TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Assuming we've all had the email update from the boys today, this is a very exciting time and it seemed appropriate to start a thread dedicated to The Festival Bell.
I know nothing more than what was said by the band in the recent US interview and in today's email, which is, the name of the record and the fact it contains originals by CL and RS, together with two from RMcT etc. We also know, as might have been suspected, that a new version of Rising For The Moon is on there. Assuming this will be as good as the YouTube FCA clip posted earlier this week, this will be ace. Does anyone know any more? Clearly we must expect a title track, UC, Ric's Danny Jack's Chase and Rui's Guitar but what else, or is that about it? First proper studio album for four years! This is an event and I, for one, am very excited! I note that the final mix will be happening about now so, those of you in the know, is it likely we will see this potentially classic late period FC release before Xmas??

I will be very disappointed should it not be possible to find "The Festival Bell" in my Christmas stocking!  8)

It'll probably be released on the Wintour, but it would be nice to have it out before Christmas

 ::) ;D

lets hope its better than the last couple

I'm not optimistic for a number of reasons.

Well I'm looking forward to it, anyway.  I guess there's a fair chance Wouldn't Say No will be on it as well.

So, regrettably, will be Uke Central. Funny at the first time of hearing but not on a record for posterity, surely :(

I'll second that.  :-\

You grumpy buggers...  I'm sure it will be grand just like all the previous albums.

Looking forward to it immensely  :)

(And I, love Uke central!)

I'm sorry...I'm in the grumpy bugger camp ('we knew that' shouts an ungrateful world).  A couple of CL songs (that will probably sound much like the last few CL songs), a couple of RS instrumentals (that will probably sound much like the...).  Throw in a few covers by the usual suspects, a Ralph track, a Sandy cover, stir gently and hope, somehow, it manages to surprise and enthrall.  Its just not going to happen, is it?  It will be everything the last few albums have been.  Competent, pleasant, easy on the ear.  Nice.  It will be very, very nice.  Its just not enough to get me excited I'm afraid.   I'm really sorry.  I so desperately yearn for more.  I'm a fan of 30 years standing.  And, on the recorded side of things at the very least, I feel almost entirely disenfranchised (and have done for at least half that period).  Just imho, of course...no offence intended.

Don't buy it....

I think that sums up my suspicions perfectly. And with another redundant remake and an Anna Ryder song. Oh dear!

theres this little frisson of excitement that i get every time i see a record I don't own with the words"Fairport Convention" on the cover
then theres the shrug of the shoulders as i hear it generally like whats on there and put it away as ive got stuff that demands to be heard where FC records for the last 20 odd years dont reward repeated playing. they are nice but safe and the FC new record formula is such that most of us could have a stab at the tracklisting and get pretty damned close to the actuality.

get an outside producer in chaps, one who preferably isnt a devotee, one who'll do something different,.
 ive been banging on about this for the last 10 years

i will of course buy the record out of devotion to the chaps, and will hope for the best but not expect much

And I meant to say, I'm betting that there is barely an electric guitar to be heard anywhere.

Electric guitar. On a folk record? Tut tut.

It might be a classic.....but I doubt it

Do you mean "don't buy it", or don't talk about it?   ::)

 I bet you're really pleased you started this thread Neil... ::)

And thats exactly whats needed. Please.

It's not proper Folk-Rock without a bit of electric guitar...

And bring back the smoke machine ;D

I don't think you can have a smoke machine without a model of Stonehenge can you?

What I mean is if peeps are so critical and know in advance that they won't like it then why bother to buy it?  :P :-X :-\

What I don´t understand: How can you criticise it before it is even released?  ???
Listen to it and give it a chance  ;)

I'll give it a listen then make me mind up, the odds are against it though

Exactly Ulla!

The same principal applies to all those who assume it will be wonderful without hearing it, surely?

Personally, I'll wait to hear it before I make any judgement.

Now you're talking. The electric guitar must, of course, have an amp that goes up to 11, and the album sleeve should be black.

And a glove?

Just to buck the trend, I really like the last couple of albums and listen to them fairly regularly. Wood and The wire too, although not so keen on XXXV (My Love is in America excepted). WKWTTG is very hit and miss as well.

There's a fair bit of electric guitar on the last few CDs (Hawkswood Army, Wait For The Tide to Come In, Wood and The Wire) and I'd say that even the acoustic songs eg. Edge of The World are played with a bit more gusto than some of the Maart-era stuff. To me, the Maart stuff sounds more AOR than the last few albums. London River anyone??

Just my two-pennorth, horses for courses etc!

Based on the youtube evidence, I would not be so sure of that ... surely that's a leccy he's playing in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BellaWeb#p/a/u/0/Bp-Cp-2eVdw

That's Simon's Godin Acousticaster, a Fender Telecaster-shaped thin-bodied instrument designed primarily to make acoustic guitar-like sounds. It has a hollow body, but only makes a significant noise when plugged in, as it's designed to be a stage instrument. Simon mainly uses it for tours and gigs where luggage space may be at a premium and the thin body of the Godin is a convenient space saver. It does,however, sound wonderful, as is shown in these clips. Simon played this guitar at the Fairport Convention Witchseason show at The Barbican last summer, and also at the 100 Club for the launch of Judy Dyble's Talking With Strangers.

Well, the majority of us have heard a great deal of the album live, so that's not entirely true.

My feelings exactly, David.  I still love those guys, and will of course, still go and see them live. I just feel that what is needed is a kick up the rear end.

The recent albums have all followed the same pattern as identified by David et al.   Forget about remakes of classic old material (leave that for the live shows) and do something different - say an album of less obvious Trad.Arr material or an album of good contemporary folk oriented writers.  Make more use of the potential twin fiddle team rather than have CL playing virtually every instrument under the sun other than the fiddle.  Break out the electric guitars a bit more..anything to change up the format of the last 3 or 4 albums..

Excuse me but could I trouble some kind and indulgent soul to enlighten those, like yours truly, who aren't on a mailing list or haven't seen the email?  

What album are you talking about and where does the Bell come in?  Is it a fund-raiser for St Mary's?  

Thanks awfully.  [;-)

New Fairport studio album
The big news is that our eagerly-awaited brand new studio
album will be released early in 2011. This will be the first
new Fairport Convention album for four years and it will
be titled Festival Bell. There will be fourteen songs and
tunes on the album including compositions by our own
Chris Leslie and Ric Sanders. Our friend Ralph McTell has
written two cracking songs for us as well. We’ve also
included a new version of the Sandy Denny classic Rising
For The Moon.
We’ve finished recording the
album and now John Gale, our ace
sound engineer, is busy mixing
the tracks. We hope to have the
final mix by the time you receive
this newsletter. Please watch the
Fairport website and our social
network pages for the very latest
on Festival Bell
http://www.fairportconvention.com/downloads/FairportNews%20Nov10v1.pdf

As I understand it, Sir Robert, the staff have been recording to wax cylinder for our enlightenment and edification. I, for one, hope they have also engaged the services of a top of the range lithographer. The cover of the last one looked like it had been drawn as part of a primary school art project.    

Also, this gives me the opportunity to ask the age old question of "What's the difference between the Fairport newsletter and Gary Glitter?"
A; The Fairport newsletter is a PDF file, and...

I am exceedingly obliged to my learned friend.   ;D  ;D

He he he.   ;)

The current lineup has generated some of the finest Fairport studio tracks in recent years, and I can't wait for the Festival Bell CD.  The last few albums have been uneven to my ears but always include exceptional material.  I can listen to Light of Day from XXXV all day.  Hawkwood's Army and Untouchable keep me coming back to SoO.  Much of Over the Next Hill is outstanding: I'm Already There, Over the Falls, etc.  I fully expect to be blown away by the quality of at least a couple of tracks on Festival Bell.  

Me too. It's the other nine or ten I'm worried about.

and it ain't what you play its the way that you play it .. Simon has made it clear both in his playing and in interviews that he doesn't like playing electric guitar and feels he can do pretty well everything he wants to do with an acoustic.

Like others a new Fc album doesn't excite like it used to but seeing Babbacombe Lee in its entirity does so it'll be the tour for me and wait until I've heard some of the new album before I decide.

DW

Very true but for many of us it is the electricity that defines the rock part of the folk - rock equation.

I agree but we shouldn't impose our taste on an artiste - if we don't like what they do we have a choice.

DW

Perhaps its time for a sixth member?

But Fairport haven't really been a 'folk-rock' band for years have they, certainly not on record, and at this stage in their career it's unlikely that thats going to change at all.
It's a case of like it or lump it I think.

I should think it is almost impossible to actually impose your taste on an artist unless you're their producer but I do remember Simon Nicol in print stressing that they take every notice of supporter feedback (I think the example of chucking Ric Sanders' effects pedals in the river was cited) and so I think it is healthy, if you feel strongly enough, to express a preference for the more electric sound. Thing is, he's such a phenomenal acoustic guitar player it seems a shame to make him amp up.  

Which is pretty much what this entire thread has been about.

I have have no illusions that a bunch of gentlemen of a certain age will return to the electric template that some of them helped to originally define. It has been too long since they abandoned it. I just think it is a shame that they decided to redefine themselves as a primarily a slightly cosy acoustic based outfit when they did (on Maart's departure nearly 15 years ago). They were still comparatively young men at the time and the drift towards a safer musical palette (at least in the studio) was, I think, premature but probably irreversible.

Hear hear.  I've never been comfortable with 'slightly cosy' and hope I never will be.  I too will 'quite like' parts of the new album (which I will, of course, buy) and probably never ever want to hear other parts of it.  The, to me, real tragedy of the situation, is that I can probably already tell you which parts I'll like and which i won't.  Believe me, I don't want to feel like this, I just do.  The fact that, generally, I feel the same about the live shows upsets me even more.  (Although I too am thrilled to the core about BL in the Spring).  *Hums Living in the Past to himself, and trips over his kaftan*   ;D

I have a wonderful image of you davidmjs! Do you wear green-tinted round glasses too?  8)

I've been looking for the right expression for FC's current output and "slightly cosy" sums it up exactly. I like a bit of dangerous and edgy but it ain't going to happen, is it? I'm sure it will be an OK CD but they're not going to break new ground. We have to rely on the new bands coming up to do that.

and if truth be told, the chaps do their best to promote the young talent at cropredy. I'll give this one a listen and make me mind up then

Only when I've mislaid the rose-tinted ones  ;D

Am I the only person in the world that really quite liked him using it?

No.

I love Ric's effects, he still uses them (i.e. hasn't thrown all of them in the river). Bit of delay, tremolo, distortion for some of his solos, and used a flanger for the PDC section/bridge in Babbacombe Lee last year. He possibly doesn't use as many effects as he did when he was using the Zeta solid-bodied electric violins.

No  :)

I enjoyed the effects as well. Also, looking forward to the new album.

I don't like the 'electric guitar' sound (Wait For The Tide To Come In).  Other than that, they're brilliant, especially on the Hiring Fair.

Also looking forward to the new album.  But I'd rather the chaps concentrated on 10-12 really good songs rather than the 15-16 song efforts.  I feel that stretches the material a bit thin (my problem with Sense of Occasion - bits of which I really like)

And if Danny Jack's Chase is going on I'm very happy  8)!

David, I've heard there's a job going as record reviewer on Psychic News if you want to apply ;)

I do like that. There is a Hendrixesque solo on one of the Dylan Project albums that is outstanding.

But then he probably already knew that...  ;D

It's probably a case of "many ears to please" and "many people's love to try".

Philosophical question - should artists aim to please their audience or stay true to themselves?

The latter.  Always.  

Definitely.

Bit past it for that last bit in quotes aren't they?  ???

 ;D ;D ;D ;)

Agreed.  You only have to look at the European Tour clips on youtube to see how much they are enjoying playing the new material.

Featuring none other than renowned uke-botherer Frank Skinner.  :-\

I'm trying hard to contain my excitement.

I will pass on this one I'm afraid.

Some songs I don't like much interspersed by the slaughtering of a much loved favourite.

Have you actually heard this unreleased album?

He's talking about the hidden track at the end, wherein Ric Sanders' cat is sacrificed to the great god Imhotep in order to guarantee good sales for the Winter tour over a gentle chorus of reverse-gated ukuleles. A controversial inclusion, but one fully sanctioned by Iconic Media.    [;-)

Only Ric's cat  ;)

Cheers Nigel

Andy, help required please. This has nowt to do with the subject I admit. If you want to highlight a single line in someones' comment, as you have above,... well how's that done?  I've tried several times unsuccessfully. It usually highlights the entire previous comment. Cheers.



Edit: I have IM'd some hints and tips to you, Henry. Cheers Nick

You'll be another candidate for the vacancy of record reviewer for Psychic News, then? ;)

As, indeed, will several others on both sides of the fence!

I will bet real cash money that I'm right.....

In terms of recorded output Fairport and I have pretty much reached the end of the road - I'm ok with that, I absolutely defend their right to follow their muse, it's just not for me anymore.

If they got in a decent producer, a proper guitarist and made a noisy album, then I will get back on board, but I have plenty of great albums without buying any more that are merely ok!

Name me one Fairport re-recording that is better then the original, and I will gladly eat my words.

The only one to come close is Polly on the Shore, and even then I reach for the original when I want to her it.

It's one thing to say it isn't better than the original, but quite vituperative to use the word "slaughtering"... and that's what I objected to.

What I love about this is no-one here has heard the album and yet strong opinions are being expressed!

Well, if we all assume we're going to hate it before we hear it, then we're less likely to be disappointed when we do.  ;D

"Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose any more."

The version of Portmeirion on XXXV sounds better to my ears than the original from Expletive Delighted.  The XXXV interpretation features a much stronger bass line, flute from guest Ian Anderson, percussion instead of keyboards, and a fine mandolin solo.  

Porteirion was never a 'much loved favourite' with me anyhow!

Because we have heard several of the songs live and know the source of others, a certain perversely initialled female songwriter amongst them. That's what made my heart sink.

"The Crowd" as a Fairport classic anyone?

Well you haven't heard all of them! :P

C

Yes, I agree. However, I am slightly biased as that version of Portmeirion has got a helluva lot to answer for!

Ouch! I feel like I've just been told off by teacher for talking in class.
It was a joke, I admit badly put, based on the fact that expectations can affect how you react to something when you finally experience it. If you expect a thing to be awful & it's not, you like it more than if you expected great things, but it didn't quite reach the mark.

I was suggesting jokingly (& badly) that all the people who have been condemning the new album without even hearing it (& I'm NOT one of them) were trying to protect themselves by giving it a chance to be better than their expectations.

Point taken! And I am sure your contribution will be one of the highlights though I would rather hear you play it!

Dave, I wasn't serious, merely being silly and using quotes from 2001 - A Space Odyssey!

If it's any consolation Andy,  I clocked it.  ;)

I haven't seen that film since around 1972!!! LOL

I think I was nervous about people not "getting", my comment anyway & was half-expecting to be called up on it. LOL

Which format do you think the album packaging is more likely to be? Considering a lot of Fairport's releases in the last couple of years have been Digipack, I would probably think that, but SoO was Jewel Case, as were all the studio CD releases prior to that.

do you know, i really couldnt give a toss
 happy Christmas

It's here!!  :D

http://www.fairportconvention.com/catalogue.php?cmsCategoryID=9&DisplayType=DisplayCatContents

Just been listening to all the clips. Doesn't sound too bad, though more folk than rock. Red Shoes track Celtic Moon seems to work well, though it is a wonderful track and I do prefer Caz's vocals.

Hmmm. Sounds from the clips as though it could lose 3 or 4 tracks. Simon sounding strangely like the lead singer from Great Big Sea on a couple of vocals. Potentially one of their stronger recent efforts though subject to appropriate use of the skip button.

It reminded me, oddly, a lot of Jewel in the Crown, especially the funky bass from Deep Egg on Albert & Jack.

Jane will be happy. She guessed "Celtic Moon" over my "Something Wicked". I'll go have a listen.


Edit - Pleasantly surprised, quite like the sound of tracks 1 and 5

It's not here. Feb 1st....

I know, but you can pre-order and listen to samples.

It's all sounding good. Only one track with a Leccy as far as I can tell, but never mind.
And Darkside Wood is on there! Chris While! Ahh!!

Ordered!  And I'm back in the UK on 3rd Feb for my parents' Golden Wedding celebrations.  Timing couldn't be better!

As soon as Ralph wrote and sung Wild Cape Horn, I knew at sometime it would become a Fairport song, so suited to their style, great song.  :) At Ralph's 60th birthday celebration, Peggy played mandolin and it sounded really good.

 Don't feel the same about them covering Ralph's London Apprentice tho.  :-\

That is one of the tracks that I think will get skipped based on the clips.

We can't even begin to tell you how chuffed we are and have been busting our buttons to tell you. It's an honour and a privilege to have one of your songs recorded by your "music heroes" and musicians you have respected since you were a teen. John Gale has done a great job on the production and I know all FC fans will agree with this ;D

C & M x

Huge congrats to you both... brilliant stuff!!  

:-* :-*

Track 8 will not be played by me. Sorry and all that, but it's just too twee.

...agreed but then again 'twee' sums up quite a few songs in recent years.  :-\ Good we can hear taster clips though these days to give us an idea.

I have ordered it and apart from the stuff I heard on the Youtube clips from Denmark, I won't be listening to the samples so as not to spoil the fun. I'll wait until I put the disc in the CD-player to review the tracks.
Btw, I don't think I could avoid buying any musical output from the band.  :)

Congrats you two! well done  ;D

General comment on the album - too much bloomin' mando again  >:( some brilliant funky bass from Peggy tho!

Order it on CD? How quaint.  ;D

Glad to see they haven't let us down with having a maritime theme song or two! ;D

It's a good point, well made. Even a late adopter like me is looking at that list and thinking "Do I really need another 14 songs, half of which I'll probably end up skipping through. Why can't I just have that one, that one and that one?"

Is the photo of the 'Festival Bell' the proper album cover? Or is the cover art not finished yet?

Just got done listening to the previews, I think it has a great overall sound. Probably a few too many tracks, as someone already mentioned, but its a new album by my favorite group, thats always good news.

Earlier in this thread folks were talking about Fairport's lack of a real edginess these days, and something I always wondered (and forgive me if this has been mentioned here before), but way back when Chris joined he was playing a little electric guitar, such as on Spanish Main. I have wondered why they didn't explore a rougher, two player electric sound. It not being Chris's main instrument could have actually helped give it an edgier sound IMO, but maybe I'm alone in thinking that. I too, do not mind a little effects from Ric for that reason, it gives it a little edge I think is helpful. Cozy is nice...but sometimes a little danger can go a long way.

Haven't had a chance to hear the extract yet but when i heard it on Ralph's album I thought it would suit Simon. I presume that Simon sings it?

Does anyone know if the album will be on emusic or itunes?

It may be, but I have heard band members speak of being burnt by mp3 "sales" in the past, so, doubtful.

No, I have no idea of details.

Just so I can transfer it on to a cassette for my Walkman!  ;)

a happy, happy girl I am....it's been a year or two since being in the 'chat room' with Bob B and James SFTBH,  I think, and discussing Richard Shindell. I confessed that one of my musical fantasies was Simon singing RS's 'Reunion Hill'!! and now some magical music magi has seen to it for me  ;D  I shall order as an early birthday gift to myself....and start putting together lists of some other long held wishes, since I seem to have the ear of the universe at the moment----well, with a very long lead time ;)

Just listened to the preview clips and checked out some of the full-length tracks from their acoustic gig in Denmark on YouTube. It's all pretty much what I expected, very comfy and smooth, nothing to grab me, nothing that demands I play it again and again.

But the title track itself made me laugh out loud ;D I know it's a Leslie original, but it's almost more Chris Leslie than Chris Leslie; the lyrics actually sound like someone doing a deliberate pisstake of CL's style. Do you know what I mean? It's like somebody studied CL's songs to work out his formula and then wrote something that exaggerates that formula for parodic effect.

Clips all sound great to me!!
First Fairport Album in 4 years years and all those negative comments BEFORE its even released!!
Not enough guitar, too many songs, too comfy, blah blah blah.
Give the bloody thing a chance!!!

Blah, blah, and indeed, blah.

Andy: that does appear to have been sorted at last so the album will be downloadable (in whole and in part) in due course. Can't be specific in terms of date yet but it will be made plain on the website.

Could you be more specific?

;D

Could you be more specific?
[/quote]

Apparently a number of discussions which can be summarised as Not enough guitar, too many songs, too comfy counts as blah blah blah. Whereas "It all sounds good to me" is clearly as insightful as anything Kenneth Tynan might have committed to print.

Although were this from Tynan, he'd have inserted the f-word, no doubt.

 ;D

and if anyone wants to know what Skirky and I admire so much in a dead critic, see http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/11828/kenneth-tynan/the-actor-and-the-moor.html

Now, back to the topic, is this album shipping yet? On sale at gigs?

I probably did not phase my original comment above correctly, think I should have put :-

Clips all sound great to me!!
First Fairport Album in 4 years years and all those negative comments BEFORE its even released!!
Not enough guitar, too many songs, too comfy, etc etc etc
Give the bloody thing a chance!!!

sorry for any confusion but in my defence it was late at night.

I still think all the clips sound great to me!!

It appears to be ready to ship (http://www.fairportconvention.com/catalogue.php?cmsCategoryID=9&DisplayType=DisplayCatContents)
I'm going to wait for the download-only version ...

Can't wait to get my hands on it  ;D

Only just ordered, so may be a bit late in sharing my view.

I predict that the people who like the direction of post-Maart Fairport will like it, and the people who don't, won't.

Do I win £5?

No.

Let's cut out the pointless predictions and wait for the real thing, eh?

Please?

I don't think it's unfair to make a play on the general feel of the album based on the 14 sample clips available. Or to make a lighthearted comment about it.

Or, indeed, the full-length live versions of the new songs that are available on YouTube from that gig in Denmark.

Andy - in your heart of hearts, and ignoring all that "give it a chance" malarkey, do you really believe that the people who haven't particularly liked the direction of the last 15 years are going to change their minds on the basis of the new album, given that it sounds very very very very very very much like the rest of the output over the last 15 years?

You could well be right.

Yeah, who do I make the cheque out to?    ;)

Has anyone received the CD yet?  We haven't but that could be due to our post.  Or is Gareth still playing army with the boxes?

I've had trouble with you before Katy's Mum.  You don't get post on a Sunday!!!!!   ;)

Good point Pete! ;D  I guess I'll just have to be more patient ...

Good luck!   ;)

Nothing today :(