TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

OK then folks, this is your chance to have your say. What Cropredy appearance really stands out for you? (From either your perspective as a performer or as an audience member ::) One act only please otherwise I'll have to grovel to Yabb for a poll)  ;)
 

Procul Harum does it for me, they played 2 or 3 years ago. I think it was the second croppers I had attended it was just magical. 8)

Wow...isn't it funny how tastes vary...that would have to be one of my least favourite over the last two and a bit decades I've been going.

To be honest, I'm not sure what 'best' means...I guess the one that stands in my mind most of all was Fairport in 1984 because it was my first experience of them at the festival.  But for best single performance I'd have to go for the 1993 Percy set within a set....  It's playing right now to remind me of just how much fun it was  :)

ps first person to nominate either the ISB or John Martyn is owed a pint by me...  ;D

Only 3 to choose from and of them 10cc sticks in my mind as the most enjoyable set (not very folk), and John Martyn (last year) as the most emotional (pint please). Yet to see something that has been all round perfect, but I'm holding out for RT this year...

Saw Docs '97

John Martyn obviously.

Other sets I personally hold in the highest regard:

Loudon Wainwright's hour on Saturday evening before Fairport. Francis Dunnery's set.

And I'll have to think about a couple of others...

Which one?  (That's which performance!).

Last summer, David. It's the only time I've seen him at Cropredy.

Sooo many to chose from...

Sorry Mikec can't pick just one...

Apart from FC..  10cc last year

E2 (Edward the Second)

Lindisfarne

Easy.  Plant with Fairport, 1991.  I measure these things by how many tingles I get down my spine.  This performance only generated a single tingle (hehe), but it lasted the whole set :D :D :D

Breaking all the rules here but....

Fairport 1997 (both nights)

Procol Harum (already mentioned)

RT wailing away on Put It There Pal in the rain in I think 1999

Oysterband 2004

It must have been quite some tingle, cos he didn't actually play in 91 did he?  :)

As a guest with Fairport, he played '86, '92 and '93...

Oops, yes, I meant '92 ::)

Fairport at Broughton Castle in 81 - Full House in fine form.

Fairport at Cropredy in 82 - Babbaombe Lee and Fairport Nine (alright .... I know they were different nights)

Ooohh lots... but here's a few the first time the Hamster's played Star Spangled in Hendrix fashion of course and that fab final set of the Albions Accousticity line up and Blue Taps gosh I could go on....

I've only been to Cropredy once (last year) so from last year's perfromances, I think that it's a choice between Feast of Fiddles and Steeleye Span (and of course FC) :)

Feast of Fiddles was indeed an excellent set. And, here I go, not least due to that bloody drummer!

Lonnie Donegan, without whom etc etc.....

 :)

If one discounts Fairport performances, then it would be Morris On in 2004 for me.

I really enjoyed Jez Lowe that year too, but for energy and fun, Ashley and friends have it.

I haven't been to many, but Glenn Tillbrook is only beaten into second place by Fairport playing with Richard Thompson in ?2005?

Unfortunately I did not see Robert Plant, so I cannot vote for that, but if I could I probably would from what I have heard of the recordings.

Otherwise its RT with Christine Collister in 2005 for all sorts of reasons as well as the music.

I must also nominate the Family Mahone for music and some of the best fun and company I have ever had whilst watching a band. ;D ;D ;D

Blue Tapestry still rate as the best act I've seen at Cropredy - They kicked bottom.  ;D

A close second was Maddy Prior & Friends performing 'Ravenchild' in its entirety.

Blue Tapestry was a one-off. A great set made greater by the crowd.

Great sound and great light show too.

And it made Procol Harum's job a lot harder afterwards.

Note: the man on the sound desk was by Stevie Brookfield (While and Matthews).
The lighting desk (off the cuff) was handled by Will Thomas (ex-Show Of Hands) who subsequently became technical stage manager at the Albert Hall.

The Saw Doctors were terrific. Even the police were dancing!

Show Of Hands were outstanding , closely followed by ColvinQuarmby.

Jules  :)

That Jethro Tull chap is always something of a treat  :)

All these apart, one set that I really remember was Jackie MacAuley & The Poormouth.  Really lit up the Saturday afternoon.  Bob Fox and Stu Luckley were pretty stunning, too.

Cropper is good innit . I agree with all the suggestions (apart from ISB of course!).

I've seen quite a few I could mention, but to pick just one really memorable performance I would vote for the Muffin Men.

Of the others, well, Tull obviously, Procul Harum, Eddie Reader, Graham Gouldman, RT twice (one wet, one dry ;D), Deborah Bonham band.

Glenn Tilbrook has been mentioned, but his solo performance at Cropredy didn't really grab me. Good, but not great. But I saw him with his band the Fluffers at Trowbridge and they were great. Quite wonderfull.

Sch-se! You beat me to it ;)
Staffan

I'll have to second that

I enjoyed Earl Okin and that David Hughes bloke was terrific

Lindisfarne was fabulous as were the Muffin Men - MM = very strong contenders

Morris On were also terrific but it does have to be John Martyn for me

Edward II and the Muffins are right up there, as is just about any JD appearance, but Robert Plant's set with the boys on the Friday night in '92 still does it for me.   Swarb last year was one of the most emotional.  And let's not forget the Ukelele Orchestra......

...and folks slag of banjos - I don't get it  ;D

Nice to see a new face, Magic Fingers  ;)

Slightly off the thread but the most bizarre was Wild Willy Barrett with a Russian(?) woman singing Boris to some bizarre music. I was even sober at the time!

Why thank you!  It's nice to be here.  :)

Lay me on a psychiatrists couch and ask me the first band that comes to my mind re-Cropredy .
It has to be --Country Joe McDonald .
Ok ,I  was`nt sober or a few flapjacks short of a load -but .
 I did my homework for that performance and it paid off .
Still reeling from the experience [;-)--Stonishing  .

An Oxfordshire field in the twenty first century singing against the war in Vietnam. Didn't really connect to it myself.

That was 96 and possibly the greatest guitar solo ever played. Or it might have been a bloody racket. It was a genius/madman moment, in a tempest.

Great, but no John Martyn  ;D

If time travel and teleportation  were available now ,they would have to make space for one more  (me)at Woodstock . I would be there  in that mud with my flapjacks and 6x ;D just to see  Country Joe avert a riot/disaster on a major scale just by shouting "GIMME AN F" to the hoardes.
Alas mummy and daddy wouldnt have let me go to Woodstock  as I was only 13  then .
So in anticipation of his Cropredy performance I tried to re -create in my mindset as close to how I thought it might have been in that muddy field on Yasgurs farm .
Its as near as I`m gonna get  :(

My thoughts exactly. Thanks for confirming the year. My, doesn't time fly!

Is it just me?..probably...

    Chris' and Julies sublime version of Joni's 'A case of you' with blue tapestry. I was on another planet :D

    runner up?  FC with RT and Robert plant, 'lemon song' We shall not go into the finer points of the lyrics ;)

Oh YES... Blue Tapestry...

 And Swarb's Lazarus..   ;D ;D

Oh well for some reason my post in this thread didnt post, so I shall just give you the shortened version.

Jethro Tull, 2004. My first Cropredy, one of my all-time fave bands.

Having only been to two Cropredys I don't have a huge amount to pick from. The best one I didn't see would have to be Mr Plant singing with FC :P

Of the ones I've seen, 10cc were brilliant, one of my favourite all-time bands, second time I'd seen them in only 32 years!. Family Mahone were good. I didn't enjoy John Martyn last year but I've since bought a few CDs and totally fallen in love with his music.

Mr Bridgwit says Glen Tilbrook is his favourite but what does he know  ::) He also loved the fact that Simon Nichol came on in a white suit! Made his weekend, that did!

Hi to everyone on my first post!
20 Cropredys and the consumption of too much alcohol makes remembering a bit difficult but standouts for me have been Poor Mouth, Saw Doctors,
Maddy and Ravenchild, and the Bootleg Beatles in the pouring rain, resulting in wandering around lost, looking for my tent.
And Fairport every year, particularly with RT and (a long version of) Sloth....

Hello Seaport Confusion

Welcome to TAW.  :)

20 Cropredys - I'm impressed!  8)

Thank you Bridgwit. You are absolutely right - Robert Plant was incredible and I am glad you've reminded me.
I should have also included Roy Harper and Loudon Wainwright.

Would have liked to have seen Bootleg Beatles at Cropredy in a jolly haze with friends. I met Mrs Keith when they cancelled a trip to our uni due to snow. We saw them twice since - but haven't for a long time.

Dunno about Haze... it absolutely threw it down when they played!

Very surreal singing Hey Jude while soaked to the skin.

Where was your big umbrella, Nick?

Haven't what?

Every year has its memorable moments but I agree with others that sets by Robert Plant and Jethro Tull were especially memorable and Swarb's most recent appearance was especially emotional.

I'm looking forward to seeing Jethro Tull again at the Wickham Festival in Hampshire just before this year's Cropredy and I'm sure Cropredy itself will have many more fine moments.

No you weren't and this was going to be my suggestion.

Wild Willy Barrett, utterly fantastic, bought a copy of Open Toed & Flapping from the car boot that year for about two quid, now there's value for money.

I remember the Bootlegs set, my fair lady partner of the time & I were hiding in our tent with a certain Mr J Daniels.  We could clearly hear the set through the rain, storming it was.

BORIS!

The Dubliners a few years back - brillant!!!

I was particularly taken by Filarfolket at my first Cropredy. And, a bit later, One Man and his dog and Wolfstone who I think were both on the Saturday afternoon

Fairport's set at the 30th. anniversary in 1997, on a roasting hot summer's evening. Also the "early years" Fairport the night before. Definetly the best for me!

I was reminded of another 1984 performance - this time by Adrian Legg....who was doing some frankly quite perverse and upsetting things to his acoustic, but making the most wonderful noise whilst doing so.  Quite extraordinary...

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fcfansite/cropredy-1984.htm

Anyone know if the Lang on the listing above is a mistake and is actually Adrian Legg?  I have memories of him playing in the afternoon which would make it Saturday, but hell, the memories are a little hazy!  I don't have my programme to hand unfortunately...

I have memories of outstanding performances from each of the Cropredys I have been too.  Each of the following bamnds have made me leap from my seat and dance or perhaps cry into my cider, or somehow moved me with their brilliance.

2000 Bob Fox
2001 Chris While & Julie Mathews
2002  the Oysterband
2003  Old Blind Dogs
2004  Family mahone/Morris on
2005  Richard Thompson
2006 ?

I have to pick one and it would have the The Oysterband.  One green hill, one green hill ,I still remember thinking who are these guys they are brilliant.  I have loved them ever since ;D

My favourite by a mile was the Full House line-up wiping the floor with everything as friday night headliners in 1985. No messy cast of thousands - just five brilliant musicians playing till their fingers caught fire.

Favourite non-CF Crop performance? Can't decide. There's the exciting GP's at Broughton Castle 1981, RT's Big Band in 1983, The Nerve (closest we ever came to a Fotheringay reunion - can't wait for the Jerry's Fotheringay 2 CD project).

Wow! I am SO envious. This was a couple of years before my first Cropredy and I would have given anything to be there - L&L and Full House is my absolute favourite FC period. Tell us more!





Tidied up the quotey thingy.  Carry on, don't mind me.!

I'd vote for Richard Thompson playing some tracks from 'Hand of Kindness' with Fairport at Cropredy 91. I just remember that those songs never sounded better. His headline set that year was OK but the band were kind of boring as I recall (despite the awesome R&S material), then the next night he came on with the chaps and everyone was so comfortable and confident.

Non-FC would have to be Robert Plant in 92/93 (can't remember when). I have this memory of Maart looking like he'd just been given the keys to the toyshop, playing all those great riffs at volume 11. Plant just the most astonishingly powerful performer.

John

Richard Thompson Band (classic line up) - 85? 86? sometime around then.

Fairport in the same years, the Saunders/Alcock line up was still 'new', and they stretched themselves on stage. What year was Iain Matthews? That was a great one.

for me I really dont know, IT so hard choice between:

Lenningrad Cowboys - fun

Saw doctors

Robert Plant - i was only five but do remember my dad reiterating how important that moment was!

super tramp (well as much of super tramp as 10CC had of 10CC)

ROY WOOD - one of the many years - i have always enjoyed it

MY Favourite croppers act (not including any rendition of FC) though is...

John Rowe - the storyteller circa 1997 a great rendition of 'old mossy coat'

John Rowe is an absolute diamond of a man who I have known for...ooh blimey...27 years - he used to drive a punk band I was in around in his van (as well as any other band that ever needed driving anywhere). He does stories for beer as well if you catch him off-duty! I find it hard to think of a festival that I ever went to when he wasn't there. Lives in Ipswich y'know, but born in the fair town of Braintree.  :)

My fave Croppers moments have to include:

Roy Wood (1998), my first Cropredy.
FC always pull ot the stops but 35th aniversary and 2005? with RT doing 'Im Down'
10cc
Lindisfarne.

And Iain Matthews (2000?) doing an acceppella version of 'Galway to Graceland' simply beautiful.

Non FC, Got to be Eddi Reader in 2002.  Heart in the gob motion moment for me (Didn't even realise that it had pissed down till she went off stage)

John Martyn without doubt for me - completely awesome, that and the Show of Hands when they played before Tull (I think).

Jackdaw

Difficult one....

RT in the sunshine ?
Muffin Men ?
Mark Gillespie, because I organised that and was soooooooo nervous ?
Or Robert Plant, because he was so sexy ?
Or Blue Tapestry ?

I really can´t take a decision  :-\ ???

Moistly Autumn, undoubtedly.

Or, in the real world,

Huw & Tony Williams

Other than FC (the "Farewell" set in 1979 & the "30 years" sets)

The Home Service - just awesome live.

Billy Connolly doing an impromptu set ("discreet massage" for cyclists' numb bits, indeed...)

Malcolm (?) in the L***a suit leading the "folk aerobics" session.

Neil Cutts, bless him, & his team at the bar - every year

Ralph McTell - for smiling to my sons during his rain-sodden set.

Well, apart from Fairport,
Jethro Tull and
years and years back, All About Eve

All About Eve (both times)
Loudon Wainwright
Steeleye Span (1989)
Show of Hands

I have extremely high expectations for 2007.......... ;D ;D

Adam

He is so good,
and has inspired me to take up story telling,

He ussually tells stories in one of the canteens at croppers (late at night for the inebriated)

For me it was  

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain 2005 who were (and still are) plucking amazing -  followed by a close second Morris On Band  in 2004.

I also think that the double bass player with King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys last year deserves a special mention for incredible moves and imaginative faces whilst still managing to play his double bass - kinda Tourette syndrome meets the rhythm section

For me it was Freeway Jam in 2002. There have certainly been others who were better but to be sitting in that field after so many false starts was simply fab.

It was my first Cropredy (yes I know I was late, sorry I did bring a note  ;)) and they were the first group on.

 

I can hone it down to one song. Robert Plant singing Girl From the North Country, with Fairport, 1992. Immortalised, thank God on the 25th Anniversary CD set. Every summer at some point, I sit in the garden and play it very loud. Takes me back every time.

Kathryn Tickell from some time back in the mid 90's, 95 or 96 somewhere around there.  It was scorching hot and there was just an incredible sound coming from the stage in the afternoon.  

Unfortunately the recollection is a little hazy.

Don't know about the single best but another that sprung to mind today was bits of Fairport singing Watford Gap with Roy Harper in '94(?). Great at the time.

A little new to all this, but it is growing on me, still had to be 10cc though

mmm, yes, they were good. Not my type of music. My Dad enjoyed it though. Welcome hornblower06.

For me I find it impossible to chose an absolute favorite performance, there have been so many highlights down the years.

In no particular order,
Beth Neilson Chapman, Edward II, Ralph McTell, Blue Tapestry, Uiscedwr, Roy Wood, Lonnie Donegan, Joe Brown, Roger Hodgson, Tickled Pink, RT, Glen Tilbrook, John Otway & Wild Willy Barratt, The SawDoctors, The Hamsters, Jethro Tull to name but a few.
 

Eddi Reader, 2002  ;)

Was that with David Hughes?  :)

 ;)

DM in 1997, the man hardly left the stage for 2 days

Hi there,

Thought this would be a good topic to post my first ever message in! Been lurking for ages but finally thought I should join the group...

Fave Cropredy moments for me: Bootleg Beatles in the rain, Leningrad Cowboys, Robert Plant, Family Mahone, Francis Dunnery, all the Fairport sets. (sorry if I've broken loads of rules in my first post by naming more than one.... )

Had some brilliant times in that field over the years. If I'm honest I can probably say some of the happiest moments I've ever had have been at Cropredy. Bet you're wondering why, exactly... Now that'd be telling  ;)

Anyway, Hi, I'm Dave.

Hello Dave and welcome to the board! Thanks for joining in ;D

Welcome Dave. I am sooooo jelous of you, seeing Robert Plant!! :o I hope he's there this year or at Peggy's 60th. I don't think that you have broken any rules, I named several when I posted in this thread. You will find that very often on most all threads, they will go off topic. For example, now I am COMPLETELY off topic. BACK on topic, 2006 was my first and was the best weekend of my life.  ;D ;D

Probably food-related.

Love, I bet  8)

Same thing, isn't it Anji?

Very similar, Pet, very similar  ;D ;D ;D  ::)

No. Food and love are totally different things.

Take it from me, I've been there.

I've had more hot dinners than you've had...

He said, as Man Utd go one down. Oh sorry, wrong thread.

Hm.

Shouldn't both make you feel warm and full and nourished and satisfied
with just the right balance of healthiness, comfort, and spice?  ::) ::)

 ;D

That is SO RIGHT Anji ;D Spot on, girl ::)

0 -2

Sounds like a bloody disaster at the San Siro.

Yes, my Midlothianness but it only takes one dodgy plate of seafood to leave you on all fours and wishing you hadn't done it.

 :o :o :o ;D ;D ;D

Well there is off topic and then there is Cocker. So let us know Cocker is this your single best Cropredy performance on all fours after a dodgy seafood platter or can Anji tell us of better performances dodgy or otherwise.

Reading note to self, so I don't fall off the breakfast table again:  That was DoDgy DoDgy....not doggy.  Phew.........

Trying not to laugh out loud.......................but I sound like muttley from the cartoon


perhaps that what he ment ::)

dont get too over excited ollie - i'm a big robert plant fan but have been disappointed in his live performances - once i got over the omigodthatsrobertplantupthere!

Thought I'd better clarify, even though this thread does now seem more entertaining with all the fascinating info and anecdotes about dogging (er, I have got the right end of the stick, haven't I?  ;))

The happy moments in the field I mentioned all tend to involve being with friends and having a few laughs. Oh and quite a lot of ale and doughnuts. So PLW was the closest...