Bloody Men
Steeleye Span’s latest album finds the band at its most
comfortable and relaxed since Ken Nicol entered the fold some four years ago.
Titled Bloody Men, the album is a two-disc set containing ten individual songs
and a five-tune song cycle, for a total of fifteen distinctively Steeleye
melodies. While not a perfect album, it is nevertheless an album that shows
Steeleye Span doing what they do best, namely playing top-notch folk-rock
music with appropriate homages to the past.
The album opens with its strongest track, and one that is
uncharacteristic of the rest of the album, “Bonny Black Hare.” A tune very
much in sentiment to “Drink Down the Moon” from Now We Are Six, the song
is a riveting and firey number, almost out-of-sync with the rest of the album,
which tends to be much more folky in tone and dimension. In listening to “Bonny
Black Hare,” one is reminded of “John of Ditchford” on Bedlam Born. The
song is especially notable for Peter’s Octave violin solos, which throb with
an electricity I’ve not felt since the early years of the band.
But it is precisely this electricity that is deceiving,
because from this point on the album takes on a decidedly folky turn. All the
tunes from this point forward have a definitely relaxed, comfortable feeling.
This is not to say that the songs are weaker or that the playing is not what
it could be—far from it. Rather, it is only to point out that people seeking
a rocking album like Bedlam Born or even Now We Are Six are likely to be
disappointed.
“The Story of the Scullion King,” penned by Ken Nicol
and Peter Knight, is a beautiful historical tune about a would-be pretender to
the throne that Henry saved from death by making him a cook in his kitchen and
later a falconer. The song has the gravitas typical of Ken’s historical
numbers, which appear to be his forte. Indeed, as Ken becomes more and more a
key player in Steeleye Span, his musical pieces are notable for their close
attention to historical detail. His detailed explanations of song contexts
that precede his lyrics attest to this fact.
This may be a good place to complain, however, about the
quality of the lyric booklets that have recently accompanied Steeleye albums.
I have complained about this before, but it saddens me that the performers of
individual songs are not always identified by the particular instruments that
they play on specific songs. It has been pointed out, for instance, that Peter
Knight plays guitar—a rarity—on his own “Lord Elgin,” one of the gems
of the album. Yet no mention of this is made anywhere on the album notes; in
fact, if one didn’t know he played guitar on that song, one might think it
were Ken Nicol. The same could be said for “Bonny Black Hare“; although
true followers of Steeleye will know otherwise, the vibrant Octave violin
solos sound suspiciously like guitars, causing confusion for those who are
unfamiliar with Peter’s pyrotechnics.
“The Dreamer and the Widow” is a song very much like “Mantle
of Green” from They Called Her Babylon. Written by Ken and sung by Maddy, it’s
a song of male fantasy and subsequent disillusionment. The song also echoes an
understated theme that could, perhaps, have been better emphasized throughout
the album, namely the significance found in the title. Though others may
disagree with me, I see a loose connection in many of the characters with the
title of the album, for Bloody Men is a collection of songs about men who
confront life and death in various ways--through dreams, through sex, through
the supernatural, and through conflict with government authority.
“Lord Elgin,” written by Peter, follows next--a love
song, presumably, in which Lord Elgin speaks of his devotion to his loved one.
I have been told, however, that this is a riddle song very much in keeping
with Peter’s sense of humour, and that the song is actually about Elgin
watches. One can indeed assume this from the lyrics, which make frequent
mention of time and of devotion, but my preference is for the former
interpretation, for to think of the song as about a watch, though clever,
cheapens the sentiment somehow.
Fans of the band have expressed a desire to see this song on
a Top 40 list, and I suppose one could argue that its catchy melody and subtle
harmonies support such an assertion, but I think the song is better served
where it is; my preference for a single is “Bonny Black Hare, “ for
reasons I hope I have established previously. I worry, too, that to closely
identify the song with that watch might turn the song into a sales pitch. Some
have lamented in other reviews that Peter doesn’t sing lead here, but this
fact doesn’t particularly disturb me. Hearing his violin and his harmonies
is pleasure enough.
“The 3 Sisters,” another song by Ken, follows. In
melody, it is reminiscent of “Marrowbones,” Martin Carthy’s
tour-de-force from Ten Man Mop. However, the song is actually a song of
jealousy and murder belied somewhat by the upbeat tune and curious refrain,
which does not appear to bear much connection to a song of a woman drowned.
What follows are two songs already in the Steeleye
repertoire; the first is the jig and reel “The First House of Connought/The
Lady of the House,” played to perfection by Peter, but, then, he is a master
at this sort of tune. The other is “Cold Haily Windy Night,” originally
performed ages ago by Martin Carthy when he was part of the band’s line-up,
but now sung with aplomb by Rick Kemp, who gives the tune new vigor with a
vibrant melody and added percussion by stalwart Liam Genockey.
“Whummil Bore,” a mere fragment of a song in the Child
Ballad canon, is given what I think is an ingenious and beautiful rendition by
Maddy. A story of a servant boy who spies on his mistress through a hole in
the wall, the song speaks of pubescent male fantasy and recalls to my mind
several songs by Dave Matthews. It also showcases the superb fiddle playing of
Peter Knight.
Ken Nicol’s masterpiece on the album, “Demon of the
Well,” is a complicated story told in great detail in the liner notes about
the vengeful ghost of a servant woman, wronged by those around her,
particularly her male employer. The song has an almost county-western feel,
very unlike most Steeleye songs, and yet it is one of the most haunting and
moving songs on the album. The song clearly shows the tremendous positive
force that Ken has made to the band since his joining the ranks in 2002. I
think this would be an interesting avenue for Steeleye to pursue, actually, in
future albums; that is, the influence of themes and melodies not typically
found in the UK.
The last song of the first disc is “Lord Gregory,” a
song, I am told, Maddy has performed elsewhere. A brooding tune about a woman
wronged, the song is in stark contrast to “Bonny Black Hare” and serves as
a nice bookend to the close of the first CD. The song also sports some
restrained, but beautiful guitar work from Ken.
The second disc consists of the ambitious, but not entirely
successful “Ned Ludd,” a song cycle in five parts. The five tunes attempt
to explore the issues surrounding the Luddites at the time of the industrial
revolution. The tunes capture the pastoral qualities of pre-industrial England
effectively, and the melodies are beautiful to listen to, but the songs are
less capable of conveying the angst and frustration of the textile workers of
the day. As a whole, the song cycle leaves a listener wanting more. My
suspicion is that the events alluded to in the piece are simply too complex to
cover in so short a forum. Indeed, a small note in the lyric book refers to a
web link on the Park Records site for more information. Nevertheless, the five
songs, sung by Maddy and Rick, are performed with their usual expertise.
The album thus closes with a series of portraits in which
men are bloodied by the forces that surround them. Whether it is about lust,
the supernatural, or political ambition, each song reveals Steeleye Span
playing at their best, proving once again that they are the one of the finest
folk-rock bands in the world. I certainly hope they continue to play together
for many more years to come.
Mark Edward Askren.
2007
