TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I first saw Fairport in the late 80's on the Red & Gold tour, and the line up with Martin Allcock is still my favourite.

Remember when they swapped instruments for "Close to the Wind" with Peggy on drums DM on keyboards and Maart on fretless bass?

I would love to see another Woodworm Archives release - and what about one from this era?

I thought "Wounded Whale" was so much better live with Maart's extended guitar solo finishing the song.

Fairport played some fantastic versions of songs when Maart was in the group and it would be great if a concert from this time were released.

We do have some live songs from this era of course - as well as the "25th Anniversary Concert" CD recorded live at Cropredy in 1992 there are a few more gems tucked away on the Fairport Unconventional box set:

Wat Tyler (CD3 track 2 from York 1992)
Red And Gold (CD3 track 6 from Cropredy 1996)
Slipjigs And Reels (CD4 track 4 from Oxford Apollo 1995)
The Hiring Fair (CD4 track 10 from Cropredy 1989)
Jewel In The Crown (CD3 track 16 from Oxford Apollo 1995)

These are all great versions of the songs - better than the studio versions in my opinion.

For the time being we can enjoy what we have ...

But what about releasing a complete concert from this era? - maybe York 1992 or Oxford Apollo 1995 as it seems these were recorded at the time. The audio quality on the tracks from both of these concerts seems to be excellent as well - better than the 25th Anniversary set to my ears.

Personally I would love to hear a concert containing "Wounded Whale" and the heavy guitar driven version of "Matty Groves".



 

...and "Sloth"

There is one available, from the 1990 winter tour on an album called From Cropredy To Portmeiron. No Wounded Whale on it though sadly. I agree there were some fantastic live shows from that line up.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cropredy-Portmeirion-Fairport-Convention/dp/B000NJKYRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1284311613&sr=1-1

I'm afraid I never liked that (to me) awful keyboard sound on some songs like the Wounded Whale or The Hiring Fair, but agree about just how strong the lineup could be live...and Maart's geetar was a huge huge part of that. There were some awesome Sat night Cropredy sets in those years....

Its generally the case that the first lineup we see is our favourite, isn't it?

That Cropredy To Portmerion set was the second Fairport gig I went to,which set me off collecting anything where 'I was there'.
Whilst I do agree that the keyboard sound was a bit dodgy, The Wounded Whale was always one of my faves.A live version of Spanish Main with Maart would be great too.Dark Eyed Molly hasn't been officially released either as far as I know.(More keys again...).
Off The Desk vol.3 featuring that line up would be nice (unless I'm mistaken in thinking a vol.2 is coming out featuring the current line up).

Well each to our own of course but I enjoyed the keys period and the rocky sound of that era. In particular there was one low note in Wounded Whale that reverberated around Crop making it, for me, a most emotional experience.

Incidently following that time Maart told me he was able to create some of the keys stuff through his guitar.

Don't forget the Cropredy Capers box too....plenty of Maart era stuff on there - you could make your own Off The Desk.

The cheezy synth was sometimes a bit much, but the full on Maart/DM/RS attack was a wonder to behold, especially in a standing only venue.

Happy days.  

I think that's half the trouble.  They never play in any standing only venues any more.  

I'm glad they don't..  I can't atand for long!!

I'm not calling for a full scale change of tour venues, Jenny, just a little variety in the mix.  They're a folk-rock band, and a band that lots of people like to shake a leg at too.  I'm tired of seeing them in theatres and art centres.  You even get told to sit down at Cropredy for god's sake!

I was disappointed Maart didn't play this year (at Cropredy). I mean, we had plenty of electric guitar on stage during Excalibur ;D  ;D but I would have liked to have seen Maart up there too at some stage. He brought a great energy and a joie de vivre to their live performances which FC sometimes lack these days. IMHO of course  :)

Trouble? Is there trouble?

Only amongst those of us with a 'rock sensibility', I suppose.  But we haven't been given an awful lot to get our teeth into in the last decade and a half in any case, so I don't expect any movement in 'my' direction on the gig venue front.

Agreed about standing venues. I'd love to see them playng a few small venues like the Half Moon again. Is there a the financial problem with that?  Theatres are all very well, but there's a shortage of atmosphere, you can't go with mates without a lot of faffing about, can't wander about, can't jump up and down etc etc.

The 2 ex members that FC miss the most IMO are RT and Maart . Cant think what the connection is. ;)

I'd throw in Jerry to that illustrious duo.  

Beards?   ;D

Must admit, much as I love the current incarnation of the band, a few venues with at least some standing room would really work for me.  Ten years ago they were known to play at the Flowerpot in Derby.  In fact,m that was my first ever gig, Fairport or otherwise, and I really do prefer it.  I really struggle to sit still listening to music (Hell, I'd argue that if you're sitting still the band's doing something wrong!), and the ability to at least tap your feet and jump a bit really makes a gig for me.

Now don't get me wrong (he says getting his retaliation in first). I like Chris Leslie as a bloke(based on the few times i have talked to him and the fact he offered to play at our wedding))  and as a musician but..... Occassionally ,with the benefit of hindsight .I wonder what Fairports would sound like if PJ Wright had joined instead of Chris.

Who knows?  More of a folk-rock band I suppose?  

I still think Chris is the/was the PERFECT replacement for Swarb, so I'd have him in the band, just not in the rather odd role he has filled for the last 13 years or so.  I suppose they went in a very different direction with Ric (hasn't his quarter of a century with the band been rather underplayed?) because he wasn't another Swarb.  Which worked well for them.  But still, I'm afraid for me, left me slightly disengaged from the band I fell in love with.  But that's my problem, not theirs!

Mine too. As someone has said in this thread you probably fall in love with thee first lineup you see, for me RT and Sandy. I have to accept that was a band of 40 yrs ago and when i go to see fairports now i am watching  a completely different band who to their credit aren't doing  a'medley of their hits' but doing new stuff. I do like some of Chris's writing and he has brought a lot to the band in that respect, but i do miss guitar riffs ripping across the melody.
Chris on fiddle, PJ on guitar... but that would be a different band ........

Cant we have a Fairport Big Band? ;D

The Ceilidh Band managed to include the Maart lineup, Swarb, the Marriotts and Mr Crabtree (anyone else?) didn't it....

Of course we could - and we could have it at Cropredy every year  :)  They could do their annual touring with the current line-up but for Cropredy they could bring on lots of ex members and let it rip.

I've got a radio recording of a Maart line up show - Red Tide is an absolute stormer - what a great, dark brooding song that is!

Now that's a very good idea and i suppose it happens sometimes at Cropredy with a particular combination of guests.

I loved Fairport with Maart in the lineup. Not that keen on the double fiddle lineup. Although I could never stand that Hiring Fair song with the god-awful keyboard sounds. I used to leave for a pee-break when Mattacks got off his drumkit.

The current lineup is OK, but Fairport needs some electric guitar. It's all gone a bit like the music from those crappy stalls you used to get in town centres selling that dreadful Irish stuff by people like Brendan Shine. Spuds, Carrots and all that rubbish.

I love Chris Leslie's songs and his voice and his fiddle, he is perfect for the way they sound at the moment and it was magic when he and Ric AND Swarb all played together at Cropredy.

I can't imagine FC without Chris or Ric (though I REALLY couldn't imagine it without Simon and Peggy!) but I remember the band with Maart and DM on drums and they were magnificent.

The first time I saw Fairport was about 1975/6 and to be honest I can't remember the line-up - it just wasn't as important to me as the whole band and the wonderful sound they made. Still takes me ages to get used to the names of individual members in any band.

I'd have no issue with seeing Maart returning to Fairport to beef up their current sound, but I doubt that's an option.

Nonetheless, I'm sure they're due a lineup change soon, right?  

If and when this does happen, whether adding a sixth member or replacing a departing member it'll probably point to the future of Fairport.  I've read some comments from Simon (I think) who's suggested the band name continues with newer personnel beyond the tenure of the original members, which I'm slightly dubious about (though have a lot of time for the mid-70s Fairport lineups that had no original members), but can see the logic in that.  

How many returning members have FC had?  DM, Sandy and Simon are the only ones I can think of...

I think that's it, unless one counts Chris Leslie's brief 1992 tenure  :)  (and DM gets a special mention for 3 stints!)

I can remember thinking in early 1971 that Fairport would be unimaginable without Richard Thompson. Then, when Simon left a bit further down the line, thinking - well, they can't exist now, because they don't have any original members. Then they had a golden period when there were no original members. So I had to re-think that.

In my dreams I'd love to see Fairport as a 7-piece: the current line-up augmented by a brilliant female vocalist and a rocky lead guitarist. But I guess that's an economic impossibility.

it would sound amazing though. what they need is somebody to do it for free, in which case i would reluctantly put myself forward for the post of electric guitarist.

I first saw Fairport live in Pennsylvania in 1991 at a venue called The Hearth.  My first exposure to the band was via the "In Real Time" album which for some reason all the cool kids (or the ones I perceived as cool) were listening to in 1988 (when I was in high school in Westlake, Ohio).  Naturally, the Maart era holds a special place in my heart, as that was the first incarnation of Fairport that I knew.  I've grown to enjoy all forms of the band -- there are standout songs, tunes, and live performances from throughout the band's history.  I wouldn't object if Maart ever re-joined Fairport, though.  Wouldn't a six-piece lineup be nice again?

Every time I see the title of this thread I get excited thinking "Maart's going to tour with the band!!!!"  :D  :D

... and then I remember what it was about  :(

He's not played with the band for ages at Cropredy. I wonder why.  :-\

I agree.  Just awful!



Heh - the first live Fairport I saw was the reunited Liege & Lief lineup.  So that'll be largely accurate then!   ;)

Jules

I agree with all that.  It's the same for me.

Jules

Now you see, I love The Wounded Whale. I'm not so keen on some of the other keyboard heavy songs and I much prefer the acoustic Hiring Fair on Old, New Borrowed, Blue but The Wounded Whale is one of my favourite FC tracks and live at Cropredy it used to be transcendent. I miss them doing it.

I always presumed that the keyboard string section was Ric sampled and multitracked and then Ric played beautifully over the top of it. Perhaps that was a naive or just plain inaccurate assumption.

Sorry, but I'm afraid I always transcended to the top of the hill, or the bar....

whaaaaaaaaaaaat? the wounded whale is epic. but i was brought up listening to five seasons because of my dad, so i guess you do like what you first hear from fairport.

As I said I really enjoyed hearing Wounded Whale by the Maart line up. I hadn't thought that people hated it, but then again that's what is so good about seeing Fairport live, they play songs in such variety of styles there's something for everyone.

Adam mentioned Red Tide a few posts back. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this one. I had to dig out “Jewel in the Crown” and have another listen. There is a lot of good stuff on that album.

I have been listening to a lot of the live Maart era albums lately as well and gave “The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” another listen. There is a lot of really great Maart stuff as it's a sort of best of 1986 & 1987 Cropredy collection. And the sound quality of the recordings on this set is excellent - even better than on 25th Anniversary collection.

There's a fantastic version of Sloth on the first disc which, for me, is the best live version available on CD. Also on the first disc is a version of Who Knows Where the Time Goes with Iain Mathews on lead vocals which is excellent. On the second disc there are some really great Maart workouts. For me the versions of The Lark In The Morning and Hiring Fair on this disc are superb. More contenders for that homemade “Off The Desk” that bassline (Mike) has got me thinking about.

By far my fave album from the Maart era band.  In fact, its the only one I listen to regularly, if I'm honest.

After meeting up with some old friends in North Wales over the weekend, I decided to drive home via Porthmadog - went into COB Records, & picked up a CD copy of "In Real Time".  I have the LP, but haven't listened to it for years... I'd forgotten just how good it is.
I wonder if it will ever get the remaster/bonus track treatment.  If so, I'd shell out again!

Cob Records....if it was a woman I'd marry it.

...and it'd be as much a drain on your wallet as a wife!

Sorry I've joined this thread a little late.

There is a live DVD out there from the Maart era:

Live Legends recorded at Birmingham Town Hall 12th Feb 1990.
It was originaly shown on late night TV as part of the "Bed Rock" series.

See Here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=fairport+convention+live+legends&x=18&y=17

Keith

There was a period when the technical side of things was getting a little out of hand - anyone remember the Parker sisters (?) providing sequenced backing vocals through one of Maart's synthesisers.

DW

Yes  :)

Were these the two rather attractive sisters who played at a couple of Cropredy's (very succesfull imho) and then emigrated never to have been heard of again (by me)?

I have a strange memory  ;D and recall Simon replying to a member of the audience the following year that the ladies were enjoying domesticity in Cwmbran, whence they hailed. I took that to mean they had become mothers and given up singing. Shame, they were OK.

Good series that. Late Friday nights on BBC2 if I remember correctly, I still have an old video of the FC one somewhere. Doesn't Maart play slide guitar with a proper bottle? And they do On The Floor for his new son Gerrard. I wonder how old he is now?  :)