Customer Reviews

Please to See the King

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Steeleye Span was not the highest profile of the late 60s bands attempting to create a British Isles version of folk rock, but could certainly hold their own with the star power of Fairport Convention or Pentangle. Steeleye Span lacked a bonafide guitar prodigy like Fairport's Richard Thompson, or Pentangle's dueling virtuosos John Renbourne and Burt Jansch, but Steeleye's Martin Carthy was the central figure in the 60s British folk revival. Carthy, a musicologist, made heroic efforts to maintain the integrity of the orginal source material and it paid off with "Please To See The King". Released in 1971, it put Steeleye Span as the vangaurd band in the British Isles folk revival. By that time, Fairport had gutted it's original line-up, and Renbourn and Jansch's solo projects impacted the quality of Pentangle's studio recordings.

"Please To See The King" was one of albums I played incessantly in the early 70s and like so many of my vinyl albums, got lost, misplaced, worn out or stolen. In the 90s when I began rebuilding my collection of music in the compact disc format, I was reluctant to purchase this album. Some of Fairport's music I repurchased on CD had horrible production values, and Burt Jansch and John Renbourn's rambling jazzy riff tradeoffs sounded...well.. so inanely "sixties." I am happy to report that "Please To See The King" does not disappoint. The glorious choral arrangements which Carthy often painstakingly transcribed from field recordings dating back to the 1920s are a revelation. The tight four-part harmonies could stand alone as acapella pieces. Maddy Prior's earthy and autumnal mezzo-soprano has lost none of it's allure, upon hearing it again. Carthy's use of electronic technology never became an end unto itself, he'd make the guitar sound like a bagpipe when a bagpipe was indeed appropriate to the song. "The Blacksmith" which opens the album is just one example of Steeleye's collective genius at arranging traditional music. The exquisite vocal harmonies date back to ancient British Isle pageant signing. The guitar is electric but played with just enough reverb to make it like a lute. Maddy Prior's vocal is full bodied, yet mournfully plaintive. The electric fiddle of Peter Knight looms in the background and steps forward for a short but tasty solo. On "Please To See The King" each band member is a well oiled part, and the whole is so much more than the sum of the parts. Steeleye outlasted their peers and made quality music well into the 80s because this band never became a star-vehicle, but simply made brilliant music together.

The change of personnel after the first album, "Hark! The Village Wait", produced one of the first examples of the "cohesive unit" approach to folk rock..."Please To See The King". The track "Bedlam Boys" is almost a symphony...the way the instruments complement each other and Carthy's vocals is close to genius. Yes, the lead vocalist on each (vocal) track attracts the most attention, but the rest of the band supports the entire mood of each song beautifully. This is a one-of-a-kind session and, probably, my favorite Steeleye Span album....certainly the best before Bob Johnson joined. There is no question that this album is essential Span! Despite the widespread praise "Hark!" receives (deservedly), I have always considered "King" to be the first bonafide Steeleye album. "Hark!" was a beautifully successful experiment. But the truly identifying characteristics of Steeleye began and evolved from "Please To See The King"! My opinion. This is a must-own album!

I'm not the biggest fan of British folk rock or even Steeleye Span for that matter, but I really feel that this, their second release is a masterpiece. What I admire most of this band was the fact they took 500 year old folk songs and ballads, updated them on to a whole generation of young people who could have cared less of these songs otherwise. I really love the medieval vibe I get with Please to See the King, especially on songs like "The Blacksmith", "Cold, Haily, Windy Night", "Boys of Bedlam", "Female Drummer" and "Lovely on the Water". Steeleye Span does frequently get compared to Fairport Convention, and in fact Fairport's Ashley Hutchings was on Steeleye's first three albums, including this one. But Steeleye Span's music (at least until drummer Nigel Pegrum stepped in beginning with Now We Are Six) tended to be more traditional sounding and less accessible than Fairport's best material, but that's not a bad thing, really, as these songs give me a feeling how English country life might have been like 500 years ago. Please, To See The King marked the first lineup change for the band. Tim Hart, Maddy Prior, and Ashley Hutchings are all here, while Gay and Terry Woods left replaced by Peter Knight, and Martin Carthy (who wasn't exactly new to the folk scene as he released several albums under his own name as far back as 1965). As far as I'm concerned, I feel Please, To See the King, and Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief are two of the greatest English folk rock albums ever, and I even recommend these to those not big on this genre, like me.

Though this is their second album; in many ways, it's really their first. A wonderful previous LP, "Hark The Village Wait" (UK RCA, unissued in US until much later on US Chrysalis) was something of a one-off....Terry & Gay Woods left after that first album. The band came back with this amazing album (with the temporary addition of Martin Carthy) and Terry Knight. Originally issued on UK B&C and US Big Tree/Ampex, the album starts with a remake of "The Blacksmith" from the first album. This album is more densly electric than most of the later albums...yet with no drums. It stands alone as an achievement of performance and arrangement. The entire album is first-rate, though I wish Shanachie had used the original album art.

There's four tracks on this album that I consider among their greatest recordings; "Cold, Haily, Windy Night", "Boys of Bedlam", "False Knight On The Road" and "Female Drummer". "Boys Of Bedlam" and "Female Drummer" are especially remarkable.

For those of you who know their more popular Chrysalis albums, this one will be a very pleasant surprise.

I consider this to be in the Top 5 all-time greatest UK 'folk-rock' albums.

Amazing. Just amazing. I can't believe how good this album is. These are the best pieces of music I have ever had my pleasure to hear. You may enjoy other Steeleye albums, but this one will knock you off your feet. This is certainly, above all, my favorite Steeleye Span album. Give every song its chance, and listen to it well. This album is magic. You will never want anything more once the harmonious music fills your ears. Your heart will be complete. A great buy. If I were you, I would buy this album for a hundred dollars. Amazing. Just Amazing. There. I said it. Whew!!

This is a great traditional jam. The singing and instrumentals are quite good. It's not really rock, but it still rocks if you like something with a traditional twist.

It's interesting to note that Jethro Tull dropped Steeleye Span as a backup band from their concert tours because so many people would leave after Steeleye Span had finished their set not waiting for JT.

My introduction to Steeleye was their fifth album "Parcel of Rouges" album and I just had to have more. I bought all their back catalog and eagerly awaited new releases.

"Hark the Village Wait" ... tuneful, melodic, classical, skillful ... all excellent artists co-existing on the album (but not as a group). Rating A+.

"Please to see the King" ... losing the Woods was catastrophic, gaining Carthy and Knight made up for it. A new grittiness thanks to Carthy and a new dimension in Knight's fiddle. Rating A+.

"Ten Man Mop" ... Maybe not as easy to listen to as the first 2 but classic Carthy and tunes as good as any. Rating A.

"Below The Salt" ... MC's leaving is a great loss for the group. I really don't think he could have gone much further, so this is something new for the group. More melodic, but lacking the cutting edge of the first three. Oh, Ashley Hutchings had gone as well. Rating A-.

"Parcel Of Rogues" ... Easy to listen to, and better than their previous offering. The same line-up, but had found their feet with this one. Not as technically good as 1 to 3, but still a great listen. Rating A.

After that it goes downhill. They still did the occasional (OK several) good thing(s), but never again reached their earlier heights. Even when MC returned with John Kirkpatrick to refresh their reportoir, they just couldn't match the first 5. If you like the pop-ier, more commercial music, maybe their later stuff is for you, but listen to the musicianship, undertones, vocals and harmonies of their first 5 albums for the real stuff.

Steeleye Span pioneered folk rock along with Fairport convention (whose music I still haven't picked up yet, though I've been meaning to for variety's sake). If you're a Steeleye Span fan, you will like this CD. Period. It's a Steeleye classic, and one of my many favorites.

Skip the newer releases, like: They Called Her Babylon, Bedlam Born, Bloody Men.

Go for the Classics: Tempted and Tried, All Around my Hat, Sails of Silver, Storm Force Ten, Rocket Cottage, Hark! The Village Wait, Please to See the King, Ten Man Mop, Commoners Crown, Now We Are Six, Parcel of Rogues, Below the Salt, Back in Line.

If you must pick up "modern" Steelye albums, pick up: Time (one of their best "modern" releases) and Horkstow Grange (their other good "modern" release). "Winter" is supposed to also be good, on par with the classics (traditional arrangements of holiday songs), though I haven't yet seen it.

The above "classic" albums cover the early and middle years.

This and Below the Salt are two favorites and Now We are Six my least favorite. Maddy Pryor is something else again and to hear her in person is even better. I've loved this band since the sixties or from the beginning and have never tired of them. If you haven't heard them, do so. Great, great, great. And Gaudete on Below the Salt is truly awesome, with the group singing a capella. These two albums are a must.

This is one of the best CDs of the bands career.
Every song is worthy of a listen.

A good solid album.