Tempted and Tried

1989  Dover Records (part of Chrysalis) (FLUT 4)


MADDY PRIOR -BOB JOHNSON -PETER KNIGHT - TIM HARRIES - NIGEL PEGRUM
extra percussion - Martin Ditchum


Recorded at J.A.M. London (not 100% confirmed)
Produced by Bob Johnson, Peter Knight and John Etchells
Engineered John Etchells




















Recorded to celebrate the Bands 20th Anniversary. It appears that it was a late deal to get it recorded on the Chrysalis owned Dover Records label as the first single (Padstow) was on the Flutterby label.

With Rick Kemp recently departed, added to the earlier departure of Tim Hart meant an album heavily influenced by Maddy, Bob and Peter. A mixture of original compositions by Peter Knight, traditional lyrics given new melodies and arrangements by Bob plus a couple of more traditionally arranged trad. tracks.

There are a few missing set lists from some tours from 1990-1995 so it is likely these tracks appeared more than is suggested below.

1. Padstow

(3.02 Trad.) 

Introduced by Maddy Prior 

Album notes:  The Cornish village of Padstow celebrates May Day each year with an extraordinary festival. There are two hobby horses (the red or old 'oss and the blue or temperance 'oss) that dance through the streets led by a “teaser” surrounded by the whole village and onlookers. All day they dance with short breaks for refreshments with mesmeric drums beating the winter out and the spring in.

Released as a single 1989 (b side Reels: The First House In Connaught / Sailor's Bonnet)


LIVE/RELEASES:

[1987] UK Spring Tour; Europe and US tour. Early run out for the song and played with Mark Williamson on bass. Can watch it on Phili Folk Festival HERE
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989). Also features on BBC Radio 2 concert from same tour (Croydon)
[1990] UK 21st Anniversary Tour (almost certainly)
[1991] UK Autumn Tour. Featured on 'Tonight's the Night..Live' CD  (1992)
[1992] UK Autumn Tour
[1993] UK 'Chasing Rainbows' Tour 
[1994] Australian Tour; Cambridge Folk Festival (& played on BBC Radio 2); UK 25th Anniversary Tour - Featured on '25 Live: 25th Anniversary Concert Video (1995)
[1996] Australia 'Time' Tour; UK Tour - supporting Status Quo.
[1997] UK Spring and Autumn 'Time' Tours; US Tour; 
[1998] Bergen, Belgium. Sung on the new line up's debut by Gay Woods, but only once. 
[2004] UK 35th Anniversary Tour (for selected dates only). Features on '35th Anniversary World Tour' DVD (2004) and 'Folk Rock Pioneers In Concert Live CD (2006) 
[2006] UK Spring Tour.
[2011] 19th Dec, The Barbican, London. Played with Martin Carthy and John Spiers who were guests for this concert.


2. The Fox

(3.04 Written by Peter Knight - "A Song about a Modern Fox")

Peter has mentioned that the song is about the fox leaving the countryside and coming into the town to feed.. "The idea of the horses and hounds chasing the fox through the town conjured up all sorts of images for me, taking the hunt to a place where it wasn't relevant. The song was never meant to suggest an opinion about the rights and wrongs of fox hunting"

Released as a Single - 10th Sept 1990 - To support the 21st Anniversary Tour

LIVE:
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989). 
[1990] UK 21st Anniversary Tour. Features on 'Steeleye Span: In Concert' Live CD (1994) The exact tour from 1989-91 it's played on is not known  
[1995] UK Spring Tour. Featured on BBC Radio 2 broadcast from Yeovil. Good quality bootlegs available;  UK 'The Journey Continues' tour (later in tour)
[1997] Great British Beer Festival


3. Two Butchers 

(4.46 Traditional words. Arranged and melody written by Bob) – 8:40

Bob -'The fate of the good Samaritan?'. B side to the 'Following Me' single. Commonly song ballad,  also referred to as 'Two Sportsmen' to which Bob added a new melody and a chorus


LIVE/RELEASES: 
[1989] Cropedy Festival; 
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on the BBC Radio 2 concert from this tour (Croydon) but is not on the released 20th Anniversary Live video/cd.
[1990 est] features on 'Steeleye Span: In Concert' Live CD (1994) The exact tour from 1989-91 played it's played on is not known  

 

4. Following Me 

(3.35 Written by Peter Knight - "A song about fear") 

Released as a single 1989 at the same time as the Album on Dover records. (b side - Two Butchers)

LIVE/RELEASES:
[1987] UK Autumn Tour. It has been mentioned it was played on this tour.
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989).

  

5. Seagull

(2.40 Written by Peter Knight - "Song about the game 'shove penny' ") 


LIVE/RELEASES 

[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989).
[1991] UK Autumn Tour. Did not appear on the Tonight's the Night CD but was played on the BBC Radio 2 concert from Butterfield on the same tour. 
[1992] UK Autumn Tour
[1993] UK 'Chasing Rainbows' Tour  
[1994] Australian Tour; Cambridge Folk Festival (& played on BBC Radio 2); UK 25th Anniversary Tour - Featured on '25 Live: 25th Anniversary Concert Video (1995)
[1995] UK Spring Tour. Featured on BBC Radio 2 broadcast from Yeovil. Good quality bootlegs available.
[1996] Australian 'Time' Tour
[1997] UK Spring 'Time' Tour; US June Tour; Festivals; UK Autumn 'Time' Tour.
[1998] Bergen, Belgium - debut of new line up; UK Horkstow Grange tour
[2001] 13th May - Folk on the Pier, Cromer. One off concert with unique line up (see timeline)
[2004] UK Winter 35th Anniversary Tour. 
[2006] UK Spring Tour; Cropedy Festival; UK Autumn 'Bloody Men' Tour.  It is this from this last tour that this song  features on 'Live at a Distance Live DVD/CD' (2009)
[2007] Spanfest
[2008] UK Spring Tour; Spanfest
[2009] UK Spring 40th Anniversary Tour; Sept US Tour; UK Autumn 40th Anniversary tour. 
[2013] UK 'Wintersmith' Tour. Features Pete Zorn on the Penny Whistle, which can be seen HERE.  Available on the 'Wintersmith Tour DVD' (2014)

 

 
6. The Cruel Mother 

(5.33 Traditional. Child 20)

Album notes -  “...before birth control, before the Social Services, before tranquilizers...”


LIVE/ RELEASES
[1997] UK Spring 'Time' Tour (sung by Bob)

 

7. Jack Hall

(3.55 Traditional lyrics. Melody and arrangement by Bob Johnson) 

 A classic 'broadside ballad' which were quite often about a criminal about to be hung and usually written from their perspective.

Album notes:  Jack Hall, who had been sold to a chimney sweep fur a guinea, was executed for burglary at Tyburn (Marble Arch) in 1701 … the passage of time and the oral tradition made a hero out of a loser.

Unusually for one of Bob's songs from this album it made a return to the set list - In 2014 as part of a 'Robbers' medley which sadly has never been released. (See rare tracks section)

Re-Recorded in 2019 for inclusion in the Green Man Collection (2023)


LIVE/RELEASES:

[1987] UK Autumn Tour. Pre dating album by two years. 
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989)
[1990] UK 21st Anniversary Tour.  Features on 'Steeleye Span: In Concert' Live CD (1994) but the exact tour from 1989-91 it's played on is not known   
[1991] UK Autumn Tour. 
[1993] UK 'Chasing Rainbows' Tour  
[1994] Australian May Tour; Cambridge Folk Festival (and played BBC Radio 2 live); UK Autumn 25th Anniversary tour;  Featured on '25 Live: 25th Anniversary Concert Video (1995)
[2014] UK Autumn '45th Anniversary' Tour. Reintroduced as part of a 'Robbers' Medley. Sung by Rick. 
[2015] UK Winter Tour; Shepley Folk Festival (the only place to hear the Robbers Medley is HERE); N. American Tour - initially sung by Alex Kemp in Canada but then by Julian Littman in the US in a slower tempo with a heavy riff version. Always sung as part of the Robbers Medley.
[2023] UK 'Green Man' Tour. Sung by Spud Sinclair

 

8. Searching for Lambs

(4.10 Traditional)


LIVE/RELEASES:
[1989] Cropedy Festival; UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Not on the 20th Anniversary Live video/CD but does feature on BBC Radio 2 concert from same tour (Croydon)
[1990] UK 21st Anniversary Tour
[1994] UK Autumn Tour

 

9. Shaking of the Sheets (Or 'The Dance of Death')

(4.10 Based on traditional lyrics. Melody is from the tune 'The Black Joke' -- which Steeleye had used previously live in the early 70's.  Arrangement and chorus by Bob Johnson) 

Album  notes: 'Six feet of earth makes us all of one size'
On the album Bob took the lead vocals (Harmonies on the Chorus) but when played live in 1989 & 1991 Maddy sang lead 

LIVE/RELEASES:
[1989] Cropedy Festival; UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989). Also features on BBC Radio 2 concert from same tour (Croydon)
[1990] UK 21st Anniversary Tour.  Features on 'Steeleye Span: In Concert' Live CD (1994) but the exact tour from 1989-91 it's played is not known  

[1991] UK Autumn Tour. Did not appear on the Tonight's the Night CD but was played on the BBC Radio 2 concert from Butterfield on the same tour.
[1992] UK Autumn Tour


10. Reels: The First House in Connaught, Sailor's Bonnet

(2.45 Traditional. Arranged by Steeleye Span) 

The tune sailor bonnet was used by Steeleye in the 80's and is on the 'Gone to Australia'  CD

LIVE/RELEASES:
[1989] UK 20th Anniversary Tour. Features on '20th Anniversary Celebration Live CD/DVD/VIDEO. (1989). Also features on BBC Radio 2 concert from same tour (Croydon)
[2002] UK Reunion Tour. Sailor's Bonnet appeared as part of the encore. 



9. Betsy Bell and Mary Gray

(4.56 Traditional. Child  Ballad 201. Arranged and performed as a duo by Peter Knight and Maddy Prior)  

First sung by Maddy with Martin Carthy in the 70's (Shearwater album). The story is about two Scottish women who, to try and stop getting the plague of (1645), isolated themselves in a remote bower (usually a one room house) they built themselves. However, a young man, who was the lover of one of the women fatally infected them when bringing them food. 

Featured live before appearing on the album but then gets dropped until 2004.

LIVE/RELEASES:
[1986] US Tour. UK 'Back In Line' Tour. Features on  'Rare Collection 1972-1996' CD (1999) ; US Tour/Festivals; Australian Tour; UK Autumn Tour. 
[1987] Played across the World Tour
[1989] Cropedy Festival 
[2004] Australian Tour; UK 35th Anniversary Tour; . Played as duet with Peter as before. features on the '35th Anniversary World Tour' DVD (2004) & 'Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert Live CD (2006) & The Official Bootleg CD (2004)
[2006] Cropedy Festival; Autumn 'Bloody Men' Tour -  It is this from this last tour that this song features on 'Live at a Distance Live DVD' (2009) - but not on the CD. 
[2007] Spanfest
[2009] UK Spring 40th Anniversary Tour; US Tour. 
[2012] Festivals
[2013] UK Spring Tour 
[2019] 17th Dec. The Barbican. Special 50th Anniversary show. Peter Knight was a special guest and so once again Maddy and Peter duetted. 

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