TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I was looking at the most played songs on my iPod the other day and realised that there are three Fairport songs up towards the top which rarely, if ever, get played live, and which don't seem to get mentioned on people's Cropredy or tour 'wish lists'.

So, is it just me who likes She's like the Swallow, Sailing Boat and The Islands?  Have they ever been played live - I certainly don't remember them from the album tours?

Are there other unfashionable or forgotten songs other people would like to see revived?  I must admit I'd like to hear the current line-up's take on Wizard of the Worldly Game some time too.

Over to you....

Sailing Boat was in the set for quite a few years after the album's release.
But I don't think I've ever heard She's Like The Swallow and The Islands played live. I agree, to me they are also among the better songs in the recent repertoire, especially the last two.

Sailing Boat used to get played quite a lot about 10 years ago when the WKWTTG album came out. I like that one too.

For me though it would be The Wounded Whale, a staple of the Maart years and always spectacular & moving at Cropredy. Probably not possible with the current instrumental line up. Perhaps a Maart guest spot at Cropredy '07?

Spanish Main would make a welcome return as far as I'm concerned as would Restless from Rising for the Moon. Now that Simon has tackled Polly on the Shore how about some other songs which Trevor Lucas did originally?

Jackdaw

Have seen most of the Wintours since 1990 and don't remember hearing Swallow. Not to say its not been played though. Certainly remember Sailing Boat and I'm sure I've heard Islands live but can't be 100% sure. If I did it would have probably been on the JITC tour in '95.

These three songs (Sailing Boat, Swallow and Islands) are amongst my favourites too.  

Sailing boat was performed either when Anna Ryder was support, '98 or '99 (our first time at a winter tour) or the year Simon had his leg in plaster.  It might even have been both.

I've never seen Swallow performed live and I'm not sure about The Islands.  I have a vague idea that the latter is a McTell song.

The Islands is definitely a Ralph song. Thats why I think it suits Simon so well.

Any sightings of The Wishfulness Waltz recently? I know it's a bit fey, but I likes it.

Agreed - one which Bex and I sing, but we'd love to hear it done live by the band. Others which we'd like to see/hear again: Claudy Banks, Walk Awhile, Sloth, River Ash, Lord Marlborough, Rosie, Althea, Eynsham Poacher, Adieu, Adieu, Reynard, Set Me Up, Honour and Praise... the list could be endless!

DC

Agreed - would love to hear this live.

Others we'd like to hear include: Althea, Reynard, Marlborough, Claudy, Ginnie, Rosemary's Sister, Eynsham Poacher, Adieu, Adieu, Card Song, Honour and Praise, Set Me Up, Rosie, Slipjigs & Reels, the list goes on...

DC

Sorry about the repetition - the system told me my original post had timed out, so I did it again! Interesting to compare the lists...

DC

And may well be by the end of this thread! Quite a few of those still pop up live fairly regularly, at least at Cropredy but I'm with you on Honour & Praise, a forgotten favourite.

I would like to see/hear more of the stuff from Bonny Bunch of Roses and Tippler's Tales. They are all most all trad songs with a lot of harmony and fiddle/mandolin duos, which I think that the current lineup could do well.

You'll hear something from Tipplers Tales this Wintour  :)

I'd love to see 'em do "Bring 'em Down" and "Jack O'Orion"!

In actual fact, I'd like to see 'em do Tippler's Tales from start to finish. Fantastic album!

I saw Fairport at Cambridge. What I meant tio say was something from BBOR and TT other than Widow of Westmoorland's Daughter

Oh what it is to have such a back catalogue to choose from...  Dark Eyed Molly and Travelling by Steam are a couple more I've thought of that I'd love to hear live.

I'd like to see Honour and Praise back in, Wounded Whale (please bring Maart back!!) and The Card Song/Shuffle the Pack (this may have been featured recently, short term memory starting to go.

 ;)

Another one to throw into the mix would be from ONBB - There Once Was Love - but with the full band not just acoustic set up.

Jackdaw

A tune rather than a song but how about "Bridge Over the River Ash"? Simon's viola part is always something special and we would now have 3 fiddles instead of 2! (Provided Gerry is happy to play the bass part in the Mattacks/Rowlands style of course...)

I'd like to hear 'Summer before the war' - a great song of recent vintage (if 19 years ago is recent!!)

Adam

Tune: the "Tail Toddle" medley (a la Fairport Live Convention)
Song: Poor Will & the Jolly Hangman - I'm sure the current line-up could more than do it justice.

"John The Gun". If I remember correctly - I'm at work atm -the Full House lineup did that one at the warm-up gig at The Half Moon -81. RT on lead vocals at that occasion but I'm sure Simon will sing it superbly.It's one of my all-time Sandy/Fairport favourites.
There must be some more....?? ;) I'll be back when I've given this topic a bit more thought.
Staffan

Feels like a long time since I heard Sloth played live. Let's hope for a Thompson/Donahue special at Cropredy.

Simon plays a mean Sloth on the electric too...how about letting him and Maart in on the act?  That's at least 30 mins of the set sorted then  :D

I didn´t have to think for long. Of course, an obvious choice.
Staffan

i.e. Sir B Mackenzie (brain back in gear)

I always thought GOLD from WKWTTG was nice.  Lyrics & story are kind of......blah, but the music's really pretty.  I guess the band might feel the same way.  I learned how the play it, but the lyrics.......I just couldn't sing them!

How about OPEN THE DOOR, HOMER (RICHARD, whoever)?  That was a fun little cover that disappeared pretty quickly (I think)!

Lord Marlborough needs an airing or Bring 'Em Down and Possibly Parsons Green.

Bit late to this discussion, but 'Head in a Sack' (from GL) came up on my iPod this morning and I thought what a great little pop song, which I don't think I've ever heard live (having been 2 or 3 at the time of the album tour !)


I reckon Kylie should have a go at it.

I wrote the same about one year ago. I share the opinion: Wizard is a beautoful song.

cheers

paolo

Pedant's corner! Surely Gold is from Five Seasons? I agree. Good song though.



Good call! It did get played live when I first started going to see the band regularly in the late 80s/early 90s. How about Sock In It too?

Errr.....!  You're correct, however........right album, wrong song!  :-[  I was actually thinking about the GOLDEN GLOVE.

Oh, the humanity!  :-[

"limeys lament" deserves an outing,i wonder if it was ever played live?

Limey's lament was played at Cropredy 1977 (per the excellent expletive delighted website). Setlist looks tasty!

Royal Seleccion No. 13
Adieu Adieu
Hexhamshire Lass
Run Johnny Run
Flowers Of The Forest
The Hen's March Through The Midden / Four Poster Bed
Limey's Lament
When I Get To The Border
Jams O'Donnells Jigs
Me With You
The Bonny Bunch Of Roses
Brilliancy Medley / Cherokee Shuffle
Sir Patrick Spens
General Taylor
Sir B. McKenzie's

Sloth would be good, as would "Bring 'Em Down".
I think "Traveling by Steam" has been played lately, during the tour promoting "OtNH" I believe.  I remember seeing them at the Birchmere in the DC area and they opened with it.

John the Gun, ya...

Head In A Sack* and Sock In It are, for me, two of the worst outings ever displayed under a Fairport name - and I speak as someone who would love to hear Limey's Lament delivered by Phill Jupitus at Cropredy. Travelling By Steam - similarly dreadful, thank the lord they dropped it as an opening number. Bring 'Em Down is possibly the best extant example of a brilliant title attached to a terrible song. Gold's terrible too. And their version of Home Is Where The Heart Is has to be heard to be believed. On the other hand, resurrect anything from Tippler's Tales, or Gladys' Leap*, and I'll be at the bar working out some sort of repayment scheme so I can buy the band, crew, audience and staff a drink sooner than you could say "Ric Sanders' echo pedal"      

*obviously, apart from that. Or My Feet Are Set for Dancing.  

Wow...you hate a lot of my very favorite songs. What do you like?!?!

Probably a wild stab in the dark, but my money's on Tippler's and most of Gladys'   :)

Well I would just love to hear "Breakfast in Mayfair".

Simon doesn't wite many songs, but when he does they are brilliant. I'd love them to do all of Babbacombe Lee.

Perhaps more realistically, Watt Tyler.

Paul

You took the words out of my mouth!

I'm not mad about "Travelling By Steam" either though. The Huw & Tony Williams original is preferable and I have to agree about "Home Is Where The Heart Is". I have never figured out how it is possible to do such a poor and lifeless version of such a great song.

Bird from Mountain with Peggy singing. Please!

and London River. Good crowd singalong.  :)

I'd like the current lineup to do more stuff from pre Liege and Lief Fairport. Stuff like Percy's Song from Unhalfbricking. I know that it's one of Peggy's favourites, even though he didn't play on the original.  ;D And it would be great to see Simon playing his dulcimer, I love Flowers of The Forest from Full House

Of the 'unfashionable' or 'forgotten' songs? Off the top of me 'ead, Slipjigs and Reels, A Cup of Tea etc, How Many Times, Claudy Banks and Cajun Woman spring to mind, thanks for asking.  :)  

One tune I would like them to revive is "Sigh Beg Sigh Mor" which is a beautiful tune and gives great scope for solos. It was a regular on the setlist in the late 80s but don't think has featured since and I reckon the current line-up could give it a fresh take

I would desperately like to hear live

Nottamun Town

Sloth - with a theremin psykadelik twist! lol

and the wounded whale (WW) - have they only played that at about three/four crops,

the WW for me is a real tear jerker, me and my freind carly rarely listen to it because of the tingles!! simons low beginning wow!

Innstuck, Shattering Life Experience, Men, Frozen Man, Lalla Rookh, Here's to Tom Paine, Dangerous.

Yeah.. more stuf from ONBB. I'd like a seperate Fairport Acoustic set at Cropredy one year. Maybe even a FAC studio album... they haven't recorded since ONBB and they very rarely come around my neck of the woods (East Anglia)  

As it goes, I had my first hearing of ONBB just today....interesting to hear some material that was new to me for the very first time.

Seriously overdue - seconded!

BONNY BLACK HARE...

Oh yes please....  ;D ;D

Agreed. He should certainly write more but when I've seen him asked he always declines saying there are others much better than he out there. Shame  :(



Thirded (again) but unfortunately unlikely due to Swarbs medical history. And unlike other Swarb songs, I don't think anyone else could sing this album.

I'm sure they could. How about a guest for each song - and I don't see why Chris and Simon couldn't handle a lot of it.

Simon & Peggy need persuading too....they think it's Swarb's job. Unfortunately.

So what's the diff between that and WKWTTG? Sandy isn't around any more and neither is Swarbs singing voice. Sorry, but them's the facts.

Maybe someone needs to ask Swarb to have a quiet word (if he wants them to sing it, that is).

On one level Andy there's no difference. WKWTTG has been sung by a number of different artists, as has Rosie and other songs from the FC archives. BL is however (IMO) a different matter. For one thing it’s a complete album, not a single song and its so closely associated with Swarb (and his voice). Unless they tried to sing it exactly as Swarb did which would be difficult/nigh on impossible, other vocalists would understandably put their own interpretation on it and that would make it a different album.

For some that might be OK and fair play to them. For me it wouldn't. BL was my introduction the Fairport and to hear anyone sing it other than Swarb wouldn't work for me. Sorry but impossible though it is, its still Swarb's job for me.

I'll second that viewpoint...

And I'll third it.

Swarb does hope to be able to sing again one day, so 'impossible' might be a little pessimistic on this one.

Jules

I'd love to see The Doctor of Physick in the set again- it was great at Croppers in 2002 and I reckon the current line-up could make a good job of it.

Since there are rumours of a new fourth vocalist perhaps Flowers of the Forest, as a couple of people suggested earlier in the thread.

Although I know some Tullites didn't like it, I also really like Fairport's version of Life's a Long Song on Who Knows Where the Time Goes.

. . .which is precisely what would make it interesting and exciting. If you want to hear the album, just put it on your CD player.

In the summer we are going to hear Liege and Lief played live with a different singer. It will be different not just because of that but because in the intervening years, the musicians have absorbed influences and gained experience. It will sound different from the album, and for me that's the whole point of hearing it live.

But each to their own, eh?

If Simon's ambition that Fairport contunes on well beyond the participation of founder members, then at some point someone has to sing Swarbs parts or the songs can never be perfomed again.

Chris Leslie does a reasonable job of the Hexamshire Lass after all.

And they'll have to sing Simons parts as well and Chris's. And we'll probably sit around saying "nobody can sing that song like Simon/Chris/Swarb/Sandy"  ;) :P Just look at the debate on who folks prefer as a Sandy alternative.

As for PLWs point about hearing it live I couldn't agree more. I've said more than once that hearing a song played live is the best way and usually adds quite a bit to my enjoyment.

But just because Swarb can't sing now doesn't mean that I have to accept that BL sung by Chris/Simon/others is OK. If the first time I ever hear it live (I wish) its sung by any other than Swarb then it will lose a great deal in my eyes. Thats not to say it won't be good, it probably will be and I could well enjoy it (hope so) but it won't be the same.

As PLW rightly says each to their own, and thank god for that.  8)

To change (regain?) the subject - Ginnie??

Good call Anna, haven't heard that in ages. Lovely song

Has he been quoted on that anywhere? Because the last I heard, his tracheotomy prevents him from doing that, very sad that it is. I hope you are correct, however.

There were very positive comments made re Swarb's singing in the future last Friday at the Lazarus gig.. indeed he WAS (almost) singing along on one song. a joy to hear!!

 :) :) :)

I hope so, too. But the last I heard (from, as they say, a source close to him) this may well not come to pass.

Ooh... close to the stars eh... how exciting ! You can't imagine how impressed I am  ::)

Ermmm....  Portmeirion with Ian Anderson (as on XXXV)

What's the one on Red & Gold where his missus just died and he's off to the pub to drown his sorrows?

Dark Eyed Molly.

I do like the happy ones don't I! ::)

Actually, Flowers of the Forest is a 3-part harmony, so the current line up could do it. Just with Chris replacing Swarb

GREAT!!!

Jules

Yeah, he told me so himself about 3 months ago.  He said it may take a long time for his cords to heal sufficiently but it is possible and he is determined to sing again.

Jules

Fab, then I'd love to hear it - I'd always assumed it was four parts as it was done with four singers (Simon, Richard, Peggy and Chris in 2002) but hadn't listened to the lines that closely. One of my favourite Fairport tunes.

What rumours??!! I haven't heard any?? Can somebody please fill me in? ???  ;D

I think he's talking about the drummer singing.