So how did YOU get into Fairport?

[davidmjs]

Simon Nichol (I'm always playing end of a holiday!)

Careful, or Mr Nicol will come after you....he's an esteemed member here.

Welcome Monkeybob....

And Boots are probably still looking for an album of that name too... 

[Polly Oxford (Andie)]

Oh golly it's so long ago I can't remember... (Well it was the 60s, and I think I was there...)

I must have seen them in one of the studenty/folky gigs in Brighton in 68?? I still have my treasured original vinyl WWDOOH. I can remember listening to it in a sound-proof booth in Boosey & Hawkes, much better than on the dansette! But sadly the first LP and Leige & Leif vanished in shared student house chaos.   

[monkeybob]

Ha! I'm normally the first person to correct other people's dodgy spelling! 

The royalty cheque's in the post Simon.... honest.....

[anguschacha]

I got into Fairport after seeing Richard Thompson live. I wasn't too aware of Richards music so i reluctantly went along with a friend and was instantly hooked. After that show i collected all of his albums  and then all of Fairports albums  (actually only the albums that feature him). I suppose i'm a bit of a purist.

[KerenNorb]

Fairport - Who they?

Well thats were I started; daughter's best friend ( and family and friends) went to Cropredy each year.  Sounded like REALLY good fun  and we (me & daughter) eventually managed to wangle an invite to the 'gig in the field'.  Thats was 1998 and I've been ever since!
{First time EVER under canvas (at my age!!!!!!)  What more can I say?}

That makes my 10th anniversary co-inciding with their 40th!!!! WOW

Tend to buy 2 things at Cropredy (well other than T-shirt!)  1) the best band there and 2)  Fairport CD/ box set/allied recording!!!!!!!!
Actually know now that I DID know and like FC "back-a-long" as they say down here!

[Adam]

Early 1989…my paisley-clad, wavy-haired, slender, 18 year old self was round at a friends house, where we were playing his cousin’s selection of weird and wonderful records.  One track really grabbed me – it sounded like it had been dragged kicking and screaming from medieval times and was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. That track was Doctor of Physik, and I was hooked. I bought one Fairport record each month thereafter, and went to my first Cropredy later that year with said friend.

Fast forward some 14 years. My comfy-jumpered, balding, noticeably-wider self was standing in that Oxfordshire field with wife and old school friend, when the first few notes of Doctor of Physik start…friend and I glance at each other, with a huge grin growing on our faces. For a moment I’m back in 1989…. 

[Chris]

Tend to buy 2 things at Cropredy (well other than T-shirt!)  1) the best band there

Must be expensive on the pocket! No wonder bands rarely come back to cRopredy.......:-))

[PLW (Peter)]

Fast forward some 14 years. My comfy-jumpered, balding, noticeably-wider self was standing in that Oxfordshire field with wife and old school friend, when the first few notes of Doctor of Physik start…friend and I glance at each other, with a huge grin growing on our faces. For a moment I’m back in 1989…. 

You're lucky you're only back in 1989. When I hear those chords, I'm back in the de Montfort Hall, Leicester in 1970!

[Adam B]

Back in the early eighties a mate of mine was sold a compilation album called 'Nice Enough To Eat' which had several tracks by bands we knew little about at the time, one of which was 'Cajun Woman'. I remember taping it and one or two others off the LP for myself, and for a while it was the only Fairport song I knew (and became part of the soundtrack to our Great Round England Hitchhiking Expedition of 84). When later someone pointed out that the singer was Sandy Denny, she of the golden voice on 'The Battle of Evermore', I began to take more notice and it took off from there.
I wonder how many others got a nudge towards Fairport's music from that vocal on Led Zep 4?

[Squiggle]

Seeing as this thread has been resurrected I had a quick look through...

I see you haven't answered the question!!!!!

It's interesting to see how many people were influenced by parents.  Being of a certain age, I got my parents into Fairport - well, Dad at least.  (Mum likes Beth Nielsen Chapman.)

I, by accident, also have a Tull link.  May 1969 - I went to a sort of festival at the equestrian centre in Balsall Common (Warwickshire) to see Amen Corner.  It was the most bizarre venue - seats on three sides round an arena and earth in the middle.  Tull was the second act and I didn't stay for AC.  Hooked on a different kind of music.  Then, there was Nice Enough to Eat and Liege and Lief and I was hooked on Sandy's voice.  She inspired me to learn guitar and try to sing but that was then.  I have to admit that I lost interest when Sandy wasn't in the band.   I saw FC at Warwick Uni just after she left and then saw her there a couple of weeks later.  I loved the reformed FC in 1985? 86? beause it rocked a bit and then started to rock more but never got to Cropredy until '94.

Funny how life works out.

Jan

[Karl Ernst]

Merry Christmas Everyone,

being new to this forum I thought maybe this thread could be appropriate for a brief introduction. I follow Fairport and relatives for about 20 to 25 years now. I first heard of them in a radio broadcast about the hippy culture (no, really...) in NDR 2, a Northern Germany radio station, in the early 80s. The song they played was "A Sailor's Life", full length. I was immediately taken in by the beauty of the music. Unfortunately, the first album I then bought was "Live at Broughton Castle", but "History" then really brought me into it. Meanwhile I have collected almosted everything I could get my hands on, including books, videos, whatever.

My first Fairport concert was in 1987, in Mannheim, Germany. My first Cropredy was in 1988, then was a long hiatus and I went again in 2001, 2002 and finally in 2006. This one I liked most, especially for the excellent selection of music - I thought Steeleye Span was fantastic, I stood centre front row during Lazarus, and was delighted with 10cc. My wife and I like the atmosphere of the festival, although this time we had some unexpected and unwanted visitor in our tent (later we learned about the theft problem this year...). We also visted the church and climbed up the bell tower to enjoy the views.

Maybe someone has noticed a not so tall guy with a beard and a "Steal Your Face" baseball cap on the field this year, that was me. Anyway, that might give you some idea on my other musical preferences which include the Grateful Dead, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Renaissance (Annie Haslam), the Grateful Dead, Richard Thompson (do I really have to mention this?), 3 Mustaphas 3, Pink Floyd, Marta Sebestyen and other Hungarian stuff, the Grateful Dead, The Move, Natacha Atlas, Buddha Bar sounds, Cowboy Junkies, Achinoam Nini, the Grateful Dead, the Afro Celts, Yehuda Poliker, the Grateful Dead,  etc. (unsorted, kind of...).  

I hope we will be able to come to Cropredy in 2007, and I am really curious what the line-up will be!

With best wishes from freezing Germany,

Karl

 

[matthew ash]

I got into Fairport through the parent route.  My Dad has been into folk and folk-rock since his University days when a friend played him 'Liege & Lief', which blew him away.  He got into FC and particularly Steeleye and saw the latter about 5 times at Leicester De Montfort Hall (he was at Leicester University) as well as several other performers, including Euan MacColl.

Fast forward, and it was 'Liege & Lief', played to me by my Dad, that got me hooked.  Sandy Denny's voice entranced me (and still does, whether solo, with FC, or with Strawbs - if only she was still with us!) and songs like Matty Groves and Crazy Man Michael are firm favourites of mine.  My favourite FC albums are the early ones, right up to 'Angel Delight' and 'Babbacombe Lee', but I think 'Over tHe Next Hill' was their best in years.  For me, part of the fascination with liking Fairport is all the other people (both past members and FC friends) it leads to - Richard Thompson, Ralph McTell, and Iain Matthews are all favourites of mine as well.

Have never been to Cropedy, or camping, but 2007 will be our first and we can't wait.  Might try and catch FC at their Preston gig in the New YEar as well.

[Ancient Muse (Andy)]

Well, it was back in the mid seventies, I was a student in Cardiff, going to as many of the Union gigs as possible, as well as whatever was half decent in the Capitol, which is where, unless my memory fails me (I'm pushing 50 now, so it might be...), I first saw Fairport live. Around the same time I saw Steeleye Span and Jethro Tull for the first time and loved them too.

Didn't see them again until their Five Seasons tour in 1991, different line-up but same great atmos! Have caught them a few times in S Wales since, but there's nothing like going to Cropredy to see them in their natural habitat.

I thought Over the Next Hill was an excellent album, no comparison with much of the earlier stuff but shows how they have moved on musically while staying true to their roots. Still haven't got a copy of Liege and Lief, very remiss of me!

I had already been introduced to folk music at a club near where we were staying on holiday when I was 17 and loved the atmosphere - I've been an occasional visitor to the Llantrisant folk club ever since and seen the Chartists, Capercaillie, Kathryn Tickell and loads more there. Also go to the Roots Unearthed nights at Cardiff's St David's Hall, some good stuff coming up.

At the moment I'm heavily into Flook and Dead Can Dance - I wouldn't call DCD folk, more of an acquired taste, but worth listening to.

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Sure I have already posted in this category (apart from commenting on another's post) ?

Perhaps there is a similarly-themed topic ?

I was introduced to the music of FC when I joined the ranks of Croydon YHA Group in 1974, and saw my first FC gig at the Fairfield Halls in that town soon after. It was to be the first of many, many, many ......

[Pete Standing]

A mate of mine, when heard that I was to be recruited into a folk-rock band (in 1973), produced 3 albums for me to listen to.

1. Pentangle - Cruel Sister
2. Fotheringay
3. Fairport Convention

I'd no idea what folk rock was at that time.

Fotheringay I loved, Pentangle was OK and FC sounded a bit brash. By the time I'd heard Liege and Lief, I was converted. I sort of began to lose interest when Swarb finally left and I'd got hooked on mainly on acoustic trad, jazz and baroque.

[Dr Clive]

Hi, All!

I finally signed up having been a lurker on this board for ages, really enjoying all the opinions and information being shared here.

My early musical influences were Lonnie Donegan (wasn't he responsible for all of this?), Trad Jazz, Dylan, L Cohen, John Mayall (especially the Clapton/Green/Taylor years), King Crimson, Colliseum. At some point towards the end of the 60's a fellow student lent me FC and WWDOOH, and that's how it all began. I first saw the band as the Full House line-up (I though it was at Aston Uni, but Peggy assures me they never played there...). The first album I bought was "History", which led me to start a collection of pretty much all of their output. Up to and including "The Five Seasons" is on vinyl, the rest on CD.

When I retired three years ago  () I took up the guitar again quite seriously, and my partner (Rebecca - keyboards) and I play for our own amusement most weekends, and have recently done a couple of small gigs for friends. Our repertoire is mostly FC/RT/Sandy-based, and we have some very well-thumbed copies of Songbooks 1 & 2, and Sandy (thanks, Maart!), and are eagerly awaiting the upcoming RT collection.

In the last couple of years we've seen FC at St Albans and Acoustic at Lewes, RT at Northampton and Lazarus at Rugby. This year we'll be in Brum next month, St Albans in March (note to Anna - you'll miss them if you wait 'till May!), and for the first time (well, better late than never) at Cropredy. Also looking forward to Peggy's bash in November - he's about six weeks older than me. I hope he manages to get Steve Winwood for that gig, as I have been a great fan of his, too, ever since the Spencer Davis Group days.

I'd better stop there - serious danger of slipping in to autobiography mode and getting seriously off-topic; I wouldn't want to raise the ire of the mods in my first post...

Best regards to all,

DC

[Jim]

that was good , dont ever apologise for good posts
and with the average age of the punters in here another doctor is always welcome
 get the beer in and youre in

[postiljon]

post of the week.

Stevie for Cropredy.

[Big Dave]

Good post DC and welcome.  Get yerself along to the Arms, a pint and a warm welcome await!  
BD

[Dr Clive]

Sirs,

With these comments you are really spoiling me! "Post of the week" in my first one - it must be down hill all the way, now.

Btw - for the benefit of the infirm (see Jim's comment), I'm not medically qualified, it's a PhD (in pharmacology), but I'll try resus if absolutely necessary.

DC