Tonight's the Night...Live

Tonight's the Night...Live
Live album by Steeleye Span
Released 1992
Recorded 1991
Genre Electric folk
Label Shanachie
Steeleye Span chronology
Tempted and Tried
(1989)		 Tonight's the Night...Live
(1992)		 Time
(1996)

Tonight's the Night...Live is the second live album by English electric folk band Steeleye Span.

During the 1980s, Steeleye went through a creative lull, releasing only 3 albums. However, by 1991, the band had begun to be creatively revitalized, thanks to the arrival of a new bassist, Tim Harries, and new drummer, Liam Genockey. Harries was significantly younger than the other members of the band and the arrival of both he and Genockey generally shook things up, their presence helping their bandmates find a renewed interest in what had become essentially an occasional side-activity. Steeleye found a fresh perspective on the material they had been performing for some time, and this is amply evident on 'Tonight', an album that balances the band's rock and folk perspectives. Genockey's drumming is generally enthusiastic and quite a change from Nigel Pegrum's traditional rock-style drumming.

The album includes new versions of several pieces from earlier albums. "Fighting for Strangers", one of the classic tracks off Rocket Cottage was given a new haunting percussion arrangement, and "White Man", from Back in Line was given a more cheerful guitar line. The album also included versions of "Cam Ye O'er Frae France" and their signature piece, "All Around My Hat", that reflected the way the band had been performing those songs for some time. Padstow is a faithful rendition of the song from Tempted and Tried. The cover of The Weaver and the Factory Maid is particularly effective. With a thrumming bass line, clicking percussion and repetitive violin and guitar lines, the song conveys the sense of a factory full of power looms.

The other half of the album is new pieces. The most experimental is "Tam Lin", Fairport Convention's signature tune. To find a new approach to the well-known folk song, Knight drew off the fact that the Tam Lin story is known in Bulgarian folk-lore, and wove together three Bulgarian tunes to create a quiet, haunting sound quite unlike Fairport's version. More vigorous are "Tonight's the Night" and "The Gentleman Soldier". "Ten Long Years" was a nod to the band's frequent a capella pieces.

Track listing

  1. Tonight's the Night
  2. Ca the Ewes
  3. Gentleman Soldier
  4. Tam Lin
  5. Padstow
  6. Fighting for Strangers
  7. White Man
  8. The Weaver
  9. Ten Long Years
  10. Dawn of the Day
  11. Cam Ye
  12. All Around My Hat

Personnel

Steeleye Span
Maddy Prior • Peter Knight • Rick Kemp • Liam Genockey • Pete Zorn
Ken Nicol • Tim Hart • Bob Johnson • Nigel Pegrum • Ashley Hutchings • Martin Carthy • Tim Harries • Terry Woods • Gay Woods • John Kirkpatrick • Chris Staines • Terl Bryant • Michael Gregory • Mark Williamson
Studio albums
Hark! The Village Wait (1970) • Please to See the King (1971) • Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (1971) • Below the Salt (1972) • Parcel of Rogues (1973) • Now We Are Six (1974) • Commoner's Crown (1975) • All Around My Hat (1975) • Rocket Cottage (1976) • Storm Force Ten (1977) • Sails of Silver (1980) • Back in Line (1986) • Tempted and Tried (1989) • Time (1996) • Horkstow Grange (1998) • Bedlam Born (2000) • Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span (2002) • They Called Her Babylon (2004) • Winter (2004) • Bloody Men (2006) • Cogs, Wheels & Lovers (2009)
Live albums
Live at Last (1978) • Tonight's the Night...Live (1992) • The Collection: Steeleye Span in Concert (1994) • The Journey (1999) • Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert (2006)  • Live at a Distance (2009)
Singles
"Rave On/ Reels/ Female Drummer" (1971) • "Jigs and Reels" (1972) • "John Barleycorn / Bride's Favourite/Tansey's Fancy" (1972) • "Gaudete / The Holly and The Ivy" (1972) • "The Mooncoin Jig" (1974) • "New York Girls/ Two Magicians" (1975) • "All Around My Hat/ Black Jack Davy" (1975) • "Rave On/ False Knight On The Road" (1976) • "Hard Times of England/ Cadgwith Anthem" (1976) • "London/ Sligo Maid" (1976) • "Fighting For Strangers/ The Mooncoin Jig" (1976) • "The Boar's Head Carol/ Gaudete / Some Rival" (1977) • "Rag Doll/ Saucy Sailor" (1978) • "Sails of Silver/ Senior Service" (1980) • "Gone To America/ Let Her Go Down" (1981) • "Somewhere In London/ Lanercost" (1985) • "Padstow / First House in Connaught/ Sailor's Bonnet" (1989) • "Following Me/ Two Butchers" (1989) • "The Fox/ Jack Hall" (1990)  • "Lord Elgin/Lord Elgin (live)" (2006)
DVDs
Classic Rock Legends (2002) • A Twentieth Anniversary Celebration (2003) • The 35th Anniversary World Tour 2004 (2005)
Related articles
Book:Steeleye Span · Category:Steeleye Span · Portal:Music