Fairport @ BBC Sessions 4CD Set

[David W]

I was really worried you'd got me confused with Jack O'Diamonds for a minute!!

[GubGub (Al)]

I also ordered on Saturday but have had no such confirmation. I didn't necessarily think it would have arrived yet but I thought it would have been despatched.

Have just checked my account. It is still showing as Pre Order Awaiting Processing. Hmmmm.....

Ah. I received a total of 5 emails detailing the progress of each step of fulfilling my order.

David, do you agree with Jackdaw's assessment of the set?

I only got up to email number 3. Then it all went dead. No further contact since Saturday. Same thing has happened with something else I have ordered from them. It is very strange. I have emailed them to ask what is going on. No reply yet.

Re David's comment, "it's on a completely different scale to the (musically at least) pretty 'challenging' Free Reed ones", I quite liked the Cropredy box, especially given the wealth of Cropredy material that was already available. But I agree, the Unconventional set was patchy and doesn't get played a lot in my house. I'm really looking forward to this though.....hence my frustration.

[Pugwash]

HMV take away price £29.99. Amazon wait a bit price £27.45.

Can I be arsed next time.... no!

[GubGub (Al)]

Aha! Items now showing as "Moved To Despatch". It's amazing what a little emailed "encouragement" can do!

Right, I'm off to castigate an Ebayer for not forwarding a DVD I purchased 2 weeks ago.   Don't stop me now. My dander is up! At least I think that's what it is...

[Jim]

it arrived today and it really is a splendid package
re- the photo of the original fairport 5 on page11 ,
how young goes poor Martin look?
 about 12 to these jaded eyes
smashing looking singer though, hubba and indeed hubba

[davidmjs]

it arrived today and it really is a splendid package
re- the photo of the original fairport 5 on page11 ,
how young goes poor Martin look?
 about 12 to these jaded eyes
smashing looking singer though, hubba and indeed hubba

We all thought it.  Jim says it.  Good man  

And yes, you're right about Martin too...so young....

[Neil]

Ordered it from some strange company called Caiman through Amazon for $45, will have to now explain this to the wife.

[Bob Barrows]

There weren't any 'new and used" items last weekend!  I coulda saved ~$15   And gotten it quicker!
Oh well, it's en route from blighty. Guess I'll deal with it. No sense cancelling the order

[Jim]

and the booklet is a damn sight more permanent than the pentangle one
 i still find them overlapping cd holders a bit tight though,i keep wondering when im going to shatter a cd trying to get it out of the plastic centre

[Bob Barrows]

My plan is to immediately rip it to mp3 files.

[WestWind]

and the booklet is a damn sight more permanent than the pentangle one
 i still find them overlapping cd holders a bit tight though,i keep wondering when im going to shatter a cd trying to get it out of the plastic centre

I agree with you, Jim, on those tight cd holders.  What you can try, if it has several little tabs, is to carefully break off one or two of them.  That way, there's still enough to hold the cd, but it's not so tight.

Another thing that bothers me is when cds come in cardboard pockets with a slightly rough inside surface.  I wind up transferring those to plastic slim cases.  I feel uneasy when the cd playing surface is touching something, especially something that might scratch it when the cd moves slightly, as in transit.

(Yes, I am a bit technologically retro.  I don't have an iPod yet.  I did not have a personal portable cd player until mid-2003!)

Cheers ///  Tom ***

[Simon Nicol]

First impressions folks?


Shame really- it's tarnished the box for me (which I have to say is a pretty neat package) and (irony) I'd actually have preferred some more authentic, dubious quality "off air" stuff at the expense of the offending tracks. I'd like to hear what those who put the box together have to say about it but doubt anyone would own-up to okaying it in the first place.

Write to Sue Armstrong at Universal Music if you're that bothered about it.

[GubGub (Al)]

My plan is to immediately rip it to mp3 files.

Hoping mine is going to turn up today as I have now had confirmation of depatch from Foxy. I shall then be doing the very same thing.

Btw re Jim's note, I had always understood that it was the label side that was more vulnerable to damage than the "playing" side, or rather that damage to the label side was more likely to result in playing problems. Not sure where I heard that but I definitely remember it from somewhere.

[Waterloo Wonderer]

Am enjoying gradually listening to it.

Box Set design is excellent and yes, unlike the Pentangle one< the booklet has decided to stay on its mooring.

[Bob Barrows]

First impressions folks?


Shame really- it's tarnished the box for me (which I have to say is a pretty neat package) and (irony) I'd actually have preferred some more authentic, dubious quality "off air" stuff at the expense of the offending tracks. I'd like to hear what those who put the box together have to say about it but doubt anyone would own-up to okaying it in the first place.

Write to Sue Armstrong at Universal Music if you're that bothered about it.

If I wanted to send her a congratulatory note, where would I direct it?
Oh! Is there an address on the CD box that can be used?

[NeilMcLaughlin]

Mine just arrived today, and I've listened to all but the last half of the "Off Air" disc, which is still spinning as I type this.
Definitely worth the purchase price for me, but the standouts are the longer version of Now Be Thankful and the version of Down in the Flood with Sandy's double-tracked vocals.  For my money, Fairport has always done the best Dylan covers band.  RT doing the vocals on Open the Door Richard just came on.  I liked the "Heyday on steroids" comment made a bit ago in this thread.  Love the packaging.

[the beat goes on]

How does the sound quality compare with previous issues of the BBC stuff?

[NeilMcLaughlin]

How does the sound quality compare with previous issues of the BBC stuff?

In my opinion, the stuff that was on Heyday doesn't sound as good as the expanded remastered version of Heyday, so I'll be keeping that.  I didn't have much of the other stuff beyond the scattered cuts that have been on the Free Reed box sets and used as bonus on the remastered CDs, and felt that I wanted them together in more proper context.  The sound on all but the "Off Air" is decent, and if that was cleaned up from what had been available as boots (which I didn't have) I can't say, other than that I wouldn't have bothered listening to it more than once
if the sound was any less good.

[Bob Barrows]

Mine arrived today (that was fast!!!).
Listened to 1 & 2 - great stuff!!
Ripping the rest right now and will listen to it tomorrow.

[Neil]

Dispatched today according to the company should be here by the weekend hopefully.