So how did YOU get into Fairport?

[TheNeff]

I think she's already flustered at having so much recognition from this website! She keeps fluttering at me, e.g. 'Gosh it's so exciting Neff, all these people actually want to talk to me!', and words to that effect!

 

[Chris]

it was always fun to go to (usually hot though)

What do you mean *was*?

Aren't you coming this year?.....

[TheNeff]

I was talking about in the past... Oh, I see what you mean!

I'll try to come to Cropredy this year, but I'm not sure yet. I've got a lot of things going on all at the same time... And I want to be able to drive myself there!! 

I daresay Mum will drag me along anyway... 

[Staffan]

Thanks for the welcome Nick. No, there´s no Cropredy for me this year. With my first Cropredy in benefit of the Village Hall roof (?) in 1977 (if I remember correctly) and my latest 1987 - with 1981-84 in between- I think 2007 would fit the sequence.With the swedish crown so weak to the sterling it´ll probably take that time to save up money in order to take the six-person family on the  road. "British Tour 2007" ,eh?
Cheers
Staffan

[Mutley]

Looking back (although I didn't realise it at the time) in primary school, we walked into the hall for assembly every day with folk music gently playing in the background. I don't think it was Fairport (more likely The Spinners). The charts at the time contained Glam Rock which I was into and as Glam Rock faded I looked for other rock bands. Tull, Led Zep and Wishbone Ash were my favourites. I guess the combination of folk and rock had been instilled into me. I had heard of Fairport but it wasn't until the late 80's when they supported Tull that I thought I would give them a go. Only sorry that I missed what many of you consider to be the golden era 60's/70's.

I am lucky that most of my favourite bands are still going and long may they continue.

See ya,

Mutley

[lesb/thesb]

they played in scarborughs open air theatre in 1987 (i was only very little possibley 2)
It was here that we first found out about cropredy, and since then ive been comin to cropers.
Theyre my top favourite band, and i do think dave pegg is just one of the best players ever, save me of course (lol), and mr. nicol has one of the most relaxing voices ever.

[mdr]

My first introduction to Fairport was Cajun Woman off the Island sampler LP Nice Enough to Eat which my elder brothers had. Then one of them turned up with Babbacombe Lee which was played endlessly. Eventually I bought History.......and then decided I needed all of the original albums that those tracks came from

Because of this Babbacombe Lee is still probably my favourite(whilst acknowledging the historical importance of Liege, Unhalfbricking etc)

And that Nice enough To Eat sampler led me onto a life of listening to Traffic, Free, King Crimson.........and on and on

[PaulT]

I was aware of FC in 68-69 (a classmate had WWDOOH), but it wasn't until 1971 that I saw my 1st FC gig & started buying the LPs.  That 1st gig was an open-air recording of the Angel Delight line-up - with Steeleye - in the sand dunes near Pontin's Ainsdale (Southport, Lancs).

[Jim]

I was aware of FC in 68-69 (a classmate had WWDOOH), but it wasn't until 1971 that I saw my 1st FC gig & started buying the LPs.  That 1st gig was an open-air recording of the Angel Delight line-up - with Steeleye - in the sand dunes near Pontin's Ainsdale (Southport, Lancs).

 that was filmed by granada, i remember there were a fair amount of high jinks ,was it swarb and simon carried martin carthy off stage while he was still playing ? now thats a show i would pay good money to see reissued
    cheers
       Jim

[Dad Volt]

I was aware of FC in 68-69 (a classmate had WWDOOH), but it wasn't until 1971 that I saw my 1st FC gig & started buying the LPs.  That 1st gig was an open-air recording of the Angel Delight line-up - with Steeleye - in the sand dunes near Pontin's Ainsdale (Southport, Lancs).

Would this have been the gig that ended in the infamous Ainsdale Riot??

[Nancy]

I got into Fairport in the early 70's going to festivals etc. I then lost interest until I happened to be in lunch at College one day when one of our students had a Fairport CD with her. She persuaded my husband and I to accompany her to Cropredy last year and, well, here we are. In turn I introduced her to Led Zepplin! We have some lively nights in!

That student was me!! 
I got into fairport mainly through my dad...I grew up listenning to an old, very scratched LP of 'what we did on our holidays'. When I was at college I bought it on cd, discovered that Fairport had done lots of other things since, and ended up going to Cropredy for the first time in 2001. Haven't looked back since.....

I got into Led Zepp after watching a video of Sandra's at a very drunken party....I was transfixed by the size of Robert Plant's package 

[Ces]

Robert Plant's package!!??? Was he filmed on his way to the post office? Are you an envelope spotter, young Nancy?

I don't know...youth today

[Sandra]

 I have no idea what she is talking about 

(Nancy, they all think I am a 'nice' woman on here, don't disillusion them!)

However, I do have her to thank for getting me into Fairport for the second time round.

Sandra

[sppens]

 :)Cheers all,
I grew up in the suburbs south of boston-i'm 38 years old and though Boston is a folk mecca it was really through the punk,mod-local bands that I heard fairport!They got it.Transcend genres and gaps.always fairplay when they're in your house!

[Tasha]

I got into Fairport as a kid listening with my parents and their friends on our narrowboat(pulled by a horse) on the Shropshire Union canal over 30years ago. Liege and Lief and Babbacombe Lee had a really big effect on me even though I was only about 9 when I first heard them! I used to get very frustrated at School when no one else knew who I was raving about! From Fairport I moved onto Planxty and then Tull- whom I could discuss with my peers!

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Tasha.... please join us in the Corporation Arms and join the Narrowbaots Club then tell us all about your time on the Shroppie!!

Amethyst

[brit_in_boston]

Saw them many years ago while at University in Exeter (early 70's). Liege and Lief was one of the first albums I bought, and many others followed.

Fast forward to 2000 or so when my brother-in-law said "Hey, there's an English band playing at the bar where I work". Guess who? (No, not the Guess Who - they're a different band). Sat right up front, had a blast, sang along, bought the T-shirt and the CD, and have done every year they came back to Massachusetts.

But no Blackthorne Tavern on the US gig list this Autumn, so I guess I'll just have to go somewhere else coz I'm not missing them!!

Let's hear it for my first post!

Steve

[Nick]

Hello Steve and welcome aboard!

There's quite a contingent from across the pond on the board now.

Any chance you'll be joining us at Cropredy?

Ask Colin for the key to the pub then you can pop in and tell us all about it.

Cheers

Nick

[brit_in_boston]

Nick,

I dearly wish I could, but with a job, a US non-folkie wife, and three kids I fear it's out of the question.

But the key to the pub sounds good!

Steve

[Deano]

About 14 years ago I had a knock on the door at around 9.30pm. It was a mate of mine who was having a spot of bother with his aging Renault 11. He asked, begged and then convinced me (with the promice of beer) to go round and see if I could fix it.
Things were not going well and it was looking like it was going to be a long night, so he went and got the cd player and set it up in the garage to help pass the time. He put Unhalfbricking on and left me to get on with fixing the car. After the car was fixed and running again, I asked what the music was, he told me and I've been a fan ever since!!

However, every time I here that album I'm left thinking of crappy french cars in freezing cold garages!!

Never mind, been going to Cropredy ever since, best weekend of the year.

Our group are the ones on the church wall just round the corner from the Red Lion pub.