TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Just wondering whether, as well as "The Festival Bell", the chaps have any other new material and whether a new album is being planned...

I wouldn't be surprised if "Ukulele Central" shows up on an album before long.

Please, no.

beat me to it Leslie.
its a nice enough diversion live, but i think id be hitting the skip button when its on, as it surely will be on, the next cd

I'm pretty certain there was a time when they didn't need 'nice enough diversions' live.  I may be wrong though....

Bridge on the River Ash, Cherwell etc???  

bridge was a quality item which allowed Fc to demonstrate their abilities as a string quartet, uke cen isnt in that league

Maybe they don't need a new album yet. The best ones come in spates, which suggests more time between them would be better for quality. They could even be like Blue Nile and only bring out one exceptional album every 8 years  :)

Or get some really good songwriters and an independent producer to make a corking album in about a year.

Keith, you know they will knock out and album every 3 or 4 years and ive been advocating the latter course for years now, a bit of "outside" quality control would go a long way

I regard Uke Cent as belonging to the same genre as Angel Delight really.Not a classic like WKWTTG or Matty  but a pleasant enough tune every now and then.
If the boys could come up with something like the Blue Niles' Hats (Fezzes?) album, well that would be something..
Now where are my kippers and cider...?

Quite right Jim, what they need is a producer who'll tell them when a song is c**p and make them either find or write a better one  8)

Cheers Nigel
   

I love their work on the late quartets of Schubert  ;)

I vote for Rick Rubin - he worked wonders for Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond.

The trouble is, an external producer would cost money and I suspect that the economics of recording a new Fairport album these days just don't allow for that. Having said that, Chris Thomas did an excellent job on the new Stackridge album. They must operate with a similarly limited fan base so maybe he could do something for Fairport.

Rick Rubin is busy with CSN isn't he? Looking forward to hearing the results of that!

Adrian Sherwood?  FC in a dub stylee...

I had an R Zydeco LP produced by the Mad Professor - with a couple of really "out-there" dubs on it.

Does Joe Boyd still produce?  I wonder what a 21st century pairing of FC and JB would sound like?  

Interesting.

How about Simon Emmerson?

 i could live with that

Nah, Mr Emmerson is known for throwing big programmed beats and world music into the mix. Whilst this works well for Village, Afros and Hands, it would not work with Fairport.

They need an independent producer that will insist on drawing in strong traditional material and delivering it with a rock beat and guitar riffs; minimise dated, gated reverb effects (I'm a poet); encourage the best musical quality possible from the current line-up; deal more carefully with key structure and pairing of songs/tunes; strive for a more 'live' feel to studio recordings.

Listen to Steeleye's fairly recent recording of Bonny Black Hare and you'll see what can be achieved!

Without somebody bringing solid traditional sources to the table, this is not likely to work either...!

Stu Hanna from Megson has done a fine job on the new Show of Hands album.
Well I think so.
Not that I know bugger all about producing, but it sounds good. Fairport have gone a bit Foster and Allen recently.

Why?

Fairport with Boyd worked so well because band members were drawing upon the influence of traditional melodies and ancient ballads. This only currently happens in the odd Leslie-penned number or when the band choose to 're-visit' their back catalogue for release on new studio albums.

Oh, and also the combination of rhythm and lead guitar plus fiddle is far more conducive to producing a rock album....

Ummm Joe also worked with Fairport before they incorporated any traditional music, and I wouldn't have thought he had any influence on what kind of music they decided to play. That would always be a band decision, not a producers decision.

At least that's what I would have thought.. :-\

But I might well be wrong....

I would suggest that would be one of any decent producer's first jobs. Without knowing the ins and outs of the band politics at the time, Joe Boyd's story of being asked to come down to hear this new song FC had been working on and then deciding it should go on the album led to the appearance of A Sailor's Life on record. Admittedly there are likely to be as many versions of this story as there are protagonists, but that's one take on it. I've also read that one member's recollection of Joe Boyd's producing style was to get on with reading the paper and occasionally nod when asked if something was okay, which doesn't sound like it would necessarily significantly up the quality control on the current band's output. I was very sceptical when I heard that RT's Mock Tudor was going to be produced by a couple of guys who'd worked with Beck, but it proved (IMO) to be a high water mark in his output, so maybe the idea of a leftfield outside influence is a good one. Whether that would be worth the time, effort and expense in the opinion of the band is another matter altogether. I'm guessing they're pretty sure by now what their average sale is going to be, can calculate the margin and then subtract the cost of a 'name' producer versus a likely increase in sales as a result of that collaboration, and then get on the phone to Woodworm again. It's an interesting moot point though, that there should be discussion around whether an outside producer would shake them up a bit rather than where they're going to get some new songs. Although I've got one if they need it.    [;-)

In terms of production the last few (i.e. CL-era) FC albums all sound wonderful, so this may not be an area in which an independent pair of ears is needed. However, if it is a producer's role to discuss the choice of material recorded (and sometimes it can be), then it would be interesting to have another opinion on board for the next album. Joe Boyd is probably not the answer - all parties having moved on since then in several ways.

There must be a great temptation to give the fans what they want.

I was listening to Phil Cool's Maria this morning - the one about Bob Dylan playing stuff the fans didn't like  "and they called him Judas".

Perhaps they should take a couple of months off and listen to something completely different and then come back and write a new album.  Maybe a producer from a completely different genre would kick start a new era.

The problem is whatever the next album, I will buy it.  That can't be much of an incentive to change.

The Imagined Village isn't like that at all. And he produced that.

You could be right, Jude. But then what do I know? I'm only a producer.

Yes folks, producers DO have a definite responsibility for the quality of the musical output of a band. In fact this is usually far more important than technical aspects, in that a good recording engineer will realise the overall concept/feel required by the producer by the way he/she selects and places microphones, structures the sessions etc etc. Often a producer will have limited technical knowledge, but a much better idea of how the music should sit together and the quality of the material put forward for an album.

So the producer steers the band in the right direction if they are verging on MOR, for example..... It is very much the case that the producer should have a huge say on which songs are recorded, which are binned, and what the running order should be. This outside influence is crucial in terms of maintaining standards of quality and striving for something new.

In terms of the most recent Fairport output, I disagree with the recent post saying that the production is wonderful. The use of big gated reverbs, the over-reliance on swapping between vocalists in different octaves mid-song and the mismatch of metre between self penned songs/traditional tunes are just some elements that would leave the discerning listener disappointed.

It's frustrating that it could be so much better with even a little outside input... I'm sure there are many out there in the industry who would jump at the chance of producing them!

In the current incarnation, that is true... but that was born out of a much more tightly-programmed effort with a multitude of samples. It would be true to say that Simon is very much a 'groove' producer rather than a purveyor of riffs.

And I'm not knocking the Village, by the way... The current line-up is breathtaking live!

... listen to the Imagined Village EP if in doubt.

This features stripped down versions of some for the songs, with synth basslines, none of the Indian influences and big lo-fi programmed beats.

Whilst the live performance and album don't rely so much on these features, the sequenced elements, repetitive grooves and swept filter effects are a big part of what Simon does. I was just suggesting that this wouldn't sit well with Fairport, since they would always strive for 100% live material in performances.

I am a professional musician and have been for 30 years. I would like to think I am "discerning." But I have not been disappointed by Fairport's records since 1985. Quite the opposite. "The 5 Seasons," for example, is a record that, to me, is almost perfectly produced.

Perhaps by "discerning" you meant stuck in the ancient past? Sorry if I sound testy, but your comment suggests that anyone who does not agree with your subjective opinion is less than "discerning." Quite a claim.

Lets get the album recorded first, then we can all make our minds, I loved wood and the wire but wasn't so keen on over the next hill, so I wait patiently.

By the (earliest) time a new record will appear, it will be 20 years since The Five Seasons was released.  

It is always interesting to me how early albums are dissected track by track while the last quarter of a century tend to be taken as one lump.  This is certainly not unique to FC...

For the record, I've been mostly disappointed by Fairport's records since 1990 (Jewel in the Crown is the only one I really rate).  Although there are, of course, tracks on all of the albums that I return to.  But, sadly, the last album left me cold.

I, literally, couldn't give it away.

And believe me, he tried!  ;D

Different strokes and all that. I only object to subjective opinions being held up as absolutes.

For me, I genuinely prefer the newer stuff. OK, XXXV was a little lackluster to me (although it definitely had moments). But for my ears, the more seasoned the performer, the more I usually like them. Youthful exuberance is great...just not what I prefer. And living in the past (not a Tull reference) bores me to tears.

Come on, SoW wasn't a complete waste ... Hawkwood's Army's pretty good innnit?
And I kinda like Untouchable.

Everybody has to not like something ::)

I agree - Jewel in the Crown is a very strong album!

Mark - I think Five Seasons is pretty strong too. The drum sound on Wounded Whale is special.

Oh, he gave you his copy as well?

We can definitely agree on that...I love that song.

You'll find a number here who hold that song in particular contempt as the nadir of Fairport's recorded output.

I hasten to add that I am not amongst them. I love it but The Five Seasons and WKWTTG were the last albums that I found wholly satisfying. However, as many have said, there are always at least a couple of worthwhile songs on each of the subsequent records.

Well, I will admit that while I love Chris Leslie's songs, I do miss Maart's electric guitar.

Still, "The Wood and the Wire" remains a top fav of mine as well.

I have seen the hostility shown "The Wounded Whale," but have never understood it for a moment. It's an epic, to my ears. Also, part of the difference with me is I have never really identified Fairport that strongly with traditional material. Especially with songwriters like Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Trevor Lucas, Dave Swarbrick, and Chris Leslie. I love their traditional outings, but don't miss them when they aren't there. Following a formula would make me lose interest!

I had XXXV in the car recently - it really grows on you.  IMHO a cracking good album.

Well I'll stretch this a little bit, just for fun-

Gladys' Leap-great album, great songs
Expletive Delighted-interesting...some favorites on there, and some generic ones-Gas Almost Works for example.
Red And Gold-one of my favorite Fairport albums, one that I don't see on most fan lists. Not just for the title track, but even though this was a "keyboard" heavy album..it worked
The Five Seasons-Claudy Banks is my favorite traditional song Simon does..perfectly suited to his voice. I didn't like this much at first, but now almost 20 years later, its kind of cozy and relaxed.
Jewel In The Crown-possibly 2 or 3 too many songs, but a very strong album
Old New Borrowed Blue-I'll include this one since it was half studio/half live, and was mostly new songs. A definite favorite. I think it brought a new dimension to Ric's playing, or maybe a realization that he didn't always have to use effects and such
WKWTTG-good start for young Mr. Leslie, rest of the album ok
Wood And The Wire-my favorite album of the Leslie era to this point, aided by Gerry's percussion, something I wish they would incorporate more of again full on-I think it sounded great
XXXV-more solid work from Chris, some really good songs. I didn't mine the band Fairporting some Chris associated songs, such as I wandered By A Brookside, but this album started the trend for doing new interpretations of older songs, something I wish the band would drop. Maybe put some of those on the next live album, instead of the 727th version of Matty Groves, or Ledge, or what have you (not a knock on those songs mind you, just don't have to be on EVERY live album)
Over The Next Hill-I'm surprised some didn't like this as much. I thought this was very contemporary sounding, relaxed, and solid choices of material.
A Sense Of Occasion-oh boy...where to start. Too many songs. Some good ones-the last 5 or so are all good IMO. Too much of an outside Fairport feel, both in subject matter and sometimes instrumentation. Chris Leslie, I love you man, but please....no more Native American inspired stuff, put it on a solo album...I will buy it, I promise, as I do like that-but its not Fairport! Tam Lin and Polly just were flat retreads, the versions added nothing to the older ones. Ok rant over...cheers!

Possibly because it was 'very contemporary sounding', 'relaxed' and the choice of material was 'solid'?   Just a thought, mind...  ;)

I STILL haven't heard Love On A Farmboy's Wages, but since it comes from the pen of one of Britain's greatest songwriters, I'm quite looking forward to hearing it.  

I liked the original, but hadn't heard it for ages before SOO.  I think it works very well.  Interestingly it seems to have a very FC pastoral feel to it.

if youve heard the xtc version dont bother