TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

This may have been commented on before and I missed it, but looking at the Expletive Delighted website today, I noticed that Fairport's current line-up is now the longest-lasting!

(An honour previously held by Pegg-Nicol-Sanders-Allcock-Mattacks)

Congratulations chaps!

I loved this bit "On 26 July 1992, Ric Sanders damaged his arm in an accident and Chris Leslie deputised for him at a number of dates [including one only three days after the accident]. Due to his other commitments he could not perform with FC on a couple of dates and Dave Swarbrick then stood in)"

Dave Swarbrick then stood in! Some blimming deputy!!

I went to one of those gigs (Chris's not Swarb's) in a marquee in Gosport. It was possibly the best I have ever seen Fairport outside of Cropredy. They played with a real energy that night.

The first gig I ever attended was at Oxford on the following tour, when a load of the doctors and nurses were at the gig.

At that point I didn't really know the history of the band, so was a bit bemused by all the comments about some guy called Chris deputising for Ric.

I first saw FC in 1991 with Maart and DM. I next saw them in 2003 and hadn't been following them at all in the intervening years, so was somewhat taken aback to see a new drummer and some hippy with long hair and a mando where Maart should have been with his electric  >:(

Needless to say I love the current line-up now  :) Chris has brought a totally new dimension to the band and Gerry is a superb drummer.

 :) :)

It all depends who was in the band when you first saw them. My FC was the Tippler's Tales line-up. I felt rather miffed when this odd guitarist came on and owned the stage as if he was some kind of founder-member. Who did this Richard Thompson bloke think he was anyway??

Off topic, but that made me think of one night at the Mill warmups in 1992. There was this tall, longhaired -tie-dye t-shirted- ageing hippie like guy, actually in the box office behind the girl who sold the tickets (I think I had mine reserved and had to pick it up there). Me thinking, ah, I have spotted by first Cropredy person, a tie-dyed ageing hippie. More to come!
Then an hour or two later he came on stage, 'twas Robert Plant, duh. Of course it was him, it just had not connected with me whatsoever at the box office.

Wow, the current FC is the longest running ever? And still Chris and Gerry are the new boys. Well, to some even Ric is a new boy still  ::)
How weird is it that the line up which most caught everyone's attention, the Liege & Lief one, was only together for, what, 3 months or so? That's the timespan Dave Swarbrick and Ashley Hutchings had together in one band. Still forever linked.

I guess the slightly sad conclusion of that is that it's what you do with your time that matters.... those 3 magnificent albums in one calendar year ('69) is just something that could never happen these days.  And that is sad....

Ric must be the 3rd longest serving member, I guess.... Dave Pegg, then Simon, then Ric.  Ain't life weird....

I love this lineup - and agree with Bridgwit (no, doesn't always happen!) about what Chris has brought to the band. He writes such lovely, lyrical songs and has a sweet voice that I could listen to for hours.
The first time I saw Fairport was back in the 1970s but I haven't a clue who was in the lineup then, I just knew I liked their music!
I think their longevity is down to a willingness to explore and experiment. And not dying, of course.

I first saw FC at the Royal Festival Hall in (I think) 1968. The group had Martin on drums so it was pre accident. All I can remember were 2 songs, the first was Suzanne (which is one of my 2 favourite songs from the 60s - the other is Waterloo Sunset) and the second song was Reno Nevada. The bass line seemed to roll up and over the audience, pure magic, I have never forgotten it. The BBC sessions CDs have rekindled the memories of that time. Apart from me (and Simon) was anyone else there?

I still prefer the Alcock/Mattacks line up though.

Although Chris has undoubtedly brought the song-wringing chops, the energy has been lost.

Rather oddly, I had my first FC album in around '75, but saw my fairporters in this order:

Peggy with Tull in around 1980 (Hammersmith);
Ric with Fred Theolonius Baker (the Fred Baker Trio? possibly) in around 1981 (Sheffield)
Dave Mattocks with RT in around 1985 (Worksop)

I didn't get to see one of my all time musical heroes Simon until seeing the first Chris Leslie tour, which was in around 96?
Seen FC at least once a year ever since.  

Thanks chaps. [;-)

I'm afraid I have to agree; and I say 'afraid' because Fairport was (by far) my favourite live act.

Well, it's a different kind of energy, isn't it? 23 years ago, when Ric and Maart were first in the band the live shows were like firework displays. Ric used to go blurred. BUT that was 23 years ago and they were in their early thirties.

The current band has invested a lot of its energy into songwriting, exploring different approaches, and genuinely progressing, musically. As well as reinterpreting (rather than aping) old material. And no, they don't bounce around the stage like dervishes. But there is still a creative energy and musical curiosity pulsing through the band.

Much better that, surely, than trying to replicate what they were doing 23 years ago (which one band tried to do at Cropredy) and looking faintly ridiculous in the process?

Errr ... wot's that mean then?  ???

He moved a lot on stage.

Moving soooo fast...
Wht was the description?  Practicing advanced aerobics while playing the violin...

Ta ... back to the regularly scheduled discussion ...  :)

I saw them at the Roundhouse doing things from Liege & Lief so I suppose it was around 1969/70.  I don't remember who was playing with them then but I do remember joining in although I'd never heard any of it before...

Some spectacular leaps off the drum podium. He just never stopped moving.

What?  :o  :o  :o  :o  :o

Perhaps that explains where all the energy has gone? ::)

My first Fairport gig was 1st June, 1979 at St George's Hall, Bradford, so the line-up would have been Simon, Swarb, Peggy and Bruce Rowland, I think, but can't be certain.
Just two months before the 'Farewell' Cropredy.

I first saw Maart play with Mike Harding's band, 1977 or'78.