TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Celebrating 45 years of Fairport Convention(s) I've only been listening to this album for a few days, but I think it's possibly the best album I've heard for a while, both technically in terms of the recording and production and in terms of musicianship. (I haven't listened to Babbacombe Lee Live yet!) Congratulations to John Gale on a superb job.

Many classics are revisited here, but in particular, at my first hearing of "Fotheringay" I felt my heart leap with joy at hearing such a well-done reworking of a classic song. My love of this version has not lessened with subsequent hearing. BD would have loved it.

By contrast, and only diminished by the distinguished company, "Meet On The Ledge" is restrained, dignified and muted, which is, I suppose a return to its original lilt, but not what we've grown used to in recent years. Beautiful, still.

So, thanks Simon et al, a brilliant celebration of 45 years. Long may you continue.



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Really looking forwards to hearing this - I've decided to wait until the Crosby gig on the Wintour before obtaining my copy, along with JBL live.

I bought the CD at the Basingstoke gig last week, and opened it immediately to play "Farewell farewell" on the way home, as it had been such a standout song during the concert. I agree with Andy that "Fotheringay" is excellent.

I'm going to order another copy for a friend who is going to come to Cropredy for the first time this year; I was going to make her a compilation to give her a flavour of what the current Fairport sound like, but they have done the job for me very admirably!

I was hoping for / expecting a lot, but this album is even better.
Very well done, chaps.
Thank you

I hope to have it for my birthday tomorrow... can't wait  8)

An annual event then ?

And you're getting a copy of the CD as well Jen................??  ::) ::)

My copy arrived today. Loved it. I think this is probably the best CD to give to someone to introduce them to Fairport.

"Lest we forget"  ;) ::)

Just to say, fabulous album, its never off the player atm. Musical arrangements are superb and these old songs are 'Fairport' to me. The mix of voices sound great too.  {:-)

When I saw the lads at Chichester, my wife happened to inform them that I was the one who won the competition to predict the tracks on the album. They then announced this from the stage and added that as much of the evening was based around the album they would look upon the gig as my own command performance.
A proud (and somewhat embarrasing) moment :)

I love it!!!

How wonderful! ;D ;D  I hope you enjoyed it!

The album is revied in this month's Uncut and gets a highly respevtable 8 out of ten rating

Well guess I will have to be the first to cast anything like a dissenting vote. Preface that by saying, yeah, the guys right, 8 out of 10 is about right.
Why only 13 tracks covering 55 minutes? I mean there might be a perfectly good reason, none of my damn business, sound quality concerns though I doubt that one. My memory holds that 20 tracks were voted on, but...that is my memory.
Some small disapointment in the fact that 85 to 90 per cent of it are things that are either regular players in the setlist of the past 25 or more years, or are not strangers. I understand that this is what we voted on, many things I voted on, and all sorts of different instrumentations, particularly notable on that sort of chorale version of Farewell Farewell and the Matty take. Loved Walk Awhile as the opener, the last word in apropos.
I find stark similarities to Tull's Christmas Album in that there are excellent reinterpretations of many of my best loved Fairport tracks, as there had been with Tulls, sort of emphacizing their Songs From The Wood period, while mining for yuletide flavored tracks. I would certainly recommend using this fine Fairport set as a pointer to the originals, part of the problem with this sort of undertaking being many of the tracks represented, say, Fotheringay, or, nearly half the set probably, the original versions are that rare case of a perfect song being reached, it will not be improved upon. Having said that I have to believe Sandy was smiling hearing Simon's take on Fotheringay, to my less than encyclopedic knowledge that is a first, a tad surprising as it seems such a good fit for his voice.
I will say what remains a lower case mystery to me, possibly I rate it higher than others, is why no release of, in both audio and video, of the reconvening of 69 FC a few years ago, Liege and Lief? To me the goldest of the gold stars in the past quarter century, nearly of anything musical, for me, for instance, a little higher appeal by degrees than the LZ show a few years ago, though a couple ticks behind Ian Anderson current tour, even though I have not seen it yet!
To my knowledge that FC show has not been commercially released, of course filmed and recorded professionally, thank goodness. Hearing them go into Come All Ye is still about as high as I get musically. I am under no delusion that it would move substantial units, though I suspect likely double their normal releases, dunno. In fact many famous records from that period, like L and L, were they released today, may well receive zero airplay.

20 tracks were voted for, and Fairport said they would record a selection, which they have done.

The Liege & Lief set at Cropredy was not released because Smooth Operations (or the BBC, or both) own the rights to the recording.

how come everybody has cd's of it then ::)

I haven't... perhaps a lobby of Smooth Ops and/or the Beeb is in order?

Probably not.

My review of the 2 recent Fairport albums has finally gone up on SH:  
http://sleepinghedgehog.com/music/fairport-convention-by-popular-request-babbacombe-lee-live-again/