Steeleye Span - Electric Folk (BBC Four) 1974

[@jeffdoty1262]

No offense to any and all members past and/or present, but THIS is the Span I will always hear in my head. CLASSSSSIC!

[@helmutsecke3529]

I'm sure Martin Carthy'll put a hit on yer now.

[@hamilton9651]

Maddy is wearing an outfit of a noble woman from the mideval times. How fitting for this location!

[@skylarkman2000]

Totally agree. Amazing musicians All .

[@garykent402]

Now We Are Six, best album ever, that's when i fell in love with Maddy ❤

[@jeffdoty1262]

@@garykent402 I fell in love at "Hark! The Village Wait."

[@NSResponder]

I will always have my crush on Maddy Prior.

[@VegetableMan1400]

Great version of Little Sir Hugh! The best era of Span for me.

[@stephencalvert2517]

True musicians, proper instruments, real singing this was MUSIC

[@HamiltonRowan-r6z]

Agreed! I listened to one of my daughter's favorite pop songs, and I couldn't even identify it as music. Maybe it was some of synthesized noise, but certainly not music!

[@HamiltonRowan-r6z]

This was a time when bands and audiences really engaged with one another. None of this separation from the audience and charging outlandish prices for admission!

[@LouisMenotti]

Last song is an absolute gem. Would pay handsomely to hear a Peascod Time studio version by Steeleye.

[@jeffreylemal7432]

Maddie prior has such a beautiful voice.

[@namcat53]

MADDY.

[@samaelcoral7297]

Had...

[@debs4mysweetbaby]

@@samaelcoral7297 lame comment

[@gratefulhank]

❤

[@skylarkman2000]

Remember seeing this on TV . Crikey was that almost fifty years ago !!

[@rogerfindlay6836]

I was watching Maddy Prior just yesterday on a "live" May Dawn Dance session. She has aged well. R.

[@neekerbreeker]

Wow!!! Thank you ❤for this! If only time travel were possible we'd likely all be in that audience but this is the next best thing.

[@davidcole9971]

What a fabulous front woman Maddy is

[@fodsaks]

Back when the BBC had a regular programme devoted to folk? Amazing.

[@arno-luyendijk4798]

God, I love this music. It has such a unique combination of the sensation of electrified rock and the timemachine-like quality of taking you back to the origins of traditional folk. Priceless. Declaring this as a Dutch native, mind you.

[@adrianokury]

The band at its peak in the mid-70s. Tight, talented, amazing. This blend of ancient folk songs with rock is memorable. And that set list had my fave of theirs: the gory English ballad Little Sir Hugh...

[@gratefulhank]

I just stumbled across an incredibly amazing piece of history 😎✨🎶🎵🎶🎶🌹❤️

[@gmolorin13]

This is the year I first heard of and saw them in Denver. My housemate's sister was married to Peter Knight, and he and her got us back stage passes to a very small venue in Denver...there wasn't really much of a backstage, but the show was great, and different from anything I've ever heard before. Now, I am a major fan, and have all their albums. I'm very happy to know that they are still performing, although, sadly, not with Peter Knight any longer. Maddy Prior's voice is one of the greats of British folk...love me the Steeleye!

[@suzannelawson9215]

What happened to Peter Knight?

[@skylarkman2000]

Still making music I believe.

[@HamiltonRowan-r6z]

How did all these people get to have such a personal concert? Dinner and a Steeleye Span concert! I've seen other times when a small audience was literally a few feet away from the band.

[@MrGinger62]

This a wonderful piece of musical history! How very posh they were....

[@richardwilton722]

That's just middle class English of that period.

[@timlarge7420]

Love this era of Steeleye

[@jtmedia84]

Tim Large The era of Steeleye continues! I am seeing them in Seattle this July! We probably don't have many years left with Maddy, but until then, I think Steeleye remains a legitimate band.

[@timlarge7420]

I saw then recently too, October 2015. But the days with Tim Hart are some of Steeleye's that I enjoy most.

[@dereksmith453]

I saw Steeleye perform in a barn attached to a pub around this time, perhaps a little earlier. If memory serves only four, perhaps five, turned up and they had no drummer. After a plaintive request for any drummers present, Maddy beat time with her clogs on a convenient table. It was a fabulous evening. Thanks for uploading. Good memories.

[@larsgutsein3910]

I thought this was going to be the story how they got Nigel Pegrum in the band.

[@nmfeb70]

This must have been a first. To put on an electric performance in a 14th Century stately home is so rock 'n' roll. Great viewing and listening. Thanks for uploading!

[@apollomemories7399]

mm1270: How about Woburn Abbey (founded 1145) concerts in 1968, headlined by Jimi Hendrix.

[@QMPhilosophe]

Saw them live (in Texas!) in '73. Have been listening to them ever since. What a wonderful group.

[@obscurebandfan]

Paul Dirac That must have been something. A very English folky band coming to the Lone Star State.

[@markmcmillan8676]

I saw them in San Antonio in 73 with Jethro Tull. They came out and sang “Rogues in a Nation” a cappella and from that moment they had me as a lifelong fan. It may have been the same show you attended Paul.

[@bidalaska3457]

Gosh... Maddy was so young

[@PaulZink]

Maddy Pryor forever!

[@davidknowles3459]

There was I think 6 programs of Steeleye playing at different venues in the Electric Folk back in 1974.I watched all of them.Only this episode remains I think!

[@skylarkman2000]

Those were wonderful days . Amazing musicians about then ..

[@timlarge7420]

I just love looking at the way the audiance is dressed, so classic 1970's remember it well, very well.

[@daf827]

I had the pleasure of seeing Steeleye in Oxford, summer of 1977, with Martin Carthy on guitar. A very special concert it was!

[@magenta6754]

Love Steeleye Span and the traditional English music and enjoyed the traditional English dancing - charming and fun.

[@JoeGarchar1960]

Sadly America never did this kind of television, they had PBS and daytime and prime time variety shows that would feature a song or two from a band, but you would never see a 30 or 60 minute special on one band live, so I really don't think a lot of American audiences have had the pleasure of seeing this broadcasts when they actually were aired. These shows are a treasure to watch even now, like rediscovering the band for the very first time. Thanks for the upload.

[@drmlabs]

Songs like 22:12 Little Sir Hugh is why I fell in love with this band back in the early 70's and love them still.

[@davidrogers9749]

Span is as good now as when they first started all those years ago and Maddy has gone from strength to strength, her voice , stage presence and rustic beauty are one of the things that make Span , in my mind the best folk band there has ever been

[@HamiltonRowan-r6z]

Sorry, but I disagree. Every band has its zenith then fades away! SS is over. You can call the current group SS all you want but it's not the same!

[@dlebrun1963]

I have shelved a lot of music. I have given away a lot of albums, cassettes and cds. I have deleted several hundred gigs of songs and videos. Steeleye Span never leaves my hard drive. Thank you so much for this.

[@jamesellis4267]

Steeeye Span so easy to listen to their music and I do love, "All Around My Hat".

[@jodieschmid5944]

Followed them around the UK from Cecil Sharp house to folk festivals. Moved to South Australia and wow the were doing a gig in Norwood South Australia. The floor was rocking. Love them......

[@errolnicholson5632]

I was 11 years old then!!😀

[@derekbeauchamp2409]

Love this concert !

[@Bertcrankshaw]

I love them, have seen them twice in England, quite recently at Northampton. Hark the village wait must be arguably one of the greatest folk ( rock ) albums ever. Maddy the legend !

[@elizabeththomson7807]

All things are Quite Silent and the Lolwands of Holland can still reduce me to tears after all this time. Not everyone's fave album but mine because of its stripped down purity.

[@jeffdoty1262]

Hark! Was my first exposure to the Span. "The Calling-On Song" was played as Morris Dancers walked out on the green. I was captivated by the song. I bought Hark! 2 days later.

[@28102650]

@@jeffdoty1262 what made you wait so long to buy it?!?! (Joking!) It’s a great album.

[@fretboardyoda]

Am,amazing music, Steeleye Span were, and still are absolutely great!

[@jeffreylemal7432]

I only saw steeleye span once.it wa s the late eighties with fairport convention steeleye span and rennasaince at the garden.talk about a dream line up.

[@skylarkman2000]

I will go along with that.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Now We Are Six ... album produced by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Saw these guys in concert with Tull the year before this release. They were great and I got hooked on on English folk music and got tons of Steeleye Span.

[@DavidMichaelMarek]

As did I. Cool information!

[@jtmedia84]

This is an incredible recording. Thank you for sharing it. I am seeing Steeleye on July 14th in Seattle at the red door. I can;t believe I am going to see them live. Maddy Prior! Rick Kemp! Can't wait.

[@mickigoe]

Jacob Troyer How did it go ? Go hawks !

[@jtmedia84]

mickigoe It was amazing! Thanks for asking. I had such high expectations, and they exceeded them. Their sound was fresh and totally rocked. The new fiddler -- Jessie May-Smart--was amazing as well and added a lot of energy to the whole concert. Lastly, the crowd was incredible. It was a little older, but you could tell the band was feeding off of the energy in the audience.

[@mickigoe]

Jacob Troyer Delighted to hear that , Jacob.Your enthusiasm is palpable. If all the audience were as receptive as you then no wonder the band excelled.

[@marymoonchild2801]

i want her dress and music is just awesome!

[@AndresWalsh]

What a wonderful treasure. Thanks for posting.

[@redcardinalist]

I was 8 years old in 1974 and in Primary 4M (Miss Milligan - gold stars for reading, the Crusades and playing Japs and Commandos in the playground) and I always associate this with kids tv in the 70s; I'm unsure why, just a theme; Sandra Kerr in Bagpuss and just the way tv kids' programmes were -chunky sweaters, no central heating, the start of the green movement, respect for all people, groups like Yes and Genesis, the tail end of the hippy movement, Jessica Andrews (where are you now?) - how I adored you (in my own way, at age 8), Anglia tv, biscuits and cocoa at 9 o'clock bedtime (just as the news was starting), Readybrek ads, Tomorrow's World, breaking ice in the gutter with the heel of our shoe, "Give the lady your seat" *nudge* on buses. Days long gone.....

[@yorickthetog]

40 years ago! I have only just found this posting but I seem to remember seeing it on the TV back in 1974.

[@MrMjp58]

Beautiful footage.

[@mikegeeguitarman8991]

I saw this on TV as a kid on its first airing and was blown away and a Steeleye fan ever since. Still play and sing their music now. Really original band. love the ten man mop album best but not easy to pick a fave

[@gamers7800]

Below the salt.

[@squeezy99]

Good grief - 50 years ago. Fabulous video.

[@dancingcolorsVdeRegil]

Oh how I wish to be at this show!! In a Hall, at tables set with food? LOVE!!

[@arfurlife]

ah nectar of the gods its steeleye span. Bliss!!

[@bobskins808]

What a fab bunch Steeleye Span are.. And this is a truly magical concert.. To me guitarist Bob Johnson always looks stoned (lol), watch his introduction after the first song and see if you agree

[@Bertoblam1]

That'll be ye olde mead and magic mushrooms forsooth and folderoll a merrie day!

[@skylarkman2000]

Haaaaaaaa, yes He does ! 😅

[@RC40298]

Wonderful video. Saw Steeleye play Toronto and Ottawa with this classic line-up, including Mr. Hart. Nice to see them perform so many tracks from Now We Are Six and Commoner's Crown.

[@gregthornton4209]

I remember Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull toured with and promoted Steeleye Span extensively. I learned a long time ago that one should ALWAYS listen to "Sir Ian"...

[@MSYNGWIE12]

Like a step back in time- of course the scenery but for the listener too, better days, IMHO, great groups who opened doors of possibility- love this band, and men with hair and girls in dresses etc. Great band, still listening and loving...Namaste from Canada 2022

[@KittyStarlight]

This is really, really pretty. ☺️ Love those enchanting scenes with that enchanting music at the beginning. ⭐ (The very old, actually it's believed to be perhaps late medieval, song "Sumer Is Icumen In". Always loved that and their version is particularly lovely. ⭐⭐⭐) Historical notes about the house/castle/estate where they performed are also good. ☺️

[@squizza28]

perfect setting for brilliant folk band

[@bernardjohnson7106]

squizza28 saw the Span in 1976,@ National Stadium,S.C.R,Dublin,which is & was a boxing stadium! Simon Nicol played lead guitar,looking dapper in a blue lounge suit.Maddy,as usual the effervescent star,who led & motivated the band.A full set of the original standards.Got the audience up dancing & jigging in the aisles.A memorable night!

[@eyeball226]

Simon Nicol was in Steeleye? Was he just guesting for one gig or something?

[@tomsanders8714]

Thank you very much for posting this. Very little live Steeleye Span around it seems.

[@justgivemethetruth954]

Love these guys ... saw them in concert opening for Jethro Tull back in 1974 ... thought they were cool ... not exactly the rock and roll crowd, but I was hooked.

[@jimmyhall2138]

What a great video, love it! Steeleye Span are so underrated imo. This is a gem, thanks for posting it.

[@MorbinNecrim86]

Great band! Tight and the voice so lovely soo cool

[@Colebrookproductions]

Rad! I never knew there was a full segment of this. Surprisingly good performance considering they have no monitors.

[@hannah-clairevann7983]

aw man not gunna lie, just found these guys and they are pretty fucking good

[@rogerfindlay6836]

I loved every second of this. R.

[@marcusjohns5166]

The is absolutely classic! I love Steeleye Span but, now, I think I love the Albion Morris-men more. Thanks for posting!

[@7777Scion]

Wow. There is just no comparison. I hope your taste ... evolves.

[@RicTic66]

@@7777Scion Evolve? English Morris is at least 600 years old. No other folk dancing in the British Isles has a history that long including Irish or Scottish which is mostly 18th 19th or 20th century. It has been regularly mocked by those who fear the English grasping their heritage, but it has been a constant for centuries in the country side and among those who have kept English folk roots alive.

[@7777Scion]

@@RicTic66 what's that got to do with Steeleye being about 1000 times better than the Albion Morris Men?

[@Wotsitorlabart]

@@7777Scion I think he actually might mean the various Albion Band incarnations that Ashley Hutchings has formed over the years and which concentrated on the English tradition. I never liked Steeleye's forays into Irish and Scots territory especially as, except for the first incarnation, they were all English. What was the point? Lots of the genuine article were out there playing that stuff.

[@elsyepetrie]

So glad i was able to find the rest of this engagement. Thank you to the sender, Andrew. Vancouver Island.

[@bernardjohnson7106]

Until mAndrew Petrie

[@TenementFunster.74]

what a great setting loved to have been there.

[@paulkearnsmusic]

I was lucky enough to both see and meet the band on their "Sails of Silver" tour in the early 80s. Not only were they more than brilliant but, when we will got together after the show - they all "stood their round" in the bar 😎🍻. Having at the time I'd been a fan of the band since the early 70s and, on meeting my hero Maddy, I uttered the immortal words "I named my dog after you"!! Possibly one of the worst backhanded "compliments" I've ever uttered. This was matched some months later when, after a blistering concert at the Hexagon, we met in the bar, Peter threw his violin at me uttering "hold this for God sake, I'm dying for a p**ss"!! I was truly blessed to not just see then play but to make friends with the group in what was arguably their very best lineup. If any of you lovely guys ever read this, please remind Peter - he still owes me a pint 🍻 😀.

[@gilessteve]

Maddy Prior bought me a pint a long time ago.

[@Stonerchix33.]

Man this is awesome

[@peterigan1897]

Brilliant,Megacheers for posting it up.Happy Holidays 2018 and lovely 2019 Everyone!

[@davidselway-hoskins7475]

Saw them on this tour in Melbourne in 1974. Maddy drove the security guards mental by encouraging audience members to get up and dance - as they said, we never have any trouble at a Steeleye concert.

[@thewordofgord]

Thank you for this historic upload!

[@2ndHandVoice]

I first saw them in concert open for Tull on the Passion Play tour and they blew me away. I've been a fan ever since.

[@michaelsullivan6127]

That's when I first encountered Steeleye Span. They opened for Tull on the Passion Play tour in '73, and I was knocked out. When they did 'Gaudete' a capella, it even silenced the louts in the audience. Dead quiet. Maddy Pryor's voice blew me away. That concert got me back into folk music for a long time. Thanks for posting the show.

[@GRALISTAIR]

Maddy's voice is powerful and hauntingly beautiful

[@marcavalero]

I learned about them in the 1970s at my college radio station (SMU Dallas, Texas) I have most of their albums. I play bass and like Rick Kemp's bouncy/driving playing. They are all great and have a bunch of great tunes.

[@DavidMichaelMarek]

I'm a new fan, although I saw them open for Jethro Tull in '73.

[@dalekenjarvis]

I heard them out of WXRT 'Chicago' in 1975 and was hooked! I was probably the only 17 year old in the Midwest who had most of their LP's. Kemp almost joined King Crimson at one point according to Robert Fripps liner notes in "A Child's Guide to King Crimson LP.

[@nelson1953]

In Portugal in Miranda do Douro we have a very similar dance like that dance of sticks. Probably because that specific region (north-east) had many origins in celtic culture, specially dances. They are known as the "Pauliteiros de Miranda".

[@fullmetta2764]

Love this. KZbin most English.

[@jonmuse166]

Amazing!!

[@TheJethro01]

i have always loved them,and am looking forward to seeing them in dublin on may 21st

[@aadrockt1957]

great folkband of there best era with the original setting and maddy prior is so cute

[@geoffryllewellyn7693]

Like Blur & Oasis, there was always the friendly clash between Fairport & Steeleye fans. I come down on the FC side (if there HAD to be one ), but I also had all of Steeleye's albums too !

[@7777Scion]

Fantastic! In the Steeleye Mk II's prime!!!!

[@mickigoe]

Maddy was gorgeous - and still is.

[@Hotelechomike]

I remember watching both the BBC series of Electric Folk and very good they were too. I think the first time I saw Steeleye live was on the Commoner's Crown Tour at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. Last saw them on the Cogs, Wheels & Lover's Tour...

[@handyboy5332]

Hey, Fodsaks- I was autograph hunting @ Hammersmith Odeon around the time of "Now we are 6" & M.P. told me she was keen to get these tapes from the BBC because they were soon to be wiped.Perhaps her enthusiasm persuaded them to preserve them.

[@MultiChubby1]

sigh! wish i was there

[@ash9field]

what a great group I really like them

[@jackarcher7495]

My girlfriend in the '70s loved Steeleye Span. Wish I could listen to them now without thinking of her.

[@namcat53]

You had a great girlfriend.

[@stevenhighams4190]

@@namcat53 Right! They usually liked crud like David Cassidy or Barry Manilow.

[@toomuchinformation]

​@@stevenhighams4190How patronising and dismissive.

[@stevenhighams4190]

@@toomuchinformation And now I'll dismiss you; go and get stuffed.

[@stevenhighams4190]

@@toomuchinformation And now I'll dismiss you - get lost.

[@EzequielBirman77]

¡Gracias Remy!

[@MorbinNecrim86]

Love her dress

[@philipbaxter6738]

Awesome! I caught them on their Australian tour in 1974- great to relive many of the same setlist they would have played then.

[@BardofCornwall]

Awesome!

[@gamers7800]

There’s tons of footage of Pentangle on KZbin , but it seems less so with The Span (pity). Still there’s nearly nothing of the mighty Fairport.

[@rolandcolyer5199]

Beautifully remastered!

[@lsdmadman]

this is golden az daylong...thanky

[@gurgisjones1120]

Very cool! How lucky we are to have this. Edwin is a trip, with Rick on acoustic guitar and Tim on double-neck guitar (playing bass). Little Sir Hugh sounds like an early version; not as strong as what would get recorded.

[@daveeyre2374]

The Upton on Severn Stick Dance is really a dance written by Geoff Hughes (and one other) for Chingford Morris - Albion were a spin-off. About 20 minutes in.

[@happyuk06]

I only recently twigged that "Summer Is A Coming In" is the song being sung at the end in the film The Wicker Man as Edward Woodward meets his untimely end. Pleasant thoughts!

[@erwinwoodedge4885]

I had no idea that amplifiers already existed in the Middle Ages.

[@SuperNevile]

+Erwin Woodedge Not electric ones of course, but clever architects were able to design buildings to amplify sound.

[@yinoveryang4246]

American Fender amplifiers as well! Who knew!

[@dalesingle5534]

Learn something every day!

[@chrissyman77]

Love the Span, but the camp morris men.... Well it brought a smile and giggle to my wife and myself :-D

[@ianlambert8034]

Maddy when she had "normal" teeth - wasn't she pretty! I'm so glad this goddess of folk kept going for so many years , to charm us with her un mistakeable voice and personalitry.

[@iconicshrubbery]

Plastic teeth are the price of stardom.

[@-skipper-1550]

Wow....old English...love it....😃

[@BrianRosenbergMusican]

This just made my day!!!

[@inregionecaecorum]

I remember it but sadly only in Black and White as we did not have a colour telly until the eighties.

[@evansmith3589]

I'd heard of this via Melody maker or other mags of the day. Never thought I'd get to see it from USA!