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Steeleye Span

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Steeleye-span74

Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band formed in 1969. Still 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".

Throughout their history, Steeleye Span have seen many personnel changes but have maintained a strong continuity of tradition. 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. (Read more at Wikipedia)

Links to Peel[]

Steeleye_Span_-_False_Knight_on_the_Road

Steeleye Span - False Knight on the Road

'False Knight on the Road'

Before the formation of Steeleye Span, some of the founder members of the band had already done sessions for Peel's shows. Ashley Hutchings had appeared on all of the Fairport Convention sessions up to his decision to leave the band in late 1969, while Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded a Night Ride session, which was broadcast on the show of New Year's Day 1969.

Steeleye Span did ten sessions and a number of concerts between 1970 and 1974. Peel clearly liked the first three line-ups of the band, and got to know them well enough to (together with his producer John Walters) play a pub darts match against them - he related that he and Walters were "comprehensively beaten" [ref]. Yet as Steeleye's commercial success grew, he paid less attention to them. This may have been because he shared the generally more critical view of their later albums, or it might have been due to the fact that Jo Lustig, who had managed Peel favourites Pentangle and The Chieftains, took over Steeleye's management in 1973 and was highly effective in bringing them to the attention of a wider audience through frequent TV and radio appearances.

During the 1970s and later, Peel also featured records and sessions by Martin Carthy and Ashley Hutchings, both of whom left Steeleye in 1972 to explore more traditionally-oriented folk styles. He was enthusiastic about the LP "Silly Sisters", on which Maddy Prior duetted with June Tabor, who was to become another of Peel's folk favourites; they did a single Peel session in 1975. Gay and Terry Woods, who left Steeleye after the band's first album, did three sessions for Peel, and Terry Woods later joined The Pogues, although he did not appear on their two Peel sessions.

After their commercial peak in the 1970s, Steeleye Span faded from public view and from Peel's playlists, but in 1996 they supported Status Quo on tour; Quo had issued a single of Steeleye's hit "All Around My Hat" and Maddy Prior joined them onstage when they performed it live as an encore.

Festive Fifty Entries[]

  • None

Sessions[]

Ten sessions. The recording of ‘Hello Mary Lou’ from #8 was filmed for the 1973 Radio Wonderful documentary (and also turned up as in subsequent TV documentaries on Peel). Sessions #2 and #3 (except 'Two Reels') were officially released on Please To See The King, 2xCD reissue, 2006 (Castle Music).

1. Recorded 1970-03-31. First broadcast 11 April 1970. Repeated

  • A Calling On-Song / The Blacksmith / The Hills Of Greenmore / All Things Are Quite Silent / Dark Eyed Sailor

2. Recorded 1970-06-23. First broadcast 27 June 1970. Repeated 24 October 1970, 22 September 1975, 14 June 1977.

  • The Blacksmith / Female Drummer / Rave On / I Was A Young Man / Lark In The Morning

3. Recorded 1971-03-16. First broadcast 27 March 1971. Repeated 22 May 1971.

  • Two Reels / Let’s Dance / Prince Charles Stuart / Bring ‘Em Down/A Hundred Years Ago

4. Recorded 1972-01-31. First broadcast 08 February 1972. Repeated 02 May 1972.

  • Reels: The Oak Tree/Pigeon On The Gate / Ups And Downs / Spotted Cow / Rosebud In June / Sheepcrook And Black Dog

5. Recorded 1972-02-21. First broadcast 10 March 1972. Repeated 28 April 1972.

  • Jigs / Royal Forester / John Barleycorn / (The Gamekeeper, first broadcast on 28 April 1972 session repeat)

6. Recorded 1972-07-04. First broadcast 28 July 1972. Repeated 08 September 1972.

  • Rag Doll / Cam'Ye O'Er From France / False Knight On The Road / Saucy Sailor

7. Recorded 1972-10-02. First broadcast 24 October 1972. Repeated 12 December 1972.

  • New Reels: The Bank Of Ireland/Lucy Campbell / Gaudete / Truck Driving Man

8. Recorded 1973-01-16. First broadcast 06 February 1973. Repeated 03 April 1973:

  • Hello Mary Lou / Misty Moisty Morning / Three Drunken Maidens

9. Recorded 1973-02-12. First broadcast 22 February 1973. Repeated 22 March 1973.

  • Ups And Downs / Misty Moisty Morning / Hares On The Mountain / Lots Is A Bun Dance

10. Recorded 1974-02-19. First broadcast 1974-02-26. Repeated

  • Thomas The Rhymer / Edwin / Long-A-Growing

Live[]

  1. False Knight on the Road
  2. The Lark in the Morning
  3. Rave On
  4. Reels: £10 Float / The Musical Priest
  5. Captain Coulston
  6. Handsome Polly-O
  7. Bring 'Em Down / Haul on the Bowline
  8. Four Nights Drunk
  9. When I Was on Horseback
  10. I Live Not Where I Love
  11. The Wind That Shakes the Barley / Pigeon on the Gate / Jenny's Chickens
  12. Female Drummer
  13. General Taylor
  14. College Grove / Silver Spear / Ballymurphy Rake / Maid Behind the Bar

Other Shows Played[]

1970
1971
1972
  • 21 January 1972: Jigs: Paddy Clancey’s Jig / Willie Clancy’s Fancy (LP – Ten Man Mop Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again) Pegasus
  • 01 February 1972: Skewball (LP – Ten Man Mop Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again) Pegasus
  • 29 September 1972: Sheepcrook And Blackdog (single)
1973
  • 01 May 1973: Ups And Downs (LP – Parcel Of Rogues) Chrysalis
  • 03 May 1973: Cam Ye O'er Frea France (LP – Parcel Of Rogues) Chrysalis
  • 22 May 1973: Cam Ye O'er Frea France (LP – Parcel Of Rogues) Chrysalis
  • 24 May 1973: Lovely On The Water (LP – Please To See The King) B&C
  • 16 October 1973: Boys Of Bedlam (LP - Please To See The King) B & C
1974
1975
1976
  • 12 August 1976 (Fairport Convention retrospective): (JP: “The best known spin-off from the Fairports have been Steeleye Span.")
    False Knight Of The Road (album - Please To See The King) B & C
    Jigs: Paddy Clancey's Jig / Willie Clancy's Fancy (album - Ten Man Mop Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again) Pegasus
    (JP; "Never fails to bring a touch of spirit to my generally lifeless gigs.”)
1977
1983
1997
1999
  • 24 June 1999: Bryan O'Lynn / The Hag With the Money (Medley)
2001
  • 21 June 2001: Paddy Clancey's Jig / Willie Clancy's Fancy (Medley)

See Also[]

External Links[]

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