Steeleye Span - Seven Hundred Elves (1974)

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  • Опубликовано: 28 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 173

  • @idavo
    @idavo 13 лет назад +16

    Get me a Time Lord with a Tardis and take me back to the days of Steeleye. Seen them a few times.... Maddy Prior has a voice and a half! and the arrangements are fantastic. I am from South Cumbria, we have woods, and i enjoy telling my nieces and nephews whilr driving through, to check windows, as elves are not a nice sort!

  • @timhorton691964
    @timhorton691964 8 лет назад +30

    This is a great version, and Maddy Prior is just fantastic.

  • @dominiquedv
    @dominiquedv 7 лет назад +15

    Marvellous Maddy Prior : What a beautiful voice!

  • @phillywilly01
    @phillywilly01 15 лет назад +8

    I grew up listening (and singing) to Steeleye, me and my sister sitting there with my dad's treasured Vinyl collection. Maddy Priors voice and the lyrics...FAB. Seven hundred elves is my favourite song

  • @stephenpickells2003
    @stephenpickells2003 4 года назад +3

    There were a band of travelling minstrels, several blokes and a maiden fair with raven hair. They couldn't afford a carriage or even a donkey so they just walked around with instruments in their hands. One time they saw Brian Jones sitting cross legged on a tree stump, playing an electric mandolin to a bunch of plaster gnomes including Roy Wood, Marc Bolan and David Bowie. They were hungry so Brian swapped his mandolin for a bag of magic jelly beans that a minstrel was holding. The minstrels walked on into the English twilight. By and by they came to the walls of a great castle where a Viscount was said to live. They were quite hungry themselves, and started seeing elves! The kindly Viscount invited them to perform at his dinner party in exchange for food and a possible record deal. They were led into a great hall with roasting pigs and lots of people sitting around, chewing gristle. The minstrel gallery was stacked with Marshall amps so they plugged in the mandolin and also an electric dulcimer which they had picked up along the way. But something strange happened whenever Maddy sang (for that was the name of the maiden fair with the raven hair), you could hear a kind of a legato sound from some kind of keyboard. Nobody had brought any keyboard instruments because they're too heavy to carry on foot. Eventually they saw Ian Stewart playing a reed organ behind a Marshall stack. He offered to be their roadie because he had a truck outside. They grabbed all the amps (which had belonged to the Rolling Stones before they went into exile). Somebody suggested they call themselves the Electric Elves but most people thought it was too corny. Then they remembered they hadn't eaten but Ian had some jelly beans in the truck.

  • @jamestlenahan
    @jamestlenahan 11 лет назад +6

    My goodness---a long time ago. I remember it still...

  • @merkabalight3164
    @merkabalight3164 4 года назад +4

    Met this band in the early 70s but knew their music from the beginning and brought them to my university. I’m not British per se but my heritage is Scot-English. Their music, with all the musicians that have come and gone, including Tim Hart, resonates with me and connects with me from the distant past. Steeleye Span’s music is evocative and somehow makes me bigger than I normally am.

    • @trennonking5667
      @trennonking5667 Год назад

      Well said. Their music, always lifts my spirit to a higher plane. As cheesy as that sounds, there’s something really special about their delivery.

  • @promerops
    @promerops 12 лет назад +6

    Wonderful, beautiful British eccentricity.

  • @anthonydavies8459
    @anthonydavies8459 7 лет назад +6

    Amazing band , amazing song . Remember seeing this on TV in the 70s . Just as good today .

    • @gardensofthegods
      @gardensofthegods 5 лет назад +1

      I'd love to go back to 1974 when people seem to so much more civilized

  • @victorhex6380
    @victorhex6380 5 лет назад +4

    I have heard this song a hundred times, but the skill that it took to make it is not apparent until we see the interaction of the band, very well done.

  • @lindadote
    @lindadote 8 лет назад +9

    Beautiful band, was into these guys way back. Thanks for posting.

  • @Mandolin1944
    @Mandolin1944 10 лет назад +11

    Those were the days! Tasteful!

  • @modelleg
    @modelleg 9 лет назад +14

    What do you expect, after felling the oak, felling the birch, felling the bloody beech and poplars? Elves are truly pissed!.

    • @karltriebel4262
      @karltriebel4262 3 года назад

      Happens every time I play Dwarf Fortress 🤨

  • @elsyepetrie
    @elsyepetrie 11 лет назад +10

    My love for this band is something.

  • @rodblaine999
    @rodblaine999 11 лет назад +15

    i now really regret not listening to this type of music when i was a teenager back in the 70's.

    • @gardensofthegods
      @gardensofthegods 5 лет назад +3

      Like Cleopatra said , tis always better late than never .

  • @russellreising4294
    @russellreising4294 8 лет назад +7

    thanks so much for posting this one!! Great live performance.

  • @cartimand
    @cartimand 15 лет назад +4

    Great song - very evocative of merrie England and well performed by a rather foxy young Ms prior!

  • @SocietyPages
    @SocietyPages 11 лет назад +6

    I love Maddy Prior. I love Steeleye Span.

  • @amnril
    @amnril 4 года назад +3

    Saw Steeleye span three years ago, Maddy’s voice was still still crystal clear.

  • @mikestubbs1708
    @mikestubbs1708 Год назад +1

    Lovely to hear this again! a terrific version! Well done folks!

  • @PaulHartXYZ
    @PaulHartXYZ 14 лет назад +4

    The Span at their peak. Such a rare clip from 1974. I think Ian Anderson was producing them by then.

  • @arfurlife
    @arfurlife 12 лет назад +3

    just a wonderful wonderful talent band. They re amazing live. I just love em til it hurts.

  • @borgduck
    @borgduck 10 лет назад +19

    I had this video in my head, today, as I went to partake of some ale in the self named "Elisabeth" wood. As I sat on a tree recently destroyed by the Winter storms, a juvenile Deer calmly walked by, looked at me, & just calmly walked away. No sign of any Elves, fortunately.

    • @redcardinalist
      @redcardinalist 9 лет назад +2

      borgduck I think you'll find that the deer was an elf, in animal form :)

    • @borgduck
      @borgduck 9 лет назад

      redcardinalist Now I want to back there!

    • @redcardinalist
      @redcardinalist 9 лет назад +5

      borgduck
      Well you might not, tricky things elves and faeries generally. Remember, they're not human in any way whatsoever. Best avoided all round.
      If you do, remember the cardinal rules:-
      1. Don't accept any offer to dance the night away in the faeries realm
      2. Don't eat or drink anything of faerie origin
      3. never look back ;)

    • @borgduck
      @borgduck 9 лет назад

      redcardinalist 1. After a keg of ale I wouldn't be able to stop myself 2. See number one. If it's 100% & gets me tipsy.. 3. *Too late!* :(

  • @andrewpetrie3397
    @andrewpetrie3397 12 лет назад +4

    Most beautiful music ever.

  • @anthrop7998
    @anthrop7998 4 года назад +1

    American here-- love this stuff! :)! I wish we had more knowledge of bands like this here in the USA. Glad to have discovered them (basically today) :0

  • @danielpestana6257
    @danielpestana6257 6 лет назад +3

    It's old, but gold!

  • @goodun6081
    @goodun6081 6 лет назад +1

    Wonderful live performance!

  • @Gitarpunk
    @Gitarpunk 15 лет назад +1

    I saw this Vinyl album at a record store I had gone into while high as hell yesterday, Today I searched the album name and was able to find this video. This band is awesome!

  • @52Paddy1991
    @52Paddy1991 12 лет назад +1

    Having been recommended the music of Steeleye Span for quite some time now (I'm a big Fairport Convention fan), this is the first piece of music I've listened to from them. Great performance.

  • @briane5706
    @briane5706 5 лет назад +3

    Tim Hart sadly left us far too soon. He began with Maddy Prior in small clubs in the folk scene, and progressed from traditional acoustic instruments the the electric folk rock style, adding musicians along the way. This is the classic lineup and IMHO, the best.

    • @Bekki369
      @Bekki369 4 года назад

      Agreed! It is wonderful to see and hear him doing those lovely harmonies with Maddy. Been listening to them for all these decades and never get tired of them.

  • @12laube12
    @12laube12 14 лет назад

    I graduated high school in 1974. So this video has some meaning to me. The lady singing has a beautiful voice plus it's a great song. I love this gal's outfit too--just makes for a gorgeous video.

  • @trevdowson263
    @trevdowson263 12 лет назад +1

    i saw this line up of span in redcar cotham bowl in 1983, if i had one wish in life it would be to to go back to that night to relive it. the best band i ever saw live and a fantastic set, they were really on form. great crowd of people watching who all seemed to know the songs and loved a dance with maddy. do you remember? clare, manny, si, johnny, gord. love to you all

  • @MySerpentine
    @MySerpentine 4 года назад +4

    Long live the elves of old.

  • @RushHourSoul
    @RushHourSoul 13 лет назад +1

    Yes, fetch a Time Lord and a Tardis, some good ale and whatever the band was smoking...because I want to be transported back to that ancient, drafty, firelit castle and watch this live. My inner medieval/hippie/stoner self just had a massive geekgasm!

  • @Bekki369
    @Bekki369 4 года назад

    Love this. Thanks for postin. Would love to see more of this show...

  • @bettiemayhem9311
    @bettiemayhem9311 8 лет назад +8

    Maddy Prior has a voice of rapture!

  • @NotOrdinaryInGames
    @NotOrdinaryInGames 13 лет назад +3

    That's a lot of elves!

  • @Hotelechomike
    @Hotelechomike 15 лет назад

    I saw the original two BBC TV series with Steeleye Span in the eraly 70s..... In 18 days we'll be at the last night of their Winter 2009 tour. Looking forward to that :)

  • @cerimccoy
    @cerimccoy 9 лет назад +4

    "In every nook he made a cross and all about the room
    And off flew many a frightened elf back to his forest gloom
    Some flew to the east, some flew to the west, some flew to the north away
    And some flew down the deep ravine and there forever stay"

  • @klauswhitedreamer
    @klauswhitedreamer 11 лет назад +1

    beautiful ...

  • @stylophobia
    @stylophobia 16 лет назад

    Excellent-Health and Safety would throw a fit nowadays about that big fire right on the dancefloor...

  • @akasataw
    @akasataw 3 года назад +2

    love

  • @tcoudi
    @tcoudi 13 лет назад +1

    i found this band only recently ,thanks to jethro tull and i felt instantly in love with mady´s voice.

    • @sarahcowan9661
      @sarahcowan9661 5 лет назад

      Jethro tull ,wow, Mady's Prior ,you must be very young 😉

  • @kathen58
    @kathen58 14 лет назад +1

    saw them last fall in chicago and for my money, maddy sounded just fine!

  • @aadrockt1957
    @aadrockt1957 9 лет назад +2

    great song

  • @SpirAn1971
    @SpirAn1971 15 лет назад

    Best video I've seen in ages.

  • @GladmanNow
    @GladmanNow 12 лет назад +2

    Those elves still know how to stir things up...

  • @stylophobia
    @stylophobia 15 лет назад +1

    Apparently this was part of a whole BBC series where Steeleye played at historic houses...wish they`d re-show the whole lot, if the tapes are still extant !

  • @soundman2002x
    @soundman2002x 15 лет назад

    what a nice clean video from 74 wow

  • @MatthewMcVeagh
    @MatthewMcVeagh 11 лет назад +1

    Love the tune and how they've arranged it, and love the lyrics and subject of the song... when I first heard this I sympathised with the farmer, being attacked by the 'foul and grim' elves... then when I listened more closely and read the lyrics I realised they only attacked him cos he chopped down their wood... they were defending their living space! What do you expect? The story may have been told from the point of view of the farmer but it's an environmentalist song without knowing it!

  • @pjotr60dvd
    @pjotr60dvd 13 лет назад +1

    @TurtleDude1959 Can't choose between Maddy and Sandy, very different voices, I am really fond of both. Sandy's death is a great loss...

  • @ToujoursLAmour
    @ToujoursLAmour 14 лет назад +2

    I want the guitarist's exact setup. Such a mean tone!

  • @MartinK303
    @MartinK303 9 лет назад +8

    Seven Hundred Elves come out the wood? they have annuled our agreement!! Unpack the swords, we're going to war!

    • @redcardinalist
      @redcardinalist 9 лет назад +2

      MartinK303 Seven Hundred Old Age Elves going by the audience. Who says time doesn't pass in the Faerie realm ;)

  • @karmicrevolutionary
    @karmicrevolutionary 13 лет назад

    absolutely spell-binding!!

  • @Drwhofanindatardis
    @Drwhofanindatardis 13 лет назад

    I've heard them play this song live too!

  • @Hopfolk
    @Hopfolk 12 лет назад +2

    Tune, and somme of the lyrics are from the standard "John Barleycorn"

  • @shaynegryn
    @shaynegryn 14 лет назад +1

    @snugglehound To set the low bar so bands didn't have to try so hard to compete?

  • @Lambieschmoo
    @Lambieschmoo 12 лет назад +1

    Lovely

  • @Beelzebubbbbles
    @Beelzebubbbbles 11 лет назад +1

    I wasn't dissing prog. I couldn't, I'm a huge fan of King Crimson, Tull, and much of the stuff released between '68 and '77. All I was doing was pointing out that punk, at least in the UK, was in some ways a response to that, for want of a better word, elite scene. Prog was time, equipment, money intensive - Punk was D.I.Y. And that was something it shared with folk and trad - you could play music anywhere, anytime.
    I love prog.

  • @oneoldcrowbone
    @oneoldcrowbone 12 лет назад

    Punk and prog and folk exist as certainly as sand and glass and foliage. I'm here for tha Steeelyspan. Jolly smashing growing op in thet era.

  • @elsyepetrie
    @elsyepetrie 11 лет назад +3

    I swear my rabbit was dancing..

  • @gringopig
    @gringopig 14 лет назад

    That guitar break starting at 2:50 was inadvisable. OW!

  • @cuzinkevin
    @cuzinkevin 16 лет назад

    Great stuff

  • @paulpayton8238
    @paulpayton8238 8 лет назад +2

    love it paul payton England x x

  • @cozzy7492
    @cozzy7492 5 лет назад

    I like how elves have changed over time from something to be feared to something that helps Santa make toys

  • @Johnkevinlowry
    @Johnkevinlowry 16 лет назад

    I love this song - we play it

  • @2rslvl126
    @2rslvl126 9 лет назад +20

    The Lord, if that is him sitting there chewing gum, looks absolutely underwhelmed.

    • @chrishill6276
      @chrishill6276 5 лет назад

      Nathan Kitteh yeah damned snot. Gov gen of oz. pommy shithead

    • @gardensofthegods
      @gardensofthegods 5 лет назад +2

      Can you not tell the guy is chewing his dinner like everybody else... he probably felt embarrassed that the camera was on him while chewing .

  • @elsyepetrie
    @elsyepetrie 12 лет назад +2

    Wonderrful as always eh? guy's?

  • @GreenManalishiUSA
    @GreenManalishiUSA 12 лет назад

    Respectfully differ. Generations from now, most of what is called folk music will be forgotten by all but a handful of traditionalists and archivists, a minority within a minority. But teenagers around the world will still be bopping up and down to I Wanna Be Sedated. Punk is the original folk.

  • @limesquared
    @limesquared 10 лет назад +3

    Ohhhhhhhhh............: )

  • @WAWELDRAGON
    @WAWELDRAGON 14 лет назад

    Maddy looks nice here a
    nd the sound is just like the record

  • @Xithinar
    @Xithinar 15 лет назад +1

    Anyone got the version of Edwin from this show?

  • @Songheld14
    @Songheld14 15 лет назад +2

    mnemonyxx - only one question: Have you got more of that?
    It´s so great to see them from the 1970s! :-)

  • @xtenkfarpl
    @xtenkfarpl 12 лет назад

    Generations from now, Punk will just be another variety of "folk", which happened to flourish for a while in the late 20th century.
    A few songs from each genre may survive.

  • @Beelzebubbbbles
    @Beelzebubbbbles 11 лет назад

    I can't see that happening, and I'll explain why. Folk music, and traditional music, of every country tends to have real, clearly identifiable roots. I'll speak of Irish folk, as it's the folk/trad I know best. Right across the country, in every small village, in every town and city, you will hear today tunes that have been passed down generation to generation, century on century. Themes are reworked in later tunes, and new instruments added as they arrive.
    But the tune is the tune. That's folk

  • @hooroojackson
    @hooroojackson 14 лет назад

    Lord Dellile threw some party that night

  • @smatty1
    @smatty1 16 лет назад

    Hell yes!

  • @welshman131049
    @welshman131049 12 лет назад +1

    Does anyone know if this great concert is available on DVD ?

  • @gregc2467
    @gregc2467 2 года назад

    [Chorus]
    Seven hundred elves from out the wood
    Foul and grim they were
    Down to the farmer's house they went
    His meat and drink to share
    There was a farmer in the west and there he chose his ground
    He thought to spend the winter there and brought his hawk and hound
    He brought with him both hound and cock alone he begged to stay
    And all the deer that roamed the wood had cause to rue the day
    He felled the oak, he felled the birch, the beech nor poplar spared
    And much was grieved the sullen elves at what the stranger dared
    He hewed him baulks and he hewed him beams with eager toil and haste
    Then up and spake the woodland elves: "Who's come our wood to waste?"
    [Chorus]
    Up and spake the biggest elf and grimly rolled his eyes:
    "We'll march upon the farmer's house and hold on him assize
    He's knocking down both wood and bower, he shows us great distain
    We'll make him rue the day he was born and taste of shame and pain."
    [Chorus]
    All the elves from out the wood began to dance and spring
    And marched towards the farmer's house their lengthy tails to swing
    The farmer from his window looked and quickly crossed his breast
    "Oh woe is me," the farmer cried, "The elves will be my guests."
    In every nook he made a cross and all about the room
    And off flew many a frightened elf back to his forest gloom
    Some flew to the east, some flew to the west, some flew to the north away
    And some flew down the deep ravine and there forever stay
    [Chorus]

    • @clangersspace2679
      @clangersspace2679 6 месяцев назад

      Mein Gott, how the hell did she remember all these words, and many other lyrics too?

  • @rogerferns5511
    @rogerferns5511 7 лет назад +2

    i luv maddy...

  • @clangersspace2679
    @clangersspace2679 6 месяцев назад

    If this is a different episode to the only one that got shared here, it would be one of life's great mysteries and tragedies that you didn't share the rest.
    Poor old Bob, he may indeed have been stoned, but he had eye problems, which may be all that's going on there.
    It's a huge crime BBC don't even repeat these 2 series, or put 'em on ye olde DVD.....

  • @elsyepetrie
    @elsyepetrie 11 лет назад

    yes they are fine. Always will be. They are Sasquatches. Whoa is me the farmer cried, the Elves will be my guest. So cool.

  • @reidspeed77
    @reidspeed77 Год назад

    00.24 the lord is proper zooming......he should be ,those elves have got his number....🧚‍♂️....

  • @LowenKM
    @LowenKM 12 лет назад

    I like Sandy Denny, but she & Maddy Prior each did pretty different material. While Prior's earthy accent & siren contralto were perfect on electrified stuff like "700 Elves" or "Black Jack Davey", Denny's sweet & soulful soprano was ideal for dark songs like "Blackwaterside" & "Who Knows Where the Time Goes." Would swapping singers on any of those songs have worked as well? And naturally the "dying early" part (well over 30 years ago) always adds to that mystique, even with much less material.

  • @FunnyLittleChap
    @FunnyLittleChap 13 лет назад

    @dickhalloran Yes, it was a great party which the years haven't served to cloud over in my memory.

  • @KeithDec25
    @KeithDec25 9 лет назад +4

    Steeleye Span has become a favorite of mine Wish I knew about them sooner Anyway was there a translation shift? Were these irate goblins as opposed to elves? Usually in folklore elves are mischievous not malicious...But who knows I would not want my neighborhood chopped down and altered either...

    • @1999throwback
      @1999throwback 7 лет назад +3

      To quote Terry Pratchett:
      "Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
      Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
      Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
      Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
      Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
      Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
      The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
      No one ever said elves are nice.
      Elves are bad."

    • @KeithDec25
      @KeithDec25 7 лет назад +1

      Tok3n You may be correct and I thank you for Pratchett's verse...In line 6 there is a big jump from "terrific" to "terror" because that is not what I was taught/read about...For example, THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES...The term "elfin" does not evoke terror like "goblin" or as Shakespeare said "goblin damned"...There was an article on Hollywood actresses about Audrey Hepburn, Leslie Caron, etc who were described as elfin... Leprechauns, gnomes, goblins and trolls were the bad ones...
      However as I stated I would not want my neighborhood destroyed by a thoughtless human thing that wants to despoil the forest for fun and/or profit...

    • @1999throwback
      @1999throwback 7 лет назад +5

      To be honest I just saw the opportunity to quote a bit of Pratchett. The word and concept of and Elf has been around for thousands of years. They used to be considered far more malevolent, however over time - through retelling in folklore and then in fairy stories and the like - our perception changed and softened. This happens with lots of things like this. Look at the changing meaning/concept of fairies. Terry Pratchett loved the history of folklore and researched it meticulously for the discworld books. Just one of the reason that they are so awesome and how he was able to make all the fictional races he wrote about so culturally rich and real.

    • @KeithDec25
      @KeithDec25 7 лет назад +1

      Tok3n "Everything comes to he who waits"...It has been, at least 2 years, but thank you for answering my query and I will check Pratchett out...

    • @JuniperBoy
      @JuniperBoy 5 лет назад +1

      Erlkönig. Not a nice guy.

  • @planetrockford
    @planetrockford 13 лет назад

    Lord DeLyle didn't look fussed.

  • @thnidu
    @thnidu 12 лет назад +1

    Not THAT kind of elves! We're not talking about Legolas here; these are critters ye don't want to mess with, no way, no how!

  • @JelMain
    @JelMain 12 лет назад

    Another voice in the same tinbre was Mike Oldfiield's sister Sally

  • @ksjoyjespeace
    @ksjoyjespeace 13 лет назад

    excellent Bass guitar !! Rick Kemp ?

  • @quartzhyalos1068
    @quartzhyalos1068 5 лет назад

    Elves? I crush them, devour them!
    That's what his eyes say.

  • @elsyepetrie
    @elsyepetrie 11 лет назад

    You would be surprised.

  • @LedSledJoe
    @LedSledJoe 9 лет назад +5

    I'd like to mention that this could be more connotative than a farmer simply defending himself from elves. The farmer uses christianity as a means to cleanse the realm of ancient, pagan and tribalistic beliefs that still lingered and predominated thought up until the modern era.

    • @billsdubious
      @billsdubious 4 года назад

      Fortunately they never quite succeeded in “cleansing the realm” of its older traditions. Gawd.

  • @planetrockford
    @planetrockford 13 лет назад

    @SnugglySara I wonder if she has broadband?

  • @Thijs-Kuiken
    @Thijs-Kuiken 13 лет назад

    @SnugglySara gay with these people singing about elves and all.. means something different ;-)
    and now for something completely different; this somehow reminds me of another band.. Spinal Tap.

  • @guitarmogul762
    @guitarmogul762 Год назад

    Lord De L'Isle doesn't seem as stoned as Bob Johnson . .

  • @julie223783
    @julie223783 13 лет назад

    cool..

  • @moragization
    @moragization 13 лет назад

    IF I WERE AS STONED AS HIM I'D BE SEEING SEVEN HUNDRED ELVES

  • @tabhorian
    @tabhorian 13 лет назад

    @atfatw Sez you. What sort of scale of perfection are you using to determine that? I use the 'regular nice person with strong inner light shining through to express real beauty' scale. I suppose if you are going to you the 'Only sweet young things are beautiful' scale, then you might try broadening it a lot to something less objectifying and materialistic. In that way you might find beauty in yourself too, which is decidedly lacking in your response.

  • @theonlyjoker1
    @theonlyjoker1 12 лет назад

    @sillybabybunnies
    They were unemployed for a long time but eventually got jobs working on lord of the rings :)