TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

 :-\

Maybe it's just me, but I get really frustrated with seeing the same-old names re-appearing at Cropredy each year. This is what I've come to call "Richard Digance Syndrome"  ;)

But seriously though, for years now it seems the only bands to play the 'big-gig' are tjose who are in some way pals with Fairport. Does anyone else get this feeling?

Chris While & Julie Matthews for example - apart from not being that keen on them myself, if they're not at Cropredy as "Chris While & Julie Matthews" - they disguise themselves as "Blue Tapestry" and get in that way!

I have'nt added this to the various 2006/2007/2087 polls as I think I'm making a different point. But I would like to see NEW, fresh, young bands given a chance. Not least myself one day I suppose, when I'm in a band WORTHY of treading the cropredy boards  ::) But I'm not talking about 8yr old girls here either... Tiny Tin Lady, very talented for their age I guess but not really cropredy standard by a long shot. They do well for the novelty value of them being very small and young. If they were 30 years old playing/singing as they do they wouldn't get the gig.

There's also the question of fundemental groups that should have appeared at Cropredy and haven't. The Levellers? Kate Rusby? Flogging Molly? Wolfstone? and why have the Saw Doctors never been asked back? My word - they were good!

And finally, to put an end to my rant - JAMES TAYLOR. Expensive I'm sure, but maybe worth considering as a treat for 2007 40th anniversary???  ;D

Rant over. Sorry folks. And no offence meant to anyone elses taste or the bands mentioned either - just my opinion!

Well, it is  Fairport's party.

Difficlt one this  - new, young usually mean not Cropredy standard, because they haven't (obviously) had the years of experience....examples please of who you are thinking about?

Bear in mind that I wouldn't describe Kate Rusby as either 'young' or 'new' any longer.


We've explored the Levellers before - check out that thread elsewhere - and several times explored everyone's taste in music is different - Personally, Kate Rusby isn't one of mine, for example.


Expense & unavailability (he's resident in the States & as the festival has never paid airfares, he needs to be in the UK in August.....

Indeed, I know all the above is true. Just to point out, I didn't describe Kate Rusby as Young or New, but as a "fundemental" group - experienced, popular (and not just in the usual folk-circles).

It is also Fairports party as Anna pointed out but equally, they think of it as everyones party!  ;D

And finally re. James Taylor - I know that cost is the issue, as I said, perhaps it would be worth the Fairports treating themnselves (and us!) for the 40th anniversary. I'm sure that at least 3/5 of the fairports said in their Cropredy program biogs this year that they'd most like to see James Taylor on stage at Cropredy??? GO ON LADS, TREAT Y'SELVES!  :D

The one thing I missed this year was the appearance of at least one high-profile "surprise" guest in the Fairport set. You know, when Ian Anderson or Robert Plant makes an unscheduled appearance. It always used to be a great game - guessing who might "turn up" this year.

^^^^^^^^^^^
True!

(Seperate story - I remember one year on Thursday morning pitching up my tent, hearing James Taylor playing on stage - I jumped up! shouting to my missus and everyone else about "James Taylor's playing! He's gonna be a special surprise guest!"... I ran to the field - only to find the sound guys using a JT CD for sound check  :()

Wolfstone have played in the past.  Based on when I saw them a couple of years back, they now use so many backing tapes, you might as well put on a CD.

It's a very good point you are making, though.  I'm sure that the powers that be in the Fairport camp will take the comments into consideration.

I know what you mean, the musical lineup is rarely to my taste these days, but then I no longer go to Cropredy for the music alone - its become an institution for me!

Much as I would love to see JT perform (and I know Peggy would love to see him headline a night at Crop too), Chris' points as to why they haven't managed to book him sound pretty convincing to me. There are plenty of great musicians out there who may be more attainable though -

John Renbourne
Bert Jansch
Dick Gaughan
Christy Moore
Peatbog Faeries
Tom Robinson

Just to name a few.....

I take it that Edwina Hayes & Uiscedwr don't count as new & fresh then!  ;)

I know where you're coming from on this though, and it would be great to see certain artists who really should have already graced the Cropredy stage along with some of the newer emerging talent - Any band that includes Boden & Spiers for example.  ;D

Cheers
Dunc

I don't disagree with any of you! Nice to know some of you share my frustrations though in some way or another.

I also agree about Cropredy being more than just the music! I'd go regardless of who was playing! (Well, almost)

Wolfstone - what a great band they WERE. Not sure they'd be any good these dyas for the reasons stated above. They should have been at Cropredy though in their hayday... 1996-ish!

Errrr....they've been on the circuit for some years now....hardly emerging talent.


Again....Errrrr....please check before posting! They played Cropredy as new, emerging talent *before* their heyday, in 1992.

Expletive Delighted (http://www.fcfansite.fsnet.co.uk/) is always a good place to check who's played Cropredy.

Oh good. I was beginning to think that they had been a 6x-fuelled figment of my imagination.

Alright then, how about a re-emerging Clarion? Get them back on! They might have done the circuit once but they're still young enough to do it again and reach a completely fresh audience.  :D

Gawd help us... This is a chat website not a PhD doctorate... "Please check before posting" indeed!!! Why?? This site can encompass sagacity, insight and polymathic understanding but it can also encompass enthusiasm, ignorance, mistakes, honest opinion. Lighten up buddy, boy... this ain't a school room!

Bad day at the office, JoD?


Good idea....but two of them aren't interested, I understand. Maybe Triv can work wonders.....

Dick Gaughan, Bert Jansch et al are all great performers, but based on seeing Carthy/Swarbrick, RT acoustic etc at Cropredy in the past, it is very difficult to enjoy a solo(ish) acoustic performance, especially as the evening wears on and the crowd is er a little rowdier and noisier.

Canada Day with Spirit of the West, Great Big Sea, The Fables, The Bills, The Paperboys etc would be great...

hows aboot a big round of applause for the star of canada day, mr Neil Young and crazy horse, guys and gals
  that would be nice on a friday night wouldnt it

I'm not sure if I should argue or agree with you, 'cos I don't understand all those long words you used.

Great Big Sea are really lively and would be excellent for Friday, and Tanglefoot (have they been mentioned already)

Sian

It's not likely to happen, but it would be nice!

After seeing and enjoying greatly Uiscedwr this year, almost a couple of years after they won the Radio 2 Young Folk awards -
I thought maybe that would be a nice tradition to start - to invite - not the current year's winners (they get a Cambridge slot as part of the prize I think) - but to have one (or maybe even 2!) of the Young Folk award winners - or finalists - from two or three years earlier -
it would be something new and young (and folky!) to look forward to each year, confident that they would be tiptop musicians -
and if they were still playing together two years after their Awards, development would maybe make them interesting too.

A great idea.....seconded! ;)
johnnysaint

The Waterboys...

Jack Johnson!

Cheaper than James Taylor I would think?.. and far better IMO.

there was this tousle-haired American bloke on telly last night... writes a mean song, not the greatest voice, good on the ole geetar & mouth truss, I reckon he'd go down well at Croppers. Bob someone?

What JOD said.  The Waterboys headlining Friday night would be a dream come true...

Joe Jackson
John Wesley Harding
Jonathan Richman
Annie Lennox
Alvin Lee
Groundhogs

...to name but a few.

Well I like it that the musicians often play as though they are amongst friends: you never know who Maart is going to appear with next; and even if you've seen someone on tour not long before, a Cropredy set is always something special and has an extra spark.

Among my personal 'gaps' are John Tamms and Linda Thompson, or are there 'chemistry' reasons why they've never(not that I can remember, >:(  but haven't got time to check the archives) appeared?
 
- PS: I too remember the James Taylor rumour year,
...hey ho, just have to make do with  ???- who are those blokes who throw a party on the stage on Saturday night? ???      ;D

Tams has appeared with The Home Service, although his own band would be great there.

Linda Thompson's voice is shot to hell by dysphonia, tragically.

Would like to see LT my self, never having had the privelige.  She sounded brilliant on Fashionably Late or was that due to studio "tinkering"  Just listening to Whapweasel on the acoustic stage.net and would like to see them as well, sounds like that could be a good bop  :D

They'd do it if asked, so long as we could get a baby-sitter for Clare and my 3 kids and Fred's impending Fredlet(te?) - an interesting thought...maybe we could sort out a creche on-stage...

If you're gonna have Canada day you gotta have Garnett Rogers & Gordon Lightfoot.

Me and my mate Antony
I only posted that to get to 400 posts!
 ;D [;-)



Edit: We'd better moderate it then quick! Get you back down to 399 posts  ;) Nick

If it's fresh and exciting talent you're after look no further...

Songs from the Blue House!!!

Mic

Fresh exciting and interesting, Wolverhampton based band........The Dreaming Tree.  Check 'em out.  www.thedreamingtree.co.uk (thinks) Demo cd sent to Peggy.

Regarding LT-she sounded very good on a bootleg of her performing in America last year which I bought at the carboot sale at Cropredy. It sounded like a small club but the voice was as good as ever.

Well one word "CAVE" listen to the music on their web site www.cavetheband.co.uk and i'll think you'll agree with me??

JD

If you're gonna have Canada Day you gotta have Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and the McGarrigle Sisters. And the Rankins.

& Natalie McMaster (???) fiddler/dancer; Daniel Lanois; La Bottine Souriante.

barenaked ladies, anyone?

I'll second Tanglefoot, and my bloke will third them, and my cats will fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh them.

Just got back from seeing Christine Collister at High Wycombe.

The campaign starts here to get Christine on the line-up for Cropredy 06!

Go on. She's great! You know it makes sense.  [;-)  {:-)

Cheers

Nick

According to her online diary http://www.christinecollister.com/homeframe02.htm (http://www.christinecollister.com/homeframe02.htm) she ahas asked to perform  :)

I'd definitely put a vote her way!....yes please, Simon, long overdue! Or even get Daphne's Flight to reconvene!

btw - I notice Christine refers to David Hughs in her diary!....

We chatted with her in the interval. She said she'd love to play.

We'd love her to play too!

Cheers

Nick

A good interpreter of words if not a speller of them.  ;D

from what she said it sounded promising anyway...? But! Oh yes PLEASE Christine for Cropredy!!!!! I'll even lend her my tiara  {:-)  ;D.

Fi

Mooncoin?
They're good.. and they have whistles...
Yes, I'm obsessed. I know.