Now We Are Six (album)
Encyclopedia
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.
", which was released as a single, was seen by many as the quintessential Steeleye track. It was produced by Jethro Tull
's Ian Anderson
. Another highlight is "The Mooncoin Jig", which is a showcase for Peter Knight's abilities on mandolin
and banjo
; the track is a mix of folk and rock, with neither overshadowing the other. Both tracks also show how well drums fit into the increasingly elaborate sound.
The main criticisms of the album seemed to boil down to the inclusion of three tracks; the title track is a set of riddles sung by the band with only a piano accompaniment, and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
" is the familiar children's song, given the same treatment. Credited as the "St. Eleye Primary School Junior Choir," the band sang these songs imitating children. The inclusion of the songs is valid in many respects as the material is traditional, but they do stand out as rather unusual and jarring. Many people also did not "get" the joke about the "St. Eleye" school choir, believing it was an actual school choir singing the songs (the joke being that a) St. Eleye is not a real saint, and b) "St. Eleye " is almost "Steeleye"). Bassist Rick Kemp
believes the songs were misplaced on the album, and should instead have come at the end.
The track that did end the album is the other one which created some consternation among critics - a cover version of Phil Spector
's "To Know Him Is To Love Him" which features, as a guest, David Bowie
on alto saxophone
. The inclusion of a rock 'n' roll standard baffled many listeners who had come to expect Steeleye Span's interpretations of traditional fare; what is generally not known, however, is that the track does represent an aspect of Steeleye Span's live show at that time (1974). They were known for doing a rock and roll encore during this period, influenced by the band Sha Na Na
with whom they toured. After ending their regular set, they would leave the stage and emerge a few minutes later, almost entirely unrecognizable, in '50s-styled rock and roll costumes, and play such numbers as "Long Tall Sally
", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and the aforementioned "To Know Him Is To Love Him".
, which was composed of new versions of the band's older material, includes a longer version of the song, running 6:38.
Guest:
B side:
Electric folk
Electric folk is the name given to the form of folk rock pioneered in England from the late 1960s, and most significant in the 1970s, which then was taken up and developed in the surrounding Celtic cultures of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, to produce Celtic rock and its...
band Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining 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"....
. Its title (borrowed from Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
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
Nigel Pegrum
Nigel Pegrum was a drummer with The Small Faces and Steeleye Span before becoming a producer.- Biography :Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of The Small Faces, then played drums with Lee Grant And The Capitols before joining Spice, who subsequently changed their name to Uriah Heep...
. 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
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
parts.
Criticism
The album received mixed reviews from critics. It was hailed as a finely crafted set of traditional songs given clever arrangements, and the track "Thomas the RhymerThomas the Rhymer
Thomas Learmonth , better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston . He is also the protagonist of the ballad "Thomas the Rhymer"...
", which was released as a single, was seen by many as the quintessential Steeleye track. It was produced by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
's Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson (musician)
Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
. Another highlight is "The Mooncoin Jig", which is a showcase for Peter Knight's abilities on mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
; the track is a mix of folk and rock, with neither overshadowing the other. Both tracks also show how well drums fit into the increasingly elaborate sound.
The main criticisms of the album seemed to boil down to the inclusion of three tracks; the title track is a set of riddles sung by the band with only a piano accompaniment, and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English nursery rhyme. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann...
" is the familiar children's song, given the same treatment. Credited as the "St. Eleye Primary School Junior Choir," the band sang these songs imitating children. The inclusion of the songs is valid in many respects as the material is traditional, but they do stand out as rather unusual and jarring. Many people also did not "get" the joke about the "St. Eleye" school choir, believing it was an actual school choir singing the songs (the joke being that a) St. Eleye is not a real saint, and b) "St. Eleye " is almost "Steeleye"). Bassist Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp is an English bass player, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Projects:...
believes the songs were misplaced on the album, and should instead have come at the end.
The track that did end the album is the other one which created some consternation among critics - a cover version of Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
's "To Know Him Is To Love Him" which features, as a guest, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
on alto saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. The inclusion of a rock 'n' roll standard baffled many listeners who had come to expect Steeleye Span's interpretations of traditional fare; what is generally not known, however, is that the track does represent an aspect of Steeleye Span's live show at that time (1974). They were known for doing a rock and roll encore during this period, influenced by the band Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
with whom they toured. After ending their regular set, they would leave the stage and emerge a few minutes later, almost entirely unrecognizable, in '50s-styled rock and roll costumes, and play such numbers as "Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally
"Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label....
", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and the aforementioned "To Know Him Is To Love Him".
Thomas the Rhymer
Two versions of "Thomas the Rhymer" were recorded. The song, also known as "True Thomas", was released as a single running 3:14, and as a longer LP version running 6:44. This version, which alternates loud and soft sections, was released on the original version of the Chrysalis UK LP Now We Are Six. When the album was issued in the United States, however, it included the short version, apparently on the assumption that the shorter version would be more radio-friendly and more appealing to American audiences. Most reissues of this album contain the short version of "Thomas the Rhymer" with the exception of the BGO CD reissue. Present--The Very Best of Steeleye SpanPresent--The Very Best of Steeleye Span
Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span is an album by Steeleye Span, which is frequently mistaken for one of the band's many compilation albums. Although all but one of the songs had been previously released, the album is actually a collection of new studio versions of the songs involved...
, which was composed of new versions of the band's older material, includes a longer version of the song, running 6:38.
2011: Now we are six - live
For Steeleye's Spring 2011 tour, the first half set consisted of them playing the album in its entirety, some 37 years after it was first released.Personnel
- Maddy PriorMaddy PriorMaddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...
(vocals) - Tim HartTim HartTim Hart was an English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Early years:...
(vocals, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitar, electric dulcimerAppalachian dulcimerThe Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
) - Peter Knight (vocals, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, tenor banjo, acoustic guitar, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
) - Bob JohnsonBob Johnson (musician)Robert "Bob" Johnson is a British guitarist formerly in the electric folk band Steeleye Span from 1972–77 and again from 1980-2001....
(vocals, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitar, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
) - Rick KempRick KempRick Kemp is an English bass player, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Projects:...
(vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, acoustic guitar) - Nigel PegrumNigel PegrumNigel Pegrum was a drummer with The Small Faces and Steeleye Span before becoming a producer.- Biography :Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of The Small Faces, then played drums with Lee Grant And The Capitols before joining Spice, who subsequently changed their name to Uriah Heep...
(drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
)
Guest:
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
(alto sax on To Know Him Is To Love Him)
Track listing
(Order varies a lot between different album editions)- "Seven Hundred Elves"
- "Edwin" (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#182) - "Drink Down the Moon" (Traditional) (first half is Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#290, second half is #1506 and #5407) - "Now We Are Six" (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#20174) - "Thomas the RhymerThomas the RhymerThomas Learmonth , better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston . He is also the protagonist of the ballad "Thomas the Rhymer"...
" (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#219, Child BalladsChild BalladsThe Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
#37) - "The Mooncoin Jig" (Traditional)
- "Long-a-GrowingThe Trees They Grow So High (folk song)"The Trees They Grow So High" is a British folk song. The song is known by many titles, including "Daily Growing", "Young But Daily Growing" and "Bonny Boy is Young ". It first appeared in print in 1792 as "Lady Mary Ann". The subject of the song is an arranged marriage of a young girl by her...
" (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#31) - "Two MagiciansThe Twa Magicians"The Twa Magicians" or "The Two Magicians" is a British folk song. It first appears in print in 1828 in two sources, Peter Buchan's Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland and John Wilson's Noctes Ambrosianae #40. It was later published as number 44 of Francis James Child's English and...
" (Traditional) (Roud Folk Song IndexRoud Folk Song IndexThe Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#1350, Child Ballad #44) - "Twinkle Twinkle Little StarTwinkle Twinkle Little Star"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English nursery rhyme. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann...
" (Traditional) - "To Know Him Is To Love HimTo Know Him Is to Love Him"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone. It was first recorded by his first vocal group, the only one of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1958...
" (Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
)
Shanachie CD release order
- Thomas the Rhymer (short version)
- Drink Down The Moon
- Two Magicians
- Now We Are Six
- Seven Hundred Elves
- Long A Growing
- The Mooncoin Jig
- Edwin
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- To Know Him Is To Love Him
Australian 1974 order
A side:- Thomas the Rhymer (short version)
- Two Magicians
- Edwin
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- 700 Elves
B side:
- The Mooncoin Jig
- Drink Down The Moon
- Now We Are Six (listed as 4th on album sleeve, but actually 3rd when the record is played)
- Long-A-Growing (listed as 3rd on album sleeve, but actually 4th when the record is played)
- To Know Him Is To Love Him