TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

All, I was reading Dan's post from a few years back regarding Fairport Convention's top 10 albums and genuinely enjoyed reading the many responses. It made me curious then, especially now that the band is rearranging and re-recording selected classics for the upcoming anniversary CD, what album tracks everyone would select as the truly essential Fairport Convention studio performances between 1985 and now?

Personal favourite albums for me include Gladys' Leap, Jewel in the Crown, Over The Next Hill and Festival Bell, in particular, Mercy Bay from Festival Bell is an incredible piece of work. Individual tracks that stand out are Travelling by Steam, Naked Highwayman, Honour and Praise, John Gaudie, Wait for the Tide to Come In, Danny Jack's Reward, My Love is in America, Spanish Main, Dangerous, Wood and the Wire, The Hiring Fair,  there are many more but just too many to mention.

My top 5 of the post-85 stuff (in no particular order)

1. The Hiring Fair
2. Red & Gold
3. The Islands
4. Mercy Bay
5. Rui's Guitar

(I would also add a latter-day version of Meet on the Ledge to any post-85 compilation. Much as I like the 60s era albums the original recording of Meet on the Ledge doesn't quite capture the full glory of the song's evolution)

  :o     Crikey, that's one hell of a statement!    :-X

But one I would agree with. It can be argued that the original recording is the definitive version but it did not last long in the band's live repertoire and was more or less disowned by its author. It was only when the post 85 line up returned to it and installed it as the permanent end piece to their live performances that it attained the status in Fairport lore that it now enjoys. The re-recording on In Real Time represents the arrangement that most people are familiar with from those live performances.

And on the 80s MOTL recording Simon's vocals are absolutely magnificent and perfect for the song. I can't think of any other instance where I prefer a latterday Fairport re-recording to a 60s original - but in the case of MOTL I think it's true.

"In Real Time" will always be close to my heart. It was after all my introduction to Fairport's music, and led me to searching further...


"Meet On The Ledge" is the benchmark studio version as far as I am concerned, along with "The Hiring Fair", "Big Three" Medley:The Swirling Pit, Matty Groves, The Rutland Reel/Sack The Juggler"...

Also ace front cover shot of Cropredy 1987  :).... Made me realise just what I'd been missing out on for all these years.... :'(

 :o  Nope, you ain't gonna convince me.   ;D

Whilst I agree with the above statement, I, personally, think the full glory of the song lies in the original.  It's subtle understated beauty means it remains, for me, the clear definitive recorded version of the song.

I think that hits the nail on the head. It depends whether you are looking for understated & beauty or powerful & anthemic. In terms of this particular song I'm swayed by the latter.

Best studio songs chosen with criteria of strength of song writing plus production (not counting Old, New, Blue):

Honour & Praise
Hiring Fair
Portmeirion
Red and Gold
Wounded Whale
Jewel
Traveling by Steam
Naked Highwayman
Slip Jigs & Reels
John Gaudie
Spanish Main
Wood & Wire
Banbury Fair
Rocky Road
My Love is in America
I'm Already There
Mercy Bay
Reunion Hill

Notice nothing from Sense of Occasion? Thought it was a weak album, but did not realize how weak until I tried to think of a deserving song...

Come on Hawkwood's Army is worthy of a mention, a bit Wat Tyler but not bad. Also Willow Creek and Westward are pretty good from Over the Next Hill.

Hawkwood's recorded sound: bleh. Fussy, I know, but the drums sound dead to me.

Watt Tyler much better live on 30th Croppers Box IMHO.

Willow Creek? Perhaps, yes.

Glad to hear someone else likes The Islands.  That is a great favourite of mine, and I don't know why it never got into the live show (leastwise, I have never heard it played live).  I could say the same for a couple of other of my post-85 favourites, such as She's Like the Swallow and Sailing Boat...

Cheers Dan. Good stuff.. and a few of my favorites as well. I was thinking what if I wanted to turn people on to modern ('85 - current) Fairport Convention, what tracks would I want them to hear? How Many Times, Honour and Praise, The Hiring Fair, The Rutland Reel/Sack the Juggler, The Cat on the Mixer/Three Left Feet, Meet On the Ledge (In Real Time), Red and Gold, SlipJigs and Reels, A Surfeit of Lampreys, The Naked Highwayman, The Islands, Red Tide, Lalla Rookh, John Gaudie, The Bowman's Retreat, Spanish Main, The Golden Glove, Slipology, The Wood and the Wire, The Good Fortunes, Rocky Road, My Love Is In America, The Happy Man, Portmeirion, The Crowd, Everything But the Skirl, Hawkwood's Army, OTNH, Wait For the Tide to Come In, Canny Capers, Willow Creek, Mercy Bay, Rui's Guitar, Danny Jack's Chase, Reunion Hill, Danny Jack's Reward, Closing Time.  ;D

Good point Al. I first heard the re-recorded version off of the 12" picture sleeve release on Island. It wasn't until I bought up all of the albums that I became familiar with the original... which remains my favorite.

I certainly heard Sailing Boat played live at least twice. I remember praying for it to end, so I guess it's not as big a favourite of mine as it is of yours ....  ;)

I thought that was a mark of respect to Martin Lamble after it was played at his funeral.

Most of In real Time
Wounded Whale
Dangerous
Red and Gold
Jewel in the Crown

and Milltown Maid which was on Maarts first solo album but played live regularly.

What Glen said about In Real Time is identical for me-it will always have the association of being my first Fairport album (and one I believe I wore two cassettes out of before getting on cd).

I will put a qualifier on myself of only 10 songs, otherwise it could be endless. I am firmly in the Festival Bell= strong album, so not including anything from it. In new particular order-

The Hiring Fair
Jewel In The Crown
Slip Jigs and Reels
Red and Gold
Claudy Banks
John Gaudie
My Love Is In America
The Wood and the Wire
Portmeirion
Woodworm Swing
Over The Next Hill

I'm still playing my cherished vinyl copy of "In Real Time" Robert....

It still sounds great, but I really ought to search around for a CD one of these days. They seem to command pretty high prices though.... :o

Ah...but do you have a cherished vinyl copy of "Historia del Rock?' Its actually just Tippler's Tales, but it was my first vinyl Fairport purchase. I've seen others of these over the years-just big 70's fabulous lettering with Historia del Rock and the name of whatever band done for some label in Spain I believe.

It really was a good album though for a newbie as I was at the time. Despite the joke of the nature of "live" it has held up well over the years IMHO.

Robert - I agree that In Real Time has held up over the years. I find myself going back for a listen quite often. It was my 3rd Fairport purchase back in my newbie days. First was the 25th Anniversary 2-CD set, followed by the Meet On the Ledge 12", and then, In Real Time. Quickly went on to try and get my hands on anything & everything since! So many great songs - so many years of great music.

One song which I think sounds great on the album if from ONBB

Lallaf Rookh

and gives an insight as to how a Leslie / Allcock writing partnership might have been.

Can agree with several sentimentsviewed in this topic, but here are my favourites in no particular order. Probably due to my age, I seem to choose according to :the older the better!  ;)

  Honour and Praise
  Jewel in the Crown
  Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
  The Wood & The Wire
  The Deserter
  Some Special Place

runners-up:
  I'm already There
  Hawkwood´s Army
 

I would like to take this opportunity to state that Old New Borrowed Blue is one of my favourite FC albums.Thanks.

What did you think of Acoustically Down Under? I thought it was quite a good representation of Acoustic Fairport.

Don't actually have it in my mits at the mo,although it is in my watch list on ebay.

Might as well list my fave tracks while i'm on

1.Hiring Fair
2.Portmeirion
3.Innstück
4.Dark-Eyed Molly
5.Sock In It
6.Ginnie
7.The Wounded Whale
8.Jewel In The Crown
9.A Surfeit Of Lampreys
10.The Naked Highwayman
11.Woodworm Swing
12.Aunt Sally Shuffle
13.There Once Was Love / Innstück
14.Mr Sands Is In The Building
15.Lalla Rookh
16.John Gaudie
17.The Bowman's Retreat
18.Spanish Main - another Leslie/Allcock composition.
19.The Wood And The Wire
20.My Love Is In America
21.The Light Of Day
22.I'm Already There
23.Willow Creek
24.Keep On Turning The Wheel
25.Hawkwood's Army

Pretty much all of the Festival Bell album, although doing this I've noticed I don't really like any song with London in the title.

IMHO Acoustically Down Under is fine...but its essentially Old, New, Borrowed Blue Part 2....with a lot of the same material. The live stuff on ONBB sounds a lot better, there is a better quality to the recording. Plus the 7 studio cuts are all really strong, especially Lalla Rookh.

Liking that Lallah Rookh is a popular choice - please play that and Spanish Main more often,FC.

That was the song that got me into Fairport, I think. Bought a folk compilation of various artists in the mid 90s and that was one of the tracks on it, and I liked it and decided to investigate further. Nice song, do they ever do it live?

Spanish Main goes back to that desire of mine to see Chris and Simon work on a little twin electric guitar sound. I have said on here before I know its not Chris' main instrument, but I think they gave up on the idea of this too soon. It would be great to hear a rougher edge, but we've had this discussion before  ;D

Lallah Rookh is an excellent song....since they did practically every other nautical song in their repertoire at Cropredy this year they should have thrown that one in too!  :)

I wish I could find a live recording of Maart playing Spanish Main,I think they only played it on the winter tour once and maybe Cropredy one year.There is a live version with Chris on Cropredy '98 of course.
I've said before on this forum that my fave Fairport Fantasy (folks) - is for Chris and Maart to write a whole concept album of nautical tunes for a six man FC with those two songs included along with one about a hanging to make it the opposite of Babbacombe Lee.  :D

Hmmmm... best studio tracks from 1985 to now... off the top of my head, my favorites include:

Light of Day
Instrumental Medley '85
Gold
Heart of the Song
I'm Already There
Over the Falls
Hawkwood's Army
Untouchable
Dangerous
Portmeirion
Surfeit of Lampreys
Red Tide

I know the band used to perform Ginnie live in 1991, but I don't think it's been tackled by the current lineup.

How Many Times
Hiring Fair
Widow of Westmoreland's Daughter (Real Time version)
Wounded Whale
Jewel in the Crown
Naked Highwayman
John Gaudie
Spanish Main
The Wood and the Wire
Rocky Road
My Love is in America

Honour and Praise is by far my favourite post 1985 recording.  

Honourable (and Praiseworthy) mentions to Hiring Fair; Portmeirion; Jewel In The Crown; John Gaudie; My Love Is In America; The Light Of Day; Hawkwood's Army; Red and Gold; Closing Time; Game Pieces; Already There; Reunion Hill; Rui's Guitar and Mercy Bay

At the other end of the scale - I absolutely can't abide 'Travelling By Steam', which I note has had a few supporters on this thread.  Opinions make the world go round, I suppose, as I also recall that 'The Game Pieces' is not universally liked! ;)