Hark! The Village Wait

Hark! The Village Wait is the debut album by the British folk rock band Steeleye Span, first released in 1970. It is the only album to feature the original lineup of the band as they broke up and reformed with an altered membership immediately after its release, without ever having performed live. Therefore, it is one of only two Steeleye Span studio albums to feature two female vocalists (Maddy Prior and Gay Woods), the other being Time (1996). A similar sound was apparent years later when Prior teamed up with June Tabor to form Silly Sisters. Overall, the album's sound is essentially folk music with rock drumming and bass guitar added to some of the songs. The banjo features prominently on several tracks, including "Blackleg Miner", "Lowlands of Holland" and "One Night as I Lay on My Bed".

Hark! The Village Wait
Studio album by Steeleye Span
Released	June 1970
Recorded	March 1970 Sound Techniques, London
Genre	British folk rock
Length	38:55
Label	RCA, United Artists, Mooncrest, Chrysalis
Producer	Sandy Roberton and Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span chronology
Hark! The Village Wait (1970) Please to See the King (1971)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

The album's title refers not to the act of waiting, but to a wait, a small body of wind instrumentalists employed by a town at public charge from Tudor times until the early 19th century. A village, however, would likely be too small to employ such a troupe, so the wait referred to here was most probably the later Christmas Waits, as mentioned in the novels of Thomas Hardy.

Over the years, the band has returned to the material on this album several times. On their second album, Please to See the King, they offered a new version of "The Blacksmith". A new live version of "Blackleg Miner" appeared on Back in Line, and they offered a third variation on Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span. On Time they reprised "Twa Corbies". "Copshawholme Fair" had two years earlier been recorded by Prior and Tim Hart on their album Folk Songs of Olde England Vol. 2. Copshaw Holm, otherwise known as Newcastleton, has been the site of a folk festival since 1970. Maddy Prior has lived nearby, just over the border in Cumbria, at 'Stones Barn' for several years.

Among the other songs on the album are the a cappella "A Calling-On Song" (the first of many a cappella pieces the band recorded), "The Hills of Greenmore" and "Dark-Eyed Sailor". The version of "Lowlands of Holland" here uses variant lyrics from the most common version of the song.

The album was originally issued in the UK on RCA, with the cover shown (above right). It was not issued in the US at that time. The cover for the reissue was changed to a sepia-toned image of 'The Leather Bottle', a pub in Cobham; it was issued on UK Chrysalis (and made its debut in the US on US Chrysalis) in 1975.

Track listing

All songs traditional, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Personnel	Length
1.	"A Calling-On Song"	Ashley Hutchings; based on the tune of the Earsdon Sword Dance Song (Roud 610)[1]	Personnel: Maddy Prior — vocals Tim Hart — vocals Gay Woods — vocals Terry Woods — vocals	1:13
2.	"The Blacksmith"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: Prior — lead vocals G. Woods — backing vocals T. Woods — mandola Hart — electric guitar Ashley Hutchings — bass guitar Gerry Conway — drums uncredited — harmonium	3:41
3.	"Fisherman's Wife"	Ewan MacColl	Personnel: G. Woods — lead vocals, autoharp Prior — backing vocals T. Woods — mandola Hart — 5-string banjo Hutchings — bass guitar Conway — drums	3:12
4.	"Blackleg Miner"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: Hart — lead vocals, electric guitar Prior — backing vocals T. Woods — backing vocals, 5-string banjo, guitar Hutchings — bass guitar Dave Mattacks — drums	2:46
5.	"Dark-Eyed Sailor"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: G. Woods — lead vocals, concertina Prior — backing vocals T. Woods — electric guitar Hart — electric dulcimer Hutchings — bass guitar Conway — drums	5:59
6.	"Copshawholme Fair"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: Prior — lead vocals Hart — electric dulcimer T. Woods — concertina, mandolin G. Woods — bodhrán Hutchings — bass guitar Conway — drums Gay and Maddy — step dancing	2:35

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Personnel	Length
7.	"All Things Are Quite Silent"	Collected by Vaughan Williams	Personnel: Prior — lead vocals G. Woods — backing vocals T. Woods — electric guitar Hart — electric guitar Hutchings — bass guitar Conway — drums	2:38
8.	"The Hills of Greenmore"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: T. Woods — lead vocals, electric guitar G. Woods — concertina Hart — electric guitar Hutchings — bass guitar Conway — drums	4:02
9.	"My Johnny Was a Shoemaker"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: G. Woods — vocals Prior — vocals	1:11
10.	"Lowlands of Holland"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: G. Woods — lead vocals T. Woods — electric guitar Hart — fiddle Prior — 5-string banjo Hutchings — bass guitar Mattacks — drums	6:00
11.	"Twa Corbies"	Traditional, arranged by Steeleye Span	Personnel: Prior — vocals G. Woods — vocals Hart — vocals, harmonium T. Woods — electric guitar Hutchings — bass guitar Mattacks — drums	2:06
12.	"One Night as I Lay on My Bed"	Transcription by Henry Edward Denison Hammond	Personnel: Prior — lead vocals G. Woods — backing vocals T. Woods — 5-string banjo Hart — electric dulcimer Hutchings — bass guitar Mattacks — drums	3:29
Total length:				38:55

Personnel

• Maddy Prior - vocals, 5-string banjo
• Tim Hart - vocals, electric guitar, electric dulcimer, fiddle, 5-string banjo, harmonium
• Ashley Hutchings - bass guitar
• Terry Woods - vocals, electric guitar, concertina, mandola, 5-string banjo, mandolin
• Gay Woods - vocals, concertina, autoharp, bodhran

Guest musicians

• Gerry Conway - drums (tracks 2-3, 5-8)
• Dave Mattacks - drums (tracks 4, 10-12)

References

1. https://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/acallingonsong.html