Now We Are Six

The arrival of ex-Gnidrolog drummer Nigel Pegrum on 1974’s Now We Are Six saw Steeleye Span’s music take a nod towards the progressive. Of course, having Ian Anderson in the producer’s chair certainly pushed things along: “Thomas the Rhymer” has that complex meter that is quite like Jethro Tull. Whether this is vindication of their progressiveness or proof positive that Anderson was a folkie at heart is another matter. Whatever the setting, and despite rather strange production, the band presents first-rate music here. “Drink Down the Moon” has a somber tone that shines in the electric setting, while “Two Magicians” remains traditional. “Seven Hundred Elves” and “Edwin” both dial up the prog quotient on their folksy tunes; and throughout, Steeleye Span offer a lively dose of electric folk—though the inclusion of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and a rather languid cover of Phil Spector’s “To Know Him is to Love Him” (complete with David Bowie on saxophone) are dubious at best. Nonetheless, the album rose to No. 13 on the UK charts. Their second 1975 release, All Around My Hat—also the first in a series to be produced by ex-Womble Mike Batt—was a commercial success fueled by the title track, which rose to No. 6 on the UK single charts. However, their subsequent albums couldn’t sustain the momentum, even with the readdition of Martin Carthy, and after a live album in 1978, the band ostensibly broke up; though throughout the 1980s, recordings would occasionally appear. Prior would join Mike Oldfield’s touring band in 1979.