TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Somebody posted some old Cropredy photos in another topic (off topic) and said we should start a new topic about that, but didn't.
So here we are.

So this is the nostalgia topic for photos and comments about Cropredy Festival and Fairport 2004 or earlier.  

Usual rules:
No hot linking and no links.
Please add a comment to explain the photos.
Don't send them all at once, so that people have time to look and comment.

2004 chosen to give the newbies a chance. (Only ten years  ;D)

I'm guessing 1997


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Oo thanks Colin. I'm on the cusp, as it were, so very much look forward to looking backwards at other's memories of all those years of Cropredys I missed :)

Was that the stage that had a big overhang - if you were at the front you kept dry.

DW

Yep...great for photographers too

A list of my Cropredy highlights 1990 - 2002 (couldn't make '03 or '04 - so good cut off point, Colin.)

1990: My first. The third time I'd seen Fairport that year, and the fifth time overall. I knew pretty much none of the music on offer over the two days, apart from F.C and The (Bootleg) Beatles material, but I enjoyed it all, and took my first steps towards learning about and enjoying more 'folk' oriented music.
Highlights: Julianne Regan, and Gary Brooker guesting with Fairport. Gary singing 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' marked the first in a long list of my all time favourite music being performed before my very ears, often as a surprise, and that became one of my favourite aspects of the festival.
Bonus: No bottles of widdle hitting me on the head, as had become common at rock festivals.

1991: The first time I had that 'I'm back home feeling' and already felt like a bit of a veteran. I loved those early days of no music on the Thursday, where you could just chill out, wonder down to the village at your leisure, visit the pubs and enjoy the company of complete strangers who were also old friends at the same time, or just relax in the camping field listening to penny whistles, guitars and singing from the campers. It seemed also the norm in those days, that if someone was playing recorded music on a portable stereo, it was either Fairport, Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. Which was nice.
Highlights:Julianne Regan, and Andy Fairweather-Lowe - Bend Me, Shape Me and Wide Eyed And Legless took me back to childhood, sitting by the stereogram and absorbing music like nobody's business. The major highlight was 'getting' Richard Thompson. He'd played the year before acoustically, but this year, with a band, I became a fan. I can even remember the song when it happened....'I Misunderstood.'

1992:  :o The best Cropredy ever ?? Certainly a contender. Friday night - Richard Thompson and Fairport with guests Julianne Regan And Robert Plant!!!!! The first time I'd ever seen Plant perform, the first time I'd ever seen Zeppelin material played, and one of the songs was my favourite, 'Ramble On'. Awesome! And that was just the Friday!
At this point in time, I was only familiar with the Sandy era and the Maart/DM line up of course, and the Saturday was my education about all the bits I didn't know. My first time of seeing Swarb with Swarbrick And Carthy was followed by the recreation of as many line ups of Fairport as it was possible to gather together and I was spellbound. I also got my first 'Sloth' as far as I can recall. Magic. And much respect to Chris Leslie for standing in for the injured Ric.....oh and Eddie Yates of Coronation Street was a guest too. Surreal.


1993: Having had my knowledge of Fairport history expanded the previous year, I'd found out that I'd been listening to Fairport alumni for years on albums by John Martyn and Loudon Wainwright III and others, without knowing it,before getting into Fairport themselves, and it was a treat to see John Martyn's musical partner Danny Thompson playing with R.T. on the Friday, and Leningrad Cowboys were brilliant fun following. Fairport's set gave us Robert Plant again (no surprise this time because we'd heard 'Misty Mountain Hop' being sound checked) and Roy Wood - more childhood memories from The Move and Wizzard...fantastic...but there wasn't much F.C time left...however, they did manage to surprise me with another favourite...Everything But The Girl's 'I Didn't Know I Was Looking For Love'.

1994: Following complaints about the lack of Fairport in the set last year there were no major guests this time, but there was a little section where Fairport played the intros to various Who songs, including a stonking 'Won't Get Fooled Again', which actually went into the song for a verse and a chorus, much to the delight of the audience...shame they stopped. This year was the first year that I got excited about the rest of the bill, which was pretty proggy, featuring Roy Harper, Man and Blodwyn Pig, plus a dream come true for me, Lindisfarne. Tower Struck Down were very good in a Levellers sort of style on the Friday.
Highlights:All of Lindisfarne, but especially 'Lady Elanor', Roy Harper and F.C 'When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease.'

1995: 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' hit Cropredy again this year, as Procol Harum played a full set, much to my delight. Vikki Clayton payed with the remaining members of Fothringay and Doug Morter under the name The Nerve, playing a set largely made up of Fothringay numbers, Thompsons Richard and Danny returned, but it was the during the partnership with Roy Wood during F.C's set, that produced two of this years highlights - a brilliant version of 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight', and 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' as heard on F.C's 'WKWTTG' album. Another guest was very talented and really nice bloke - Joe Brown..so we got 'A Picture Of You' as a surprise.

1996: This years fest saw R.T return with a band and somewhere in his set, he played the most jaw dropping solo I've ever seen by ANYBODY EVER. It was during 'Night Comes In', I think, and was nominated by a reader of Mojo as one of the top 100 guitar solos ever played. Before him was Edward II, familiar to me, because by now I was attending folk festivals and I loved the folk/reggae idea. Marvellous. Show Of Hands were another band I'd come across...and they're not rubbish are they? Joe Brown played a full set and brought along Sam, (Mr Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter), and she guested with F.C, singing her huge hit 'Stop!' and 'Shoorah,Shoorah' two more favourites of mine.

1997: The first Cropredy to feature Chris Leslie as a full time member was another anniversary year, and another run through of the history of the band, this time stretching back to the first album and featuring Jude on Time Will Show The Wiser. It was scorching hot that year, and I had to hide under a blanket during the last show of the acoustic Albion Band (featuring Chris as supersub again) for fear of being burnt to a crisp. I managed to last long enough to see Eliza Carthy, but had to retire to some shade, missing Ottway and Barret in the process. Other notable acts that year were Osibisa and Kristina Olsen, who was the first performer I had never previously been aware of, that I bought CDs by as a result of the Cropredy performance.
Bonus: Being 'directed' by Ken Russell for a documentary on folk music.

1998: Top bands for me were returnees Edward II and Roy Wood, but the biggest thrill was seeing Loudon Wainwright III for the first time, and also his guest appearance with Fairport when they played 'I Wish I Was A Lesbian'.

1999: Absolutely sodden....field two was closed for camping, and we were directed to seven. The year I nearly committed violence upon bad neighbours. R.T in true Rain God mode, it peed it down, and during 'I'll Dry My Tears And Move On', I knew that the relationship I was in with the person who I was at the festival with was over. So...if it was my mood, rather than R.T, that was creating the cruddy weather, I apologise to you all. The end of an era in many ways that year.

2000: By contrast...glorious sunshine, the first time I'd been on my own, a new century and three days of music for the first time. One of my favourite years - All About Eve, Robert Plant's Priory Of Bryon, and Stackridge were my top acts. I'd seen Robin Williamson and Mike Heron solo and was looking forward to the Incredible String Band....not one of the best gigs I have ever seen. Other high points were Eddi Reader singing 'Perfect' and the special surprise guest Supertramp's Roger Hodgson, which added 'Give A Little Bit' to my list of favourite songs performed in that field, along with 'Logical Song' and 'Breakfast In America'. These were remarkable performances anyway, but Roger told us that Fairport had learned them from the records, and they had not actually played them together until that moment. Peggy at this time, used to wear sparkly baseball caps which he would throw into the audience at the end of F.C's show. I know I was grinning my head off throughout the weekend and especially during the lads set, and me and Peggy had eye contact a lot that year. I swear he was trying to throw his cap to me. I got hold of it, but it was snatched away.....shame...it was black with gold stars - or was it purple with white stars? Nevermind...a vintage year.

2001: The biggest regret I have from my Cropredy years, was not actually watching Lonnie Donegan, I was tired that night and as I was camped near the top of field 1, I retired to my tent to listen instead. I never had the chance to see him again, as he died just over twelve months later...but that inspired me to make my must see list, which I finally completed with the Stones in Hyde Park last year - until Kate announced dates. This year saw the guest appearance of  Ian Anderson, which was ironic for me, because a large section of the people I used to go to Cropredy with, were Tull fans who hoped every year that there might be a surprise appearance by the whole band. Once Peggy left Tull, they stopped going and missed him. This was my first time of seeing him and was my highlight of the weekend.

2002:  Another anniversary year, with lots of past members guesting. The Dige started here. Great blues ladies in Sarah Jory and Deborah Bonham, plus the Dubliners (who seemed to have stolen a set list from my old folk band and played all the songs we did), and Oysterband were other highlights. I wouldn't be able to return until 2005,by which time, things had changed again....but more of my favourite songs would still be performed in the years to come.

There aren't many mentions of Fairport on here - it's long enough as it is - with seeing them so many times at Cropredy and sometimes on the winter tour as well, it all turns into a blur....but I have never been disappointed by them. The vibe remains the same, though, and as I have said many times, I would rather be there in that field and village at that time, than anywhere else in the world.  

I think it was during 'Put It There Pal' and had a field of people standing awe struck in a tempest.

However there is a possibility that it was just a bloody racket. I know somebody who has a desk recording, but I don't want to hear it.
At the time it was magic and the greatest guitar solo ever played on British soil. They should put up a plaque.

And this was the moment we thought it was all over and one of the very last photos that qualifies for this topic.


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I have a recording of the 1996 show...but I daren't listen to it for fear of spoiling the memory...even though I may have got the song wrong. I'm glad other people had that moment. I was with the drummer from my band and we both turned to each other wide eyed and at exactly the same time said 'Flippin' heck!' , or perhaps something similar but a bit more fruity.

Once again, I may be being thick, but why was this the moment you thought it was all over?

Presumably 2004 and the Pegg split.

2004 MoTL

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Anybody want to guess the year and the bizarre event:


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Not sure about the year, but was this the moment when Maart revealed to Peggy the reason why he and Alan Davies have never been seen in the same room?  :)

 ;D Tee Hee Hee. Good one.

There was a year when a stunt pilot performed aerobatics above the field - that was pretty odd, or maybe the Indian circus performers year - one of the oddest acts ever at Cropredy. Can't remember the years though.

DW

Cheers Mike, covers everything and stops me having to write it!

The Indian fakir was in Musafir and it was '98 I think. We were down the front, well no big screens then and you have to watch a man walking on glass spinning a wooden cart wheel on his head haven't you?
Soz just checked, it was 2001. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be !

Musafir was 2001 apparently..


But you already know that.

Correct.



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My new BTF*!!





*Best thread forever

Well, that was me! Most of my photos feature camping and audience scenes, but here's one of a familiar looking bloke on stage. Think it was at a soundcheck, back when the audience was allowed in. None of my photos have dates attached to them.  :(

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That would be very welcome, the more dated the better.

This could be fun.....bringing out the anorak in us all to narrow down the dates. The pic of Peggy and Maart for example, Hendo having established it was 2001, I went upstairs and espied my Cropredy 2001 baseball cap, another one of which, Peggy is wearing.
The R.T pic is from the Fairport Convention Annual Reunion days so we can narrow it down by that. We could possibly date it as pre - beret Richard, too. But that is likely to be no later than the late eighties judging by the fact that the punters were allowed in during soundcheck, which my wasn't allowed in my time, but I know that it happened in 1987 when Ian Anderson was taking requests and did Fat Man if I remember rightly.

Checking through some old recordings, RT didn't play 'Night comes in' at Cropredy 1996 - I'll have to give it a listen to see if I can spot this solo - it'll be hard to pick it out from all of the others!

Richard Thompson
Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire
Aug 9 1996

CD1
1.  Intro
2.  She Don't Know What To Do With Herself
3.  Hide It Away
4.  Razor Dance
5.  Bank Vault In Heaven  
6.  I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
7.  Devonside
8.  Put It There Pal
9.  Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands
10. Al Bowlly's In Heaven

CD2
1.  Vincent Black Lightning 1952
2.  Hamlet
3.  The Ghost Of You Walks
4.  Valerie
5.  Business On You
6.  Shoot Out The Lights
7.  Wall Of Death
8.  I Feel So Good
9.  Tear Stained Letter
10. Hokey Pokey
11. Outro

I'll go with Colin on it being Put It There Pal. I was sure it was '96, because of the You,Me, Us? material. I just wasn't so certain which song it was. I know it was put forward in Mojo magazine, but I store all of them in the loft, and it would have been a pain in the rear to dig out. I probably guessed Night Comes In because that's a guitar work out usually.

Righty ho - thanks. I know what I'll be listening to tonight!"

Let us know if it's THE ONE....and we'll see about that plaque.

The first band I ever saw at Cropredy was Le Rue - and a 20 year love affir with that field and village was born.

DW

OOh, I remember La Rue. They were great, with a manic violinist. Got a CD somewhere ... must start looking.

Living room in the field around the mid 90's I think, could add a bit to the chairs debate  ::)

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That would be Pierre Le Rue. If I remember correctly they didn't have enough money to get back home after Cropredy and had to gig their way around the UK for weeks after to raise enough for the air fares. Quite by chance I bumped into them the following month playing at the Victoria Hotel in Menai Bridge on Anglesey.

Dylan Project------ 2001??

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Just listened to it and it is pretty extraordinary - get the plaque out!

Pierre Le Rue was great.  I thought his band might be really big.  But sadly they weren't.  Last heard of (by me, at any rate) playing at my mate's wedding in Canterbury in the late 90's...

I've never bought a Fairport t shirt on the yr they came out (and never worn one at the fest) but there was a time you could buy the previous yrs T shirt on the field at hugely reduced prices, thus I am the owner of and still wearer of 1993, 97 and 98.

I seem to remember that one year they had a working standard lamp.  :)

Proud parents. "That's our daughter, that is."


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During this Dylan Project set my mate & me went guerrilla dancing.  Basically this meant going standing next to a group of people who weren’t dancing and getting them to dance before heading onto to the next group of “victims”.

It was great fun!  ;D

I saw Pierre Le Rue in Brighton 20 years ago, that was the first time I'd seen an octave pedal used with a fiddle. They played the old Concorde venue a good few times, so often in fact that you could could call him Brighton Pierre

 ::)

What a wonderful photo! Norma looks so well bless her  :)

I think he settled in Kent/Sussex didn't he?

The logo at the back of the stage is the same colour scheme as the 1984 t shirt I used to own (first Cropredy I went to) so my money's on 1984 (5th Annual Reunion)

Here's an audience picture. These were all sourced from a shoebox full of old negative strips that I scanned - hence no dates or details. I always liked that design of stage though.



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Must be fairly old - almost no chairs!

- and very few flags!

.....and yet no one was complaining they couldn't find their friends, were they?!!

Used to love that stage. You could keep dry under it , if you were at the front and one really hot yr we stayed down the front, in the shade of it, while stewards handed out cold wet sponges

I think there are a lot of chairs but they are lower  - I remember having one of those beach chairs about two inches off the ground and loads of people had those.

DW

Yeah, we had those as well. But once the bigger chairs became popular they became useless, as someone would invariably plonk a massive chair in front of you. Maybe one of these might be the answer.

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I think that was the first year I went. Ric was jealous of his trousers.  :o

Paul

They used the same backdrop for years and years....didn't they?  '84 was my first too...looks about right though (from trying to age RT).

As I 've said on another thread I saw RT soundcheck and I'm guessing late 90's early 00's.

I remember that RT soundcheck - I'm guessing 99/2K? It was blistering - entered from the barn gate, I got as far as the stage and just stood spell bound... funny one of my Cropredy all time moments was a soundcheck!!!

So, when did it stop being 'the annual reunion'? I thought that was earlier than '99.

2004

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Mine too. RT again, but this time early Friday afternoon in '88 with the band (fairly sure it was Clive, Christine, DM, John Kirkpatrick and Pat Donaldson, although maybe someone with a better memory can confirm that). Standing in front of the stage in an almost empty field, pint in hand, watching a cracking version of Wall of Death is still one of my favourite Cropredy memories.

I liked the kookaburra song. Does that make me a bad person?

Anyway here's another old picture, this time of a nice VW microbus. Wonder if it is still around.



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Just about makes it.

2004- the first year of the fez, modelled here by a fine bunch of TAWers  ;D

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I remember seeing that very tall man wearing a fez and being a little afraid....!  ::)

that's not carrot in the pink t shirt next to frog is it?

It certainly is.

No Carrot's got the fez on. Frog wears pink on his days off.

I came across a copy of their LP in a shop in darkest Ipswich not half an hour ago!

 :o  :D  ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgYL-KNdMmQ 1991 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXjddQjTSHU 1992 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSopJ3M7QeE 1993 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mILkSgIv-WQ 1994

Cheers MIke. Memories!! I wore the 93 T shirt playing at a gig in Brum last night!

I didn't get a 93 shirt at the time, but I bought one on Ebay that got lost in the post, so I am still without that one. Still, I'm enjoying the vids and looking out for myself and my mates during the crowd shots.

Yeah, think I bought the 93 shirt in 95, same yr I bought  'the hat' ! See avatar. It was hot. I have no hair. I had no hat. So I bought , what turned out to be, a very hot hat. It has been with me ever since, thanks to patches on the patches!
'It's my original brush, it's just had 3 new heads and 2 new handles!'
Nice to see Shave the Monkey and I forgot Vikki was there so much.

Fantastic videos. I was at one of them - 1993. Ah, memories

Here's a couple more random audience pics:



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Saw a copy of the 2001 Cropredy DVD in our local Oxfam today for a fiver.  Is it worth it, those of you who've seen it?

Yes...for a fiver and if you were there, especially. It has Ian Anderson on Locomotive Breath, and Swarb. Bargain.

Good sound, annoying cut-away's to rehearsals (think it was some thing with the production company who put them out). As Mike says well worth having though