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''Tempted and Tried'' is the 13th studio album by
British folk rock British folk rock is a form of folk rock which developed in the United Kingdom from the mid 1960s, and was at its most significant in the 1970s. Though the merging of folk and rock music came from several sources, it is widely regarded that the ...
band
Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...
. The album was recorded after a three-year hiatus after the release of ''
Back in Line The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
''. After releasing ten albums in fairly rapid succession during the 1970s, the band entered something of a creative dry spell, with 'Tempted' being only their 3rd album in 10 years. The album cover proclaims the album a "20th Anniversary Celebration", and the band was clearly eager to commemorate their anniversary, since strictly speaking the band had only been rehearsing in 1969, and didn't record until 1970. Long-time bassist
Rick Kemp Frederick Stanley 'Rick' Kemp (born 15 November 1941) is an English bass player, guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the British folk rock band Steeleye Span. Projects In the 1960s, he shot to prom ...
had left the band a few years earlier, due to a repetitive-motion shoulder injury that left him unable to play bass without pain. On tours, the band had rotated a variety of bassists in to replace him, but it was decided that in advance of the new album and a tour that the band needed a permanent bassist.
Nigel Pegrum Nigel John Pegrum (born 22 January 1949) is a music producer and former drummer, most known for playing on many albums by Steeleye Span. Biography Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of the Small Faces, then with Lee Grant And The ...
turned to a friend of his,
Tim Harries Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, an ...
, a self-taught bassist and classically trained pianist, who agreed to join. Harries brought the band some much-needed young blood, and ''Tempted and Tried'' proved a return to the band's 70s approach. Their previous two albums had relied heavily on songs written by the band and relatively little on traditional songs. But ''Tempted and Tried'' features mostly traditional songs arranged by the band, with only three new songs, all written by Peter Knight, and one of these, "Seagull", about the old game of Shove-penny, has a strong traditional feel to it. The only piece that feels strongly non-traditional is "Following Me", a song about a woman being stalked by a stranger who terrifies her. Highlights of the album include the vigorous " Jack Hall", the traditional ballad "The Two Butchers" and "The Fox", a short piece celebrating the cunning of a fox being hunted. In general, the album has a bright, confident feel to it, particularly "Padstow", which features a marvelous five-part harmony bridge. The album's title presumably refers to the fact that the band has become well-seasoned by 20 years of performing; it seems to be a line from the hymn "Farther Along". The cover features the head of a fox, in reference to the song. The album is dedicated to all those who supported the band over the previous 20 years. Shortly after the album was released, Pegrum chose to emigrate to Australia for relationship reasons, and the band brought in
Liam Genockey Liam Genockey (born 12 August 1948) is an Irish musician, who is the drummer with British folk rock band Steeleye Span. Biography Genockey was born in Dublin, Ireland. During the 1960s he lived in Plymouth, Devon, U.K, playing in local semi ...
to replace him as the drummer. Consequently, although Genocky does not appear on the album, he was the drummer for the band's 20th Anniversary Tour and appeared on the video of the tour. The album was well-received, particularly in comparison to its two predecessors, although few consider it up to the high standards of the band's heyday. However, perhaps because of the infusion of new blood and perhaps because of the excitement of the anniversary, the album marks the beginning of a slow resurgence for the band. Over the next several years, the band members recommitted themselves to playing together and began exploring traditional material in new ways. Their real revival would still be a few years off, however. "Following Me/ The Two Butchers" was released as a single on "
Dover Records Dover Records was a British record label that was formed about 1989. One of the recordings was a celebration of Arsenal winning the 1989 League Division One with "We're Back (Where We Belong)" single. Recordings on the Dover label released com ...
". However, it had a serial number "FLUT 4" which showed that it had originally been on the Flutterby label.


Track listing

US Track listing (Shanachie): #" Jack Hall" ( Bob Johnson, Traditional) – 3:57 #" Two Butchers" (Johnson, Traditional) – 4:49 #"Padstow" (Traditional) – 3:03 #"Reels: The First House in Connaught/Sailor's Bonnet" – 2:48 #" Betsy Bell and Mary Gray" (Child 201) – 4:59 #"Shaking of the Sheets" (Johnson, Traditional) – 4:11 #"Searching for Lambs" – 4:12 #"Seagull" ( Peter Knight) – 4:32 #"
The Cruel Mother "The Cruel Mother" (a.k.a. "The Greenwood Side" or "Greenwood Sidey") () is a murder ballad originating in England that has since become popular throughout the wider English-speaking world. According to Roud and Bishop :''Widely collected in Bri ...
" – 5:36 #"Following Me" (Knight) – 3:38 #"The Fox" (Knight) – 3:02 UK track listing (Chrysalis): #"Padstow" (Traditional) – 3:03 #"The Fox" (Knight) – 3:02 #" Two Butchers" (Johnson, Traditional) – 4:49 #"Following Me" (Knight) – 3:38 #"Seagull" ( Peter Knight) – 4:32 #"
The Cruel Mother "The Cruel Mother" (a.k.a. "The Greenwood Side" or "Greenwood Sidey") () is a murder ballad originating in England that has since become popular throughout the wider English-speaking world. According to Roud and Bishop :''Widely collected in Bri ...
" – 5:36 #" Jack Hall" ( Bob Johnson, Traditional) – 3:57 #"Searching for Lambs" – 4:12 #"Shaking of the Sheets" (Johnson, Traditional) – 4:11 #"Reels: The First House in Connaught/Sailor's Bonnet" – 2:48 #" Betsy Bell and Mary Gray" (Child 201) – 4:59


Personnel

;Steeleye Span *
Maddy Prior Madeleine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the p ...
- vocals * Bob Johnson - vocals,
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
*
Tim Harries Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, an ...
- vocals,
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
* Peter Knight - vocals,
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
,
mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
*
Nigel Pegrum Nigel John Pegrum (born 22 January 1949) is a music producer and former drummer, most known for playing on many albums by Steeleye Span. Biography Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of the Small Faces, then with Lee Grant And The ...
-
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
;Guest musician *
Martin Ditcham Martin Ditcham is an English drummer/percussionist and songwriter. Ditcham is a prolific session musician, working with artists such as Henry Cow, Status Quo, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey, Sade, Mary Black, Nik Kershaw, Chris ...
-
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...


References

{{Authority control 1989 albums Chrysalis Records albums Steeleye Span albums