Ten Man Mop - STEELEYE SPAN***

Gower Wassail/Paddy Clancy's Jig-Willie Clancy's Fancy/Four Nights Drunk/When I Was On Horseback/Marrowbones/Captain Coulston/Dowd's Favourite-£10 Float-The Morning Dew/Wee Weaver/Skewball

Some Steeleye Span fans complained that Ten Man Mop did not make the best use of the band’s strongest asset, the pure voice of Maddy Prior. Following personnel changes they would move towards a more electrified sound.

“Ι find this album quite uneven. Some tracks are great with a progressive influence but others are so depressing and sometimes annoying that I just can't stand them.”

”The songs like Gower Wassail and When I Was On Horseback are the equal of anything on the preceding album, and the two medleys of jigs and reels feature some fantastic playing. My only minor quibble is the Maddy Prior is perhaps a tad under-used.”

“Ten Man Mop could be described as an attempt by Steeleye Span to achieve a sparser, more stripped-down sound than on the two earlier albums. However, the sparser sound scarcely achieves the intensity that might be hoped for, and the amazing atmosphere that was seen on the debut is seldom seen because the production often overemphasised dense violin or guitar work over a band sound. This detracts from Gower Wassail in particular, but even Wee Weaver, with Maddy's beautiful vocals, does not match the band's best work.”

“While Maddy Prior's vocals take something of a back seat here, the re-focus does not hurt the album as much as one might expect. The re-emphasis, 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 and with humour. Throw in a pair of fine instrumentals and Prior's vocals on her tracks, and you have an album that may fall a bit short of their best, but one that is still worth adding to your collection.”

“Steeleye Span were one of the very first groups to prove that the addition of an electric guitar lick wouldn't destroy the beauty of English traditional folk music. Hard to believe it's many decades since this album was first released as the sound continues to be fresh and current. Maddy Prior's vocals are always a treat and songs such as Skewball are classics made new again by the presentation.”