Customer Reviews

Commoners Crown

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Commoner's Crown," Steeleye's seventh album, was first released on vinyl in the US on the Chrysalis label in 1977 (two years after it's initial release in England). Today, it is only available on CD by import. This is a real shame as it ranks with the Steeleye's best.

The songs this time out tend to fall well within the term eerie. "Little Sir Hugh," which kicks off the album may seem a bright little ditty on first listen, but the cheery melody is in direct contrast to the song's woeful tale of murder. (It also has an acapella break that'll make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention). "Long Lankin" still haunts with its tale of uprising and violence. In "Demon Lover" a young woman learns (the hard way) the true identity of the man who has been courting her, and "Elf Call" offers the odd comfort of an elf king taking pity on a woman who has lost her child.

Not all here is so bleak and spooky. The album ends with a good natured "New York Girls' that is complete with a ukulele solo (and backing vocals) from Peter Sellers, and offers a humorous send off for what otherwise just might be the ultimate album for All Hallow's Eve! get it now while you still can!!!

Quick capsule review: This recording was never available on vinyl, except as an import. Coming after the transitional Now we are six record, Commoner's Crown offered a mature and focused Steeleye Span. If your favorite Steeleye Span period is the Below the Salt, Parcel of Rogues and All around my Hat period--get this CD. You will not be disapointed

I must take exception to those previous reviewers who find this album either boring or uninspired. I've owned and listened to all Steeleye Span albums through Back In Line; this is the one I've returned to the most over the years.
One thing about Old English folk tunes is that they can all sound the same after awhile. What the group managed to do during this period was arrange these songs into either rollicking or haunting "modern" folk tunes using various timbres of the instruments of their time while performing them in the spirit of a former time. Every song comes off well, especially the sublimely haunting "Long Lankin" and the a cappella "Weary Cutters". The ensemble singing during the chorus of "Demon Lover" punctuated by the electric guitar statement is sweet. "Galtee Farmer" manages to be both haunting and rollicking at once, driven by a superb guitar and bass line. Granted, "New York Girls" seems out of place but it serves to end the album on a humorous note after the more severe and somber tunes that precede it.
If I recall correctly, this album wasn't made widely available in America upon its original LP release; perhaps that's why it doesn't garner as much of a reputation among American listeners. No matter, because this along with Below the Salt are in my opinion the best examples of Steeleye Span's studio recorded output. I'll also grant that this CD seems a bit pricy, but what can one do about that except buy it used.

Commoner's Crown often gets overlooked in the Steeleye canon - indeed it was largely ignored at the time of its release - but it is a very good album which stands comparison with the undisputed classics (Please to See the King, Below the Salt, Parcel of Rogues). There is a somewhat uniform feel to the production but the songs themselves are mostly unnervingly dark themes of murder and mayhem delivered with sparkling, sprightly instrumentation ..."Little Sir Hugh" is the prime example of this - a terrifying tale of infanticide with chiming guitar, a killer (sorry!) riff and CSN&Y-tight harmonies. Similar moods are explored in "Demon Lover" and "Long Lankin" - both with memorable choruses - while "Elf Call", driven by an insistent bass riff from the ever-reliable Rick Kemp, has a darker feel altogether. "New York Girls is something of a novelty turn, with Peter Sellers on ukulele (need I say more?). The cover will be a source of endless fascination to anyone who ever collected the tiny toy soldiers (made by Airfix in the UK) as it features a crown made up of hundreds of these miniature figures. Well worth adding to the collection.

For my opinion, this is not among the best of Steeleye's productions from this period (all of which I have owned for over twenty years). The problem is basically the material, all of which is treated in a more-or-less consistent but not really inspired fashion. That said, *I* own it and have played it quite a few times, and if you like Steeleye in general you will doubtlessly like "Commoner's Crown." For those unfamiliar with Steeleye, I suggest starting with "Parcel of Rogues" or "Below the Salt," either of which are easily among the best folk-rock albums of the period.

...and I'm sure my opinion won't clear anything up, alas, but this has always been a favorite of mine, although admittedly, taken track-by-track, it's not among Steeleye's top recordings (which would be "Hark! The Village Wait", "Below The Salt", and "Parcel Of Rogues", IMO).

So, track by track:

1) Little Sir Hugh - absolutely incredible, one of the best vocal and instrumental arrangements the band ever did, with chilling lyrics, and a great "a capella" vocal break near the end.

2) Bach Goes To Limerick - The album practically falls flat on its face here: by far the most boring instrumental the band recorded in any lineup; a waste of time that goes nowhere, and makes one wonder exactly what they were thinking. Fairport Convention they ain't.

3) Long Lankin - this might just be the best thing they ever recorded; see comments for track one, and amplify them tenfold. A masterpiece on every level, and one of their most rocking tracks before the "All Around My Hat" album.

4) Dogs And Ferrets - enjoyable, but a bit of a throw-away: nothing really substantial here musically or lyrically, but a nice respite from the intensity of the previous track.

5) Galtee Farmer - very amusing lyric, but repetitious musically; nothing special here.

6) Demon Lover - this is one of the songs that Steeleye fans are either going to love or hate; I absolutely love it, especially the moment where Rick's bass brings the chorus back in at the end of Maddy's line "He sunk the ship in a flash of fire to the bottom of the sea". One of their best tracks ever, IMO, although some (most?) purists might be put off by its "pop" aspects.

7) Elf Call - Even more pop-oriented than "Demon Lover"; this again is a love-it-or-hate-it proposition for most Steeleye fans, and I love it; the chorus features one of the most beautiful vocal arrangements they ever did, and this ranks as one of my favorite Steeleye tunes.

8) Weary Cutters - lovely vocals, but again, nothing special. One suspects that by the time of this album, the band were really more interested in offering rock/pop songs with a folk influence, rather than their previously inverse approach, and the more overtly folk-oriented material comes off as largely indifferent on this album as a result.

9) New York Girls - again, this seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it track. I think it's a perfect, irreverent ending to the album, with brilliantly funny lyrics, and nice ukulele playing from special guest Peter Sellers (yes, "Inspector Clouseau").

So, overall, a mixed bag, but tracks 1,3,6 and 7 are so incredible as to make it essential listening, IMO; albeit not quite on the same level as the three albums listed at the start of the review.

Commoner's Crown, a halfway decent album, houses probably the best song that Steeleye Span ever did. That song is "Long Lankin'". I would compare this song to any of the best of Jethro Tull. This shows what Steeleye can and sometimes does do. "Elf Call" is farely good, kind of like their "Thomas the Rhymer". "Little Sir Hugh" is a journey, and to top it all off, "New York Girls" with Peter Sellers playing 'acoustic ukelele'. It is fun to listen to, but when you think about it, its pretty stupid. Over all, the album is just as good as something they would do back in 1971, which is very, very good.

Excuse my huge disagreement with other reviewers, but this album is number one in my collection which I listen to and float away to the Medieval landscape and share a glass of port with the Galtee Farmer, and sink in wonder to the darkest ocean depths in Demon Lover. If you don't fall in love with these incantations, then you've got no business in being a fan of the greatest folk rock band that ever existed! The imagery in the lyrics, accompanied by Span's hardest driving vocals and guitars, is second to none. As a fan of albums from the likes of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention, among myriad others, I recommend this album as one of my top 2!!

"Commoners Crown" from 1975 is one of Steeleye Span best albums, partly because the album contains some great songs, but also because it's very tastefully produced by the group itself in collaboration with Robin Black.

The lyrics are all traditional, while the music in most cases is composed by the members of the group, obviously in a way that they sound like traditional songs. The group expanded on the previous album with drummer Nigel Pegrum, and the electric sound is prevalent on most tracks.

Part of the lyrics are quite dark, funny enough, this applies in particular to the three strongest tracks, "Little Sir Hugh.", "Long Lankin" and "Demon Lover."

"Little Sir Hugh" and "Demon Lover" are fine songs with very catchy choruses. "Long Lankin" is the album's most complex number, with several melodic pieces.

"Dogs and Ferrets" and "Galtee Farmer" are musically more sparsly and almost acousticly arranged, the former almost a capella in the familiar beautiful Steeleye Span way. "Weary Cutters" is Maddy Prior singing polyphonic a capella with herself - very beautiful, too.

The final track "New York Girls" has a funny guest appearance by Peter Sellers on ukulele; a fun and unpretentious song, arranged in a similar informal way.

I give the album 5 stars because it's not the band's fault the seller dudded me, so their rating shouldn't be effected. Great album, wish I could play it. I tried to do the moral thing and buy music rather than stealing it via illegal download, this is what I get.