TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

... at a party or maybe an amateur show... which one would you choose?  And why?

(By "Fairport song", I mean any that has been recorded by the band, not necessarily written by any member(s)).

Possible a little left of field but:
Dark eyed Molly.

For reasons I am not going to go into. But it resonates with a big part of my life.  :o

The first song I ever sang in public at a folk club was "The Deserter".  I also performed Matty Groves at the same place with a friend, and also that song about the stuff that goes in the psychedelic jazz cigarettes.

I used to do "Sloth" when I was in a folk trio in the late seventies.  (By the way, we were called "Now Appearing" -- that way our name was everywhere!)

It would have to be Meet on the Ledge - I know, boring, but it's probably the only one I could remember the words to.

Polly On The Shore maybe - I have a deep voice.

Or The Deserter because I've played that one live a few times.

Jules

Meet on the Ledge
Those of us who had gone to Cropredy with him for 18 yrs,sang this at my best male mate's funeral last Nov. Nuff said.

Matty Groves, The Deserter (John Richards' not L&L), Genesis Hall and Now Be Thankful are all somewhere in my repertoire.

If I had a voice, "Fotheringay".

As part of  trio and then a duo I did the folk clubs back in the late 60s and very early 70s. Songs included I'll Keep It With Mine, I Don't Know Where I Stand and Decameron. Always wanted to sing The Deserter, but by that time our local club had closed, and in any case, I had become involved in the age-old game called courting.

So it would have to be The Deserter. If I ever dare to sing in public again that is...

I'd be completely shocked and surprised...as I'm a pretty rubbish singer really...  :-X

"Now Be Thankful" would be my nice...Not sure the general public would be quite so thankful though!... ;D

I have been known on occasions to sing "The Plainsman" and my parents like it so that is fine by me.

My all time fave fc song, suits my voice, never heard it live ...

Restless

DW

I have sung MOTL on stage.....(remember shirl?)

I would love to do the lady vanishes

Always had a soft spot for 'Summer Before The War'. I'd probably sing that.

I'm itching to have a crack at that one sometime...I just need to find that right key (I can't get up to where the young Swarb managed to venture!).

Jules

Usually a girly one, (apart from when Simon sings it) but I always enjoy singing WKWTTG

Now that one I'm definitely incapable of doing justice to!   :'(

Jules

with my mellifluous singing voice theres only one song for me - Dirty linen 8)

Being in the same boat as Jim.....but if I HAD a voice it would be Slip Jigs and Reels, one of my favorite Simon vocals. The other one would be Claudy Banks

Honour and Praise, but only because I know all the words. I would need Maart-era Fairport as a backing band of course  ;)

Robert and Bridgwit have nominated two of my shortlist:

Claudy Banks because it comes from my home county and always feels a bit special as a result.

Honour & Praise just because it is a great song to sing and I can't resist accompanying the CD

The Journeyman's Grace for the same reason or

How Many Times just because it is fun and comfortably in my key.

Given the choice though I will race Bridgwit to the karaoke machine for a punt at Honour & Praise.

I sang 'Matty Groves' at a friend's 50th birthday with the folk duo who were playing, and an 'all-star for the evening' Meet On The Ledge as the last song.

I also sang 'Si Tu Dois Partir' after too many bottles of wine at a campsite in the South of France where my Yorkshire/French accent was a thing of much amusement.

Rising for the Moon was part of a repertoire I sang in a duo with a young lady who's voice hid mine
there are a number that I practice but to date have not aired in public

DaveP

Yes Bill, I remember.  ;D  When I used to sing at a local open mic night (now defunct - I wonder why?) my favourites included A Sailor's Life, WKWTTG, Crazy Man Michael and I Don't Know Where I Stand. Happy days.  8)

Hmm... since this is hypothetical, I won't worry too much about what might be physically possible, even if someone was crazy enough to ask me to sing...  Honour and Praise would be up there for me, as would a couple of possibly left field items - She's Like The Swallow and Sailing Boat.  Now Be Thankful too.  There could be so many others.  But I think tonight, for a bit of fun, I will go for...

The Eynsham Poacher

Wow! A really broad choice so far... having a relatively deep voice, anything sung by Swarb, Chris, Sandy or Judy would probably sound pretty grim if attempted by me, so my #1 choice would be:

Close to the Wind

(Though I'd also have a stab at Matty)  ;)

Vocal capabilities and audience forebearance assumed to be at their maximum thresholds then I'd love to crack out Quiet Joys of Brotherhood.

Thats what his Lordship thought too after catching him del flagrante ;)

 :)

My 1st choice could then be defined as being caught "in delecto flatulante".

I think I would have to stand onstage and announce that I was going to perform "Sir B. McKenzie's Daughter's Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancer's Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie" in the hope that people would be so busy laughing they'd fail to spot that I wasn't actually singing...

Polly on the Shore for me also - or another Trevor Lucas vocal as I too have a deep singing voice.

Would 'Marijuana Australiana' count as a Fairport song? I think its been done at Croppers....

Well it worked  ;D ;D

Wow, that is such a fantastic song! Have sung it alone at home - don't think I would have the bottle to try in in public. LOL!!  ::)

Doctor of Physick, because it fits my range well, and I love playing/singing the song as it is.

They're like that down south...

Shirl has reminded me that I have been known to sing "Crazy Man Michael" too, but I need a couple more Bailey Sisters with me.

Not that I ever would be-as I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket -but a left field choice -To Althea from prison.

It would probably be "The Bonny Black Hare".  
I don't even own the album that it's on, but a friend of mine had it in the seventies. The lyrics are rather spicy, as you might know, and maybe it was that, that made me remember them.
Even now, not having heard the song for a very long time, I can sing most verses without missing a word. And I do, sometimes, when I'm alone in my car..

--
greeting from Holland,
Hans Valk

That made me smile... Thats just what I used to do. Nobody can hear, and if they see me pulling faces, I don't even know.    ;D