Steeleye Span - Please To See The King (B&C 1971) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

Please To See The King is the second album by Steeleye Span, released in 1971. A substantial personnel change following their previous effort, Hark! The Village Wait, brought about a substantial change in their overall sound, including a lack of drums and the replacement of one female vocalist with a male vocalist. The band even reprised a song from their debut, "The Blacksmith", with a strikingly different arrangement making extensive use of syncopation. The title of the album is derived from the "Cutty Wren" ceremony. A winter wren in a cage is paraded as if it were a king. This rite was carried out on December 26th, Saint Stephen's Day, and is connected to early Christmas celebrations. The song "The King", appearing on the album, addresses this, and is often performed as a Christmas carol.

All songs appearing on the original album are traditional. "The False Knight on the Road" is one of the Child Ballads (#3), and concerns a boy's battle with the devil in a game of riddles. "The Lark in the Morning", one of their more popular songs, has the same title as a different song about a lusty ploughboy, though there are strong similarities. This version was collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams. "Boys of Bedlam", a variant of Tom o' Bedlam", is told from the perspective of a member of a lunatic asylum. Carthy and Prior open the song by singing into the back of banjos, producing a muffled effect. The band uses the earliest printed version of the song, from Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy by Thomas d'Urfey.

Melody Maker made this their folk album of the year. Music journalist Colin Irwin in his book "In Search of Albion" describes it as one of his favourite folk-rock albums. It reached number 45 in the UK album charts, originally on B&C Records but before the year was out the rights were acquired by Mooncrest Records who re-released it the same year, with different cover art. Musically, this was their most electric, dense recording, with loud guitars, strong looping bass lines and no drums. Wikipedia.

Track listing:

A1. The Blacksmith

A2. Cold, Haily, Windy Night

A3. Jigs: Bryan O'Lynn/The Hag With The Money

A4. Prince Charlie Stuart

A5. Boys of Bedlam

B1. False Knight On The Road

B2. The Lark In The Morning

B3. Female Drummer

B4. The King

B5. Lovely On The Water

Maddy Prior: Vocals, Spoons, Tabor, Tambourine
Martin Carthy: Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Organ
Tim Hart: Vocals, Guitar, Dulcimer
Ashley Hutchings: Vocals, Bass guitar
Peter Knight: Vocals, Fiddle, Mandolin, Organ, Bass guitar

Produced by Sandy Roberton