TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

you know mojo magazine(hereafter referred to as just plain old mojo) do that
thing near the back of the mag where they have the "How To Buy " section , right?
well this months is "How To Buy.......Bob Marley" ........... ok, so no big deal,
but wait for it thrill seekers..... next month it's "How To Buy..........(fanfare)....Fairport Convention"! :o
 send your picks to www.mojo4music.com
or email your top 5 to mojo@bauermedia.co.uk
apparently they'll print the best comments

off you jolly well go, what are you waiting for [;-)

Count me in.  Off to do it now.

Jules

I just took a quick tour through their site and I see Tom Waits (a God that walks among us) is on a jolly as "editor" for the July issue. There is a free covermount CD complied by Waits and somone wrote in and said, "How do I get the free CD", to which the reply was "You buy the magazine, numbnuts".  ;D

OK, here's my 5:-

1) Liege & Lief (deluxe edition) 1969.  The essential starting point for anyone investigating Fairport.  British folk rock is invented here.  Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick all present and correct.

2) Full House (expanded edition) 1970.  Proves there was life after Sandy.  Thompson and Swarb's songs blend seamlessly with the traditional material.  Expanded CD includes Now Be Thankful, quite possibly the most perfect pop hymn of the 20th century.

3) Fairport Nine (expanded edition) 1973.  And this one proves there was life after Richard Thompson.  New boys Trevor Lucas and guitar wizz Jerry Donahue help the others perform phoenix from the flames rebirth.  Not one original member left in the group by this point.

4) Angel Delight (expanded edition) 1971.  The first without Richard Thompson, but still bares his name as lyricist on two tracks.  A very focussed and fat-free set of performances.

5) 'Babbacombe' Lee (expanded edition) 1971.  Released very soon after Angel Delight and was the first Fairport LP to feature the exact same lineup as the previous album.  Here Swarb leads the troops through the first Folk Rock Opera.  And they pull it off nicely.

AVOID: Gottle O' Geer 1976.  Originally intended as a Swarb solo album but issued as by Fairport (no 'Convention'), but this less than inspired motley collection of tracks would have disappointed whatever the name on the spine.

Jules

Agree with Jules - would add to the list albums 1-3, Bonny Bunch Of Roses, Gladys' Leap, Expletive Delighted (for the worthy of investigation slot, if you can find one), Jewel In The Crown from the Allcock era, WKWTTG and XXXV from the Leslie era.

My number 6 would have been the much overlooked Tipplers Tales.

Jules

Whoops - attention, need to pick 5 ! My 5 would therefore be :WWDOOH, Angel Delight, Nine, Bonny Bunch Of Roses and XXXV, though it's a close run thing between Bonny Bunch and Jewel In The Crown

WWDOOH
Unhalfbricking
Gladys leap
In Real Time
Full House

Live Album Cropredy 1992

Avoid - preferably nothing but at a pinch anything recent.

Compilation History of

i dont know if you already have ,chaps, but you need to post these on the mojo FC page

Christina Aguilera has chaps  :)

I think you will find that they are carpet burns

Or email them.  I emailed mine.

Jules

Just posted mine, plumped for Jewel In The Crown in the end

I´ve posted mine on their blog. Hope that counts.
WWDOOH
AD
Nine
ONBB
Heyday got my votes.

Look forward to the final compilation of Must-buys and Avoids.  :D

It took me ages to work that one out!  :-[ Interesting choice.

Off the top of my head mine would be

What We Did On Our Holidays
Full House
The Cropredy Box (2002)
Angel Delight
Babbacombe Lee

One to avoid: Fairport Unconventional because the sound quality is just too patchy to justify the asking price.

Five isn't really enough. I want to give hourable mentions to Nine, Tipplers, Roses, Five Seasons, WKWTTG, Live at Cropredy 2008.....

My honorary mentions go to L&L, Full House, Babbacombe, Tipplers, Jewel, OTNH.
And a couple more... ;D

Good call there.  My favourite of the live albums that I've heard.

Jules

Good call. Sent mine off, and for the first time in ages, I'm looking forward to receiving that particular mojo.

Cheers for the notice.

Oops - forgot the Cropredy Box, excellent !

Is that the "Cropredy 2002- Another Gig:Another Palindrome" (from the Expletive Delighted discography)?
I have  "The Cropredy Box" from the 30 year jubilee 1997, similar but also somewhat different.  ;)

Ah yes, I meant the 1997 one.  That's the one I really like.  I haven't heard the 2002 one.

Jules

I have always been fond of the Cropredy Box because that is the one where Matty gets away, Vicky C forgetting to sing the verse where he is killed.  After all those years of suffering it seems only fair he gets let off at least once!

Sorry. Mea Culpa!

I meant the 1997 one too! So many festivals. So many CDs. So many anniversaries! But 1997 is theone actually called The Cropredy Box.

GubGub, how right you are!  8)

Nah, nah, nananana... ;D

Just sent off mine:

1) Full House
2) WWDOOH
3) Nine
4) Angel Delight
5) Babbacombe Lee

Well that all seems eminently sensible........except you spelled "Liege & Lief" wrong.   ;)

Jules

Here's the thing. How many people actually need to nominate Liege & Lief? It is going to be the top pick anyway!

It's not that I don't like "Liege & Lief" or don't recognise its importance, it's just that I don't actually enjoy it as much as those in my selection.
It would probably be next on my list.

I agree; a very important album in the history of folk music, but in the grand scheme of things, there are better. I'd probably go for:

1) Full House
2) WWDOOH
3) Tippler's Tales
4) Jewel in the Crown
5) either XXXV or OTNH

The above, to me, seems a pretty good career overview, which I thought was the idea of this (rather than Fairport's best five albums).

It's a How To Buy article which either is or isn't (depending on your point of view and, I suppose, how much money you have!) a reflection of the 'best' albums.

I've kept out of this because my default answer is normally The First Five....and then tread, at times carefully, from there...but I think there are some other excellent suggestions here, especially The Cropredy Box, Tipplers Tales, Nine, Angel Delight, Babbacombe Lee....of the post '79 albums, to me the only one even standing on the shoulder of greatness is JitC

But any How to Buy list that included, say, OTNH or XXXV and missed out L&L (an essential, but, imho, somewhat over regarded album that is probably, in retrospect, the weakest of those first 5) does rather make a mockery of whatever it is Mojo are trying to do.  I bet the avoid album will be Gottle....which I perversely think is a little underrated.  But I always was a contrary old git...

Not necessarily. The "avoid" choices in Mojo's buying guides tend to be cheap hastily thrown together compilations (see this month's Bob Marley feature) and there are no shortage of those in the Fairport catalogue.

The main 10 can be perverse too. Witness once again this month's issue. It is a scandal to me that the Live album is not amongst the recommendations.

They also recommended two of the recent JAD boxed sets, but not the first issued of the three, and best by far, Grooving Kingston 12.  Also, Rastaman Vibration is one of his dullest albums.  And the zenith of the original three man Wailers, Burnin', didn't get a look in.  I may need to write in and moan!   ::)

Jules

Yes, but if everyone thought like that, it wouldn't show up in the final list!  Also, you wouldn't vote in an election by that same rationale.   ;)

Jules

1) Liege & Lief ...It is as good as everyone has said. Comprising the six- piece line-up of the 3-man rhythm section (Simon Nicol (guitar), Dave Mattacks (inventing UK  folk-rock drumming) & Ashley Hutchings (bass & motivation));the 2- man attack of Richard Thompson (lead guitar) & Dave Swarbrick (violin) plus their fledgling writing partnership ;all topped by the superb voice and spirit of Sandy Denny.
 
(2) Unhalfbricking..With 'A Sailor's Life' the pointer to Liege & Lief + 3 Dylan covers (one in French became a Top 20 hit) + Who Knows Where The Time Goes?( The essential Sandy Denny song).
 
(3) Full House.. Introducing Dave Pegg and 40 years of service to the band. More Thompson /Swarbrick classic songs including 'Sloth'.
 
(4)Red & Gold... Simon Nicol getting in stride as lead vocalist. The title track name checking Cropredy along with another Dylan classic (Open The Door , Richard) plus Dark Eyed Molly which was covered by Eva Cassidy.
 
(5) The Cropredy Box... The 30th anniversary concert in a 3-CD set. Great introduction to the history of the band.

An excellent choice but I would substitute The Cropredy Box with Cropredy '08 because it represents the current band - no Gerry in 1997.

Both 2002 & 2008 are great CDs and I am loath to choose between DM  & Gerry as drummers and for their input to the good ship Fairport. I reckon fo a link between all ages of the band the 1997 box does the job better..So I'm happy with my original choice...

Good man :)

In the end I went for:

What We Did On Our Holidays  – a very creative album with compositions by Denny, Hutchings, Thompson and Nicol.
Liege & Lief – Daves Swarbrick and Mattacks, an album with huge historical significance for the band and music generally.
Full House – with Dave Pegg the folky aspect is consolidated.
Jewel In The Crown – Maartin Allcock, a good place to start for a beginner, especially if you're not familiar with the seventies sound.
Cropredy 08 – the current line up at their own festival doing what they do best.

Surprised nobody has chosen the eponymous first album. It's certainly one of my favourites.

Rich pickings all round really, Bridg.  Narrowing it down to 5 is hard.

Jules

I almost did when I said my 'default answer is the first five'.  Its a wonderful album that you definitely need in order to put the band in their rightful place in the space/time continuum   ;D

The first album would probably make it into my favourites but I thought the list was supposed to be what you would recommend people should buy to get an overview of Fairport through the years.  Mind you, a strong case could still be made for including the very first album under that heading.

Top 10 now published :
(1) Liege & Lief
(2) Unhalfbricking
(3) Full House
(4) What We Did On Our Holidays
(5) Angel Delight
(6) House Full : Live At The LA Troubadour
(7) Jewel In The Crown
(8 ) Rising For The Moon
(9) Over The Next Hill
(10)Fairport Convention
...and 'Avoid these'
Expletive Delighted! & Gottle O'Geer.
I managed to predict 3 out of 5.

Good list!
Must admit that the Troubadour album has never been a huge favourite of mine, and I don´t recall it has been mentioned here as a Top-5-choice. It´ll be interesting to read their comment on this one.  ;)

Good article on Unta too.

Still awaiting for my copy to drop into the letterbox. Wish it would hurry up. I'm looking forward to this one...

No, there's great tracks on there but the thing doesn't work as a whole.  Too many instrumentals.  And where's Nine and 'Babbacombe' Lee?!?!

Jules

Over The Next Hill? Really?  :o

My copy hasn't arrived yet either. I like House Full but if they wanted a live album featuring that line up (more or less), Moat On The Ledge might have been a more interesting choice. A bit rough and ready but very enjoyable.

Expletive Delighted to be avoided? That's just bizarre.

It's a 'how to buy' section, not a best of, so you need something from the past 20 years.

Still wouldn't have picked it. During that period I'd have gone for Who Knows Where The Time Goes or, at a pinch, The Wood & The Wire.

Why?

The Mojo list seems pretty fair. I'm personally pleased to see the first 5 LPs in the top ten, but wish that the first one FC FC was a lot higher... (in my 'umble)

Here here. Excellent album.

Also in the August issue, Marc Almond picks his top 5 tunes.
Number one is Sandy Denny's "North Star Grassman" and number 3 is Richard & Linda Thompson's "The Great Valerio".

But I cannot disagree with the rest.......FAIRPORT!!!!
Jude, any chance you may appear on stage this year? Please, pretty please!  :-*

Woo!  They published my comment about the eponymous first album.  

And your post here bought up your 100 posts too. Have a go at the lottery this weekend...    ;)

I know Marc Almond is a bit like Marmite, but I love him singing 'The Great Valerio'.

The loud cheers at the beginning are yours truely and friends, but not the 'whooping'.  ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZGuhtFOugM

I got quoted on my comment on the 2nd!  ;D 8)
What do you day? Awesome!  8)