STEELEYE SPAN – NOW WE ARE SIX LP – Nr MINT A1/B2 UK FOLK

Steeleye Span – Now We Are Six
(Chrysalis Records  1984  CHR1053)
Matrix No’s: A1/B2 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Inner Sleeve has foxing spots but no splits

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
 

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 four Top 40 albums and achieved a certified gold record with sales of “All Around My Hat”.

Throughout their history, Steeleye Span have seen many personnel changes. 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 moved completely away from traditional music, which draws upon pan-British traditions.

Now We Are Six is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span. Its title (borrowed from Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne‘s collection of poems for children) refers to both its sequence among their albums, and the band’s size, in light of the addition of drummer Nigel Pegrum. It reached number 13 in the UK albums chart.

Although two session drummers were used on the debut album, there was a conscious decision to add a full-time drummer to further bolster the band’s rock-oriented sound. It has been suggested that the sound of the band on this album is that of a rock band turning towards folk, and not the other way around. Pegrum also contributed flute and oboe parts.

Track listing

(Order varies a lot between different album editions)

1. “Seven Hundred Elves”
2. “Edwin” (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song Index #182)
3. “Drink Down the Moon” (Traditional) (first half is Roud Folk Song Index #290, second half is #1506 and #5407)
4. “Now We Are Six” (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song Index #20174)
5. “Thomas the Rhymer” (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song Index #219, Child Ballads #37)
6. “The Mooncoin Jig” (Traditional)
7. “Long-a-Growing” (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song Index #31)
8. “Two Magicians” (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song Index #1350, Child Ballad #44)
9. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (Traditional)
10. “To Know Him Is To Love Him” (Phil Spector)

Personnel

Steelye Span

• Maddy Prior – vocals
• Tim Hart – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric dulcimer, banjo
• Peter Knight – vocals, violin, mandolin, tenor banjo, acoustic guitar, piano
• Bob Johnson – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer
• Rick Kemp – vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar
• Nigel Pegrum – drums, tambourine, oboe, recorder, flute, synthesizer

Guest musician

• David Bowie – alto sax on To Know Him Is To Love Him

Production

• Ian Anderson – producer