TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

In the Guardian this morning, (Review section), one page article by Joe Boyd about Fairport, next weekend's Barbican concert, and also about the Incredible String Band. Not sure about the quality of his actual writing but the article has a good overview of the historical context of the music of that late 60's period. Swarb, Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny and Jude are all mentioned, with all the others of course.

The article can be read here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/11/fairport-convention-boyd

I can't tell whether it's been very harshly edited or is just incredibly 'bitty' but it doesn't read very well to me.  

Another factor was Music From Big Pink, the Band's debut LP which had just been released

Am I missing something here?

It was said somewhere that when FC heard that album they stopped doing what they were doing and dived into English Folk.

Always seemed a slightly odd occurrence to me, but then. I dunno, I wasn't there ;D

I always understood it to be partly the organic nature of the music, which was completely unlike what anyone else was doing, and partly The Band's (incredibly successful) attempt to make music that connected with their roots but was also contemporary.

From an old interview (93/94?):
Dave Mattacks:.....We'd heard the first band album, and we were all very struck with the sound, a rumour filtered through that they got that really full bottom end sound by rodling the top off. That's why there is no top at all on L&L, and that's why everything is - I wouldn't say dull sounding - just there's no top end.......

Joe Boyd: This was as dominated conceptually by "Big Pink" as it was by the deaths of Martin Lamble and Jeannie the Taylor, or the desire to invent a true English folk-rock. The lengths we went to to replicate the snare sound of Levon Helm!

I think, basically, that although the music was very different, "Big Pink" influenced Fairport in going back to the music of their national roots, the same as the Band went back to the roots music of North America in that classic album.
The Band was one of the bands that I never got to see, and now really wished I had. Sadly, 2 of their original members are now dead, (bassist Rick Danko and keyboards Richard Manuel) but ex-drummer Levon Helm has just released a new album "Electriv Dirt", (he must be in his 70's now)- very positivly reviewed in latest "Uncut" magazine, as Richard Thompson's re-issued "Walking on a Wire".

Levon's new album is a real pleasure. His vocals aren't as strong as they used to be, but he's damned authentic.

If anyone here hasn't heard "Dirt Farmer," you should. Thank me later.

Only heard clips of Electric Dirt but it brings back fond memories of his 2008 MerleFest set..but you're right, Dirt Farmer is a peach  ;)

"Levon Helm: The Making of Electric Dirt"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDCGCtloQ4

Nice one !  ;)

  Bloomin' marvellous. I'm going to buy 'Electric dirt' right now!

  (Can we get him to Cropredy, please, powers that be?....)