Thirty years ago, five years after their first album (Hark! The Village Wait), Steeleye Span released their sixth recording, Now We are Six. The album is composed of the traditional "The Mooncoin Jig," five traditional songs arranged by Steeleye Span ("Long a Growing," "Two Magicians"), three songs with traditional words accompanied by Steeleye Span's music and one contemporary song by Phil Spector. As the title of the album tells us, Steeleye Span was at the time a six-piece band.

Maddy Prior has a voice that fits perfectly those old English ballads. Her singing is distinguished by the brilliant technique, reminiscent of the time of minstrels, as well as by the sometimes eerie and elfin sound of her voice ("Seven Hundred Elves," "Thomas the Rhymer," "Drink Down The Moon").

Tim Hart, another founding member of the band, plays acoustic guitar, electric dulcimer and banjo, while Peter Knight, who joined the band in 1971, plays violin, mandolin, tenor banjo, acoustic guitar and piano. Robert Johnson (synthesizer, acoustic and electric guitar) and Rick Kemp (bass, acoustic guitar and vocals on "Edwin") came aboard shortly after Knight. The newest member on this recording is Nigel Pegrum on drums, tambourine, flute, oboe, recorder and synthesizer, and he's the only one who doesn't sing on this album.

The St. Eleye Primary School Junior Choir lends its beautiful singing to the band on "Now We are Six," with piano accompaniment by "Miss Knight" (Peter) on both the title song and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Special guest star David Bowie plays the alto sax on "To Know Him is to Love Him." It's not the brilliance of his sax playing, but his fame that made his contribution to this album so valuable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who came to know this excellent band because Bowie figures as a guest musician.

Steeleye Span, Lindisfarne, Fairport Convention, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull as well as Peter Gabriel and (early) Genesis are certainly among the most important initiators and pioneers for today's flowering British folk music scene. Discovering Steeleye Span was one of my own steps away towards folk music after years of listening to 1970s hard rock.

I love this album because of its unique sound, its fusion of old ballads and rock sounds, the brilliant musicians involved and, last but not least, Maddy Prior's hauntingly beautiful singing.

- Rambles
written by Adolf Goriup
published 1 May 2004