno alla tradizione, ma
sembro` chiudere la partita. Invece
il gruppo si riformo` e continuo` a pubblicare album anonimi come
Sails Of Silver (1980),
Back In Line (Flutterby, 1986),
Where Would You Rather Be Tonight (Sunrise, 1987)
Tempted And Tried (Chrysalis, 1989),
Time (Shanachie, 1996).

Gli Steeleye Span si formano a St. Alban’s, in Inghilterra, nel 1970 quando il bassista Ashley Hutchings, abbandona i Fairport Convention dopo un incidente automobilistico ed il successivo album Liege and Lief, e fonda un proprio gruppo di folk revival. Oltre ai diversi intenti musicali secondo il chitarrista Simon Nicol le motivazioni sono altre :

Il primo gruppo è formato da Hutchings, dal trio irlandese Sweeney’s Men (Johnny Moynihan, Andy Irvine e Terry Woods) e la moglie di Woods, Gay. Hutchings incontra Tim Hart e Maddy Prior, un duo affermato che suona nei folk club di Londra, che vanno a sostituire Moynihan e Irvine (che fonderà i Planxty).
Il gruppo, con 2 voci femminili (Maddy Prior e Gay Woods), è
un’eccezione per l’epoca, ma il gruppo non si esibisce dal vivo fino
alla pubblicazione del primo album Hark! The Village Wait nel 1970.
Durante i tre mesi di convivenza nella stessa casa per le registrazioni
si creano tensioni tra Hart e Prior e i coniugi Woods, che lasceranno
la band poco dopo e saranno sostituiti da Martin Carthy e dal violinista Peter Knight.

La nuova formazione inizia a suonare dal vivo ed incide due album Please to See the King nel 1971 e Ten Man Mop o Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again 1972.

La svolta

Dopo il terzo album il gruppo abbandona il manager Jo Lustig che
vorrebbe spingerlo a un sound più commerciale, anche Carthy e Hutchings
lasciano il gruppo alla ricerca di progetti più filologicamente folk (Hutchings va a formare la Albion Band) e vengono sostituiti dal chitarrista elettrico Bob Johnson e dal bassista Rick Kemp che portano alla band un sound più rock. Nel frattempo gli Steeleye Span firmano con la Chrysalis Records un contratto che durerà per ben dieci album.

Nel 1972 pubblicano il quarto album, Below the Salt, in cui i brani tradizionali, alcuni anche di qualche secolo prima, vengono riletti con arrangiamenti rock.

Nel 1973 esce il disco Parcel of Rogues e successivamente entra in pianta stabile il primo batterista del gruppo Nigel Pegrum, ex membro del Patrick Samson Set.
Nel dicembre il singolo Gaudete dall’album Below the Salt entra al 14º posto della classifica dei singoli e porta gli Steeleye Span a suonare a Top of the Pops per la prima volta.

Nel 1974 pubblicano il sesto album intitolato appropriatamente Now We Are Six (Adesso siamo sei), e prodotto da Ian Anderson dei Jethro Tull, disco che include il brano Thomas the Rhymer, già più volte suonato dal vivo. Ospite nella cover di To Know Him Is to Love Him appare David Bowie al sassofono.

Commoner’s Crown è del 1975, e contiene, tra gli altri, la ballata epica Long Lankin, il lungo strumentale Bach Goes to Limerick e New York Girls in cui Peter Sellers suona l’ukulele.

Nell’ottobre del 1975 gli Steeleye Span pubblicano “All Around My
Hat”, il loro album di maggior successo commerciale, il quale raggiunge
il n. 7 delle charts inglesi, mentre l’omonimo singolo raggiunge il
quinto posto. Nonostante il successo, o forse proprio per questo, il
gruppo viene aspramente criticato dai puristi del folk per il sound, che
ormai comprende robuste iniezioni di rock, a volte addirittura hard.

La fine degli anni settanta e gli anni ottanta 

Nonostante non riuscirà più a doppiare il successo di All Around My Hat, il gruppo gode di una certa fama nel mondo del folk rock. Peter Knight e Bob Johnson lasciano il gruppo per suonare nei The King of Elfland’s Daughter. Nel 1977 per l’album Storm Force Ten torna alla chitarra Martin Carthy e porta nel gruppo il fisarmonicista John Kirkpatrick. La fisarmonica sostituisce il fiddle di Knight, ciò comporta un notevole cambiamento al sound degli Steeleye Span.

Nel 1978 questa formazione registra il primo live del gruppo Live at Last,
ma Carthy e Kirkpatrick non sono interessati a seguire il gruppo a
lungo e dopo pochi mesi abbandonano. Ma il gruppo per contratto deve
incidere un altro album, nel 1980 tornano quindi Knight e Johnson per l’album Sails of Silver,
album in cui il gruppo abbandona i brani tradizionali per incidere
brani autografi, con temi storici e pseudo folk. Il disco non è un
grande successo, questo porta Hart a ritirarsi a vita privata, gli altri
membri si dedicano ad altri progetti musicali e gli Steeleye Span
diventano un gruppo part-time.

L’ibernazione

Per buona parte degli anni ottanta i membri del gruppo si dedicano ad altro: Johnson apre un ristorante e si laurea in psicologia,
Pegrum apre uno studio di registrazione, Prior e Kemp incidono 4 album
insieme e hanno dei bambini. Il risultato sono solo tre album in dieci
anni, di cui uno live.

Nel 1986 pubblicano il primo disco senza Hart, Back in Line. L’esecuzione di Blackleg Miner, tradizionale del XX secolo, ma tornato in vita durante gli scioperi del 1984–1985, è accompagnata da lunghe polemiche.

Nel 1989 anche Kemp, che si deve operare a una spalla, abbandona il gruppo. Viene sostituito da Tim Harries, bassista autodidatta, nonché pianista e contrabbassista classico. Con Harries, gli Steeleye Span inicdono Tempted and Tried, poi anche Pegrum lascia il gruppo per trasferirsi in Australia. Entra nella band l’eccentrico batterista Liam Genockey, che ha suonato con Knight nel gruppo jazz Moire Music.
Rispetto al suono rock di Pegrum, Genockey è più vario prendendo
elementi dal modo di suonare le percussioni irlandese, africano e jazz. I nuovi membri portano nuova linfa al gruppo, dando nuove motivazioni anche ai membri storici.

L’abbandono di Maddy Prior

Nel 1995
tutti i membri passati e presenti del gruppo si ritrovano a suonare
insieme per il concerto del 25º anniversario della band, unico assente Terry Wooods. Maddy Prior inizia ad avere problemi alla voce e Gay Woods torna nella band, che torna nuovamente ad avere due voci femminili. Dopo sette anni, nel 1996 viene inciso un nuovo album, Time.

Nel 1997
Maddy Prior abbandona definitivamente il gruppo, ma gli Steeleye Span
continuano con una vena produttiva che non avevano da anni pubblicando Horkstow Grange (1998) e Bedlam Born (2000). Ma senza Maddy, la popolarità degli Steeleye Span tende a svanire, Horkstow Grange è troppo folk, mentre Bedlam Born
è troppo rock. Ci sono anche dei disaccordi nella band tra Woods e
Johnson riguardo ai brani da eseguire dal vivo, la prima favorisce i
brani più vecchi, il secondo quelli del nuovo repertorio.

Nel 1998 Genockey è sostituito da Dave Mattacks.
Il risultato dei dissapori sono l’abbandono sia di Woods che di
Johnson, per un periodo il gruppo consiste solo di Peter Knight e Tim
Harries intorno ai quali si alternano numerosi turnisti, poi torna anche Kemp.

Il ritorno

Nel 2002,
dopo alcuni anni di incertezza, gli Steeleye Span si riformano. Knight
indice sul web un sondaggio tra i fan per sapere quali canzoni
vorrebbero che il gruppo reincidesse, con i risultati alla mano convince
Genockey e Prior a tornare, arruola Johnson e insieme a Kemp e Knight
pubblicano Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span, un doppio CD
con nuove incisioni dei vecchi brani. Ma le condizioni di Johnson gli
impediscono di suonare dal vivo e viene quindi sostituito da Ken Nicol, della Albion Band.

Nel 2004 gli Steeleye incidono They Called Her Babylon, e dopo un lungo tour in Europa e Australia il disco natalizio Winter.

Gli Steeleye Span oggi

Nel 2006 suonano al Festival di Cropredy. Viene pubblicato un album e un DVD del tour del 2004. In Novembre pubblicano l’ultimo album Bloody Men. L’attuale formazione comprende Maddy Prior (voce), Ken Nicol (chitarra, voce), Rick Kemp (basso, voce), Peter Knight (violino, piano, voce), e Liam Genockey (batteria e percussioni).

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