Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again

Steeleye Span | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 17, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shanachie
• ASIN: B000000E7G
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,077 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #86 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Folk Rock

Track Listings

1. Gower Wassail

2. Jigs: Paddy Clancey's Jig/Willie Clancy's Fancy

3. Four Nights Drunk

4. When I Was on Horseback

5. Marrowbones

6. Captain Coulston

7. Reels: Dowd's Favourite/£10 Float/The Morning Dew

8. Wee Weaver

9. Skewball

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of the Steeleye title!, February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (Audio CD)

"Ten Man Mop, Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again" (the title rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it) has been a bit overshadowed by both its two predecessors (the superb "Hark! The Village Wait" and the almost as fine "Please To See The King") and its successors ("Below The Salt" and "Parcel of Rogues"). This is a shame, as it is a fine album in its own right.

While Maddy Prior's vocals take something of a back seat here to Tim Hart's more nasal pipes (Martin Carthy's too), the refocus does not hurt the album as much as one might expect. The reemphasis, while taking some getting used to, manages to still conjure up images of Ye Olde England. "Skewball" becomes the band most electric outing from their first three albums, while "Marrowbones" and "Four Night's Drunk" add some with and humor. Throw in a pair of fine instrumentals and Prior's vocals on her tracks, and you have an album that may fall just a tad short of the aforementioned ones, but one that is worth adding to your collection nonetheless.

Pity Amazon chose not to show the album cover and its great phtograph!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential Steeleye Span, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (Audio CD)

This album not only shows the brilliance of the group, but showcases the essence of Britain's wealth of folk music which grew out of a mixture of commoner and crown alike. If you owned five albums of British folk music, it should include this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stark, Spectral Beauty., January 3, 2009

By 

Jan Zijlstra "R100GSXR1000rider" (Murfreesboro, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (Audio CD)

Many people have wondered why Ashley Hutchings left Fairport Convention when they were at the height of their creative powers with the Liege and Lief album. The first Steeleye Span (Mk I) album Hark the Village Wait certainly did not warrant his departure. His vision would only become clear on the first album of Steeleye Mk II, the brilliant Please to See the King. The follow-up 'Ten Men Mop, or Mr Reservoir Butler Rides Again', would only deepen the concept and stands as the overall best album Steeleye Span ever made - any 'Mk'. In many respects, this album feels more like the predecessor of 'Please to See the King' - it is more acoustic, particularly Peter Knight's violin playing (that's no fiddle you're hearing there ...) which is unmatched by anything he's done after this. The great Martin Carthy strung a Telecaster with acoustic gauge strings and created a sparse style of folk rock that will forever define how things should be done in this genre - Fiona Richey be damned. So what gives this album the nod over all others? Maddy Prior's singing is one big reason. Much like Mr Knight's violin, it would never be equalled after this recording. Tyger's bass playing, particularly during the instrumentals is yet another carreer high point. All this is enough to make it - their best.
But there is something much more important about this album. It has a unique spectral quality - an eerieness that sends shivers up and down the spine ... compare it to a collection of Robert Aickman stories. It's a good thing this album was originally released on vinyl, since two sides of it is way too much in one sitting. 'Gower Wassail' being the perfect opener with strong four part A Capella vocals and that Telecaster stating the album's intent' what follows is the best set of jigs ever to come out of the British Isles. They'll knock you out of your seat, onto the (dance-) floor, where you'll stand wondering how he did that... The closing lament, 'When I was on Horseback', is shattering with the purest of vocal soarings set against a minimalist background that allows for an exquisite violin solo, with beatific pizzicato. Stop. Right there. Nothing can follow that. Save side two for another occasion.
OK - side two then. Marrowbones: "the pact between the Doctor and the Butcher - Ole! (liner note quote) is just that - fun and needed. The spookiness returns with Captain Coulston - an unforgettable haunting borne by a splendid motif of Carthy's Tele and solemn fiddling that verges on the hurdy-gurdy. The reels that follow provide the timely relief only a perfectly planned album will offer. Then comes a Vraiment Tour de Force: Ms Prior's singing on The Wee Weaver is only equalled in the best of Trans Atlantic gospel - a very alienating experience that should have you check out this album all by itself. The closer Skewball should have been the Single in a better world. It wasnt and it isnt. So the album did not sell, and never will. That's OK - they knew this at the time of release .... No commercial concessions were made, and justly so. This album will stand for all time, 'Loved by a Tiny Handful of People all over the World'.

Jan Zijlstra, Murfreesboro, Tennessee