'Jack O'Diamonds' puzzler

[Keith E Rice]

I'm sure you knowledgeable folks have had this out somewhere else on the board years ago...but my pedantic comletishness needs to know now!!!

I bought 'FESTIVAL 2002' earlier this year...and there's something bugging me from the booklet notes.


About 'Jack', it says: "Richard is clearly fond of this song, sustaining it in Fairport's repertoire until just months before his departure."

Huh?

I've read time and time again that the band dumped all pre-crash material when they re-emerged from Farley Chamberlayne because they couldn't bear to do anything they associated with Martin  Lamble (one of the greatest drummers ever!). Which suited Ashley's bent for trad stuff only.

I thought they did no pre-crash stuff again until Sandy brought 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' back in when she rejoined.

[Jack O Diamonds]

I am pretty sure they never played Jack O'Diamonds after the crash. In fact I don't recall it being in the early '69 set at all. There was so much new material from Liege & Lief to bring into the live set that not only JO'D but loads of Unhalfbricking went missing from the repertoire. They did play "A Sailor's Life" live on a few occasions... and - of course - "Who Knows Where the Time Goes"... "Si Tu Dois"... "Cajun Woman"... but after the accident I don't remember them playing anuy "old" stuff... too busy practising the "new" L&L material... although A Sailor's Life formed a major part of that new world in any case...

So, basically, the great 1968 band disappeared in early 1969 ane re-emerged as the L&L Electric British Folk act.... as I have said on many occasions, that was a magnificent band.... anyone who caught the Royal Festival hall gig in early Autumn 1969 knows that... but if that dreadful accident had not happened, I wonder.... I wonder whether there might have been more of the "mixed" set... probabaly not given Tyger's passion and Sandy's background... Bloody pity all the same...

[London Refugee]

37 years is a LONG time to remember back on but.....I'd ALMOST agree with Jack on Jack O'Diamonds.
I saw FC about 6 weeks before the crash and the material had gradually transmogrified to encompass Unhalfbricking and self-penned tracks rather than the covers of American writers.
I think the tracks from pre-crash days that were played post-crash were Sailor's Life, Who knows where the time goes, Moves through the fair and (I think) Quiet Joys of Brotherhood - I don't even think they played MOTL at the Festival Hall gig in late-69.   But time does funny things to the brain and I was lucky enough to see Fairport 7-8 times in 68 and 69 so I can't be sure after all this time.

I do remember clearly meeting Martin and his girlfirend at the Wimpey Bar in Golders Green about 4-5 weeks before the crash and he seemed really happy with life - Fairport had just about made it to a wider audience and he had a great career ahead of him.     A very very fine drummer lost at such a cruelly young age.

But Jack's absolutely spot on - FC re-emerged as the great Electric British Folk act....but I think that it may have been Swarb's influence coming in that firmed up Tyger's resolve.   Jack: "I wonder whether there might have been more of the "mixed" set... probabaly not given Tyger's passion and Sandy's background"....I'm not so sure.  I think that they were still playing Dylan songs and other 'classy' sonwriter material as well as their own.   I'm sorry that I haven't read all the Fairport and associated books so I don't know what Tyger, Richard, Simon say about it.

My great academic question is whether FC would have gone the full folk route if the crash hadn't happened?