TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Ok heres one to ponder. We know Fairport's er....chart history (Simon-We'd like to do a medley of our hit), but what is the greatest chart position that any member of Fairport past or present has been associated with? Lets say any countries chart. I am going to guess I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. Any other contenders?

don't know either song's top number, but surely Iain M's "Woodstock" gets that honour?

Was Bruce on Joe Cockers number one?

Which Fairport member(s) played with The Proclaimers?

I would put Promise Me by Beverley Craven well up there.

 

Which Fairporter played on that pile of old tosh?

Jules

Mr Donahue I believe

googling the answers to all of these...

Proclaimers 500 miles reached no 11 in the UK charts but Jerry Donohue and Dave Mattacks played on their next album, not that song

MSC Woodstock reached no 1 in the UK charts

Maart Alcock played on Beverly Craven's Promise Me

How about Gez, Morning has Broken from Cat Stevens Teaser & the Firecat. The song got as high as number six in the USA pop charts. It also reached top spot in the US easy listening chart.
Peace Train from the same album reached number seven in the billboard hot one hundred in the US

Didnt Simon appear on it?

Sandy with Led Zep ;D

Not a playing member, but Joe Boyd responsible for Duelling Banjos (despite trying to distance himself from it - White Bicycles), which was a worldwide hit - maybe not number one everywhere, but must be about top-grossing I would have thought

DM's on it too, I believe !

Dave Mattacks and the wonderful XTC, on the equally fabulous "Nonsuch" of 1992... :)

Alas...I'm not sure it worried the charts too much!... :-\

But a quick google reveals it to have reached Number 1 on the "Rolling Stone" college album chart!... ::)

Glen

Just had a quick look at DM's discography, there's a plethora of chart success :
http://www.dmattacks.co.uk/main_fr.htm

I hope they're proud.   ;D

Jules

no prouder men in the queue at the bank, when they deposited their cheques from the lovely Bev

Nomber 1 for three weeks in October 1970

Gotta pay the bills somehow, and it wasn't that bad!!

Also featured Rick Wakeman on keyboards.

Paul

Money can't buy you integrity, Jim.

And yes it was, Billy.  It was toe-curlingly awful saccharine dreck.

Jules

The honour must go to DM musn't it, if only for consistency of success. Elton John's Nikita alone must have shifted several million copies.

but it does pay mortgages, allow you and your family to eat and perhaps fund FC related activities

Yes.  Yes, it can do all those things.

Jules

And I understood at the time that Beverley C was one of the very first people to put her hand up to take part in the SwarbAid event.

Personally, I love the song, but as I'm a girl, and was in a long-distance relationship at the time, that's probably understandable.

I guess I should never post so late in the evening because of course I knew about Iain Matthews Woodstock...D'oh!! Beverly Craven I know by name only. The Proclaimers Sunshine On Leith shows Jerry and DM playing on it (DM with an asterisk for his songs as there are two drummers listed). Jerry played throughout the album I had thought, most notably his solo on Then I Met You.

In any case, thanks everyone

I saw Simon in Beverley Craven's band when I took my first wife to see her.

All in all a very enjoyable evening it was too!

RT contributed acoustic guitar to "Not the Only One" (by Paul Brady), which reached No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in 1992 for the lovely Miss Bonnie Raitt.

Were DM & Peggy involved in "Star Trekkin'"? I have a vague recollection of that song being recorded by Matt Clifford and "friends" - was it during downtime while they were working on Cathy LeSurf's album?

I'd love to know if this is true!

Jules

I just looked on wikipedia - no mention of DM and Peggy, but the 'brains' behind it, one John O'Connor, worked with Maddy Prior!

 ::)

I think so far DM with Elton on Nikita would be the biggest.

At risk of reviving old flames, I was checking through record collection today and Pat Donaldson is on the first Beverley Craven record along with the other three,and Simon and Maart are on the second one too. I think the abuse is a touch over the top: she writes her own material, and they're decent enough songs, if not quite Bob Dylan, and its all nicely played so on... If you listen to the TOTP repeats they've been putting out on the TV lately and recall what utter dross used to make the charts in the "good old days" then to my mind there's nothing to be ashamed of in her material at all.

I saw Beverley Craven sing Promise Me at the Albert Hall. Her singing was beautifully phrased and melodic,  her piano playing sublime and she is tall, slim and gorgeous. I'm sure it was no hardship accompanying her!

Not my kind of music, but a fine performer none the less...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVPismcJ1VU

Was not Bruce involved in Je Suis Un Rock Star by Bill Wyman.

Yes.

And John O'Connor is on Cathy's LP - pic on the back sleeve of him, DM, Peggy, Matt Clifford & Cathy...