Sense of Occasion

[MarkV]

For me "Untouchable" stands out as a real good track a Squeeze type familiarity (did they do this song?)

It's the opening track on Glenn's solo album Transatlantic Ping Pong

Chris Leslies voice is very much like Glen Tilbrooks in the first part of the song, and It sounds very similar to his version.  After listening  again today, the album is growing on me, Our Town, Gals apology and the covers have grown on me.

[JJ (Joanna)]

The album is growin on me, except for track 2 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages' - don't think that ever will....I don't think it suits Simon's voice at all - I don't give this track foive   (now that is ageing me saying that!!)

[GubGub (Al)]

'Love on a Farmboy's Wages' - I don't think it suits Simon's voice at all

Interesting point. I love the song but have already made the point that I think the original is too well known for the cover version to succeed. Now that you say that though, I wonder if it might havve worked better with Chris singing?

[westinlars]

This is only the  second or third time I write in this forum so I'm a bit nervous when I share my thoughts on the new album. So bear with me...
SoO arrived yesterday and I think that it is a fairly strong album that with small adjustments could have been really great, in fact one of fairports best. I was happy to hear "Love on a farmboy's wages" as that was one of the songs I suggested the group to record and Simon to sing earlier in this forum. They should have put Simon's vocal higher up in the mix though.
Highlights for me are "Edge of the world", "Hawkwoods army" and the beautiful "Best wishes". "Polly on the Shore" and "Tam Lin" are as good as the "classic" versions but "TL" would have been even better, I think, if Simon had sung all of it. It kind of loses intensity when Chris sings.
Now to my complaints.
They should have taken away 3 songs ("Just Dandy", "In our Town" and "The Vision") to get a better flow between the tracks. "Polly..." is  great and they are building up momentum. Then they put in the instrumental. They are catching fire again with "Tam lin". Then they follow with "In our town" which pours water on the fire instead of going directly into "Edge...!" and building on the momentum (pardon my english if you don't quite follow me here). Then follows the excellent "Hawkwoods..."  The whole impact of the album shifts if you go "Polly"-"Tam"-"Edge"-"Hawk". You get a much punchier album and a better balance between Simon's songs and Chris's.
You hear that Simon is using the electric on quite a few tracks. But it is to low in the mix. Put the electric more upfront and you really change the impact.
Greetings to you all from a really cold ( -18 C) and snowy (the main motorway was shut down yesterday) Sweden (more precisely Valbo just outside Gävle on the east coast).
/LarsW

[GubGub (Al)]

I guess the great thing about CD/Mp3 is that you can programme the album in whatever order you like and make changes according to our own taste & fancy. I personally like In Our Town a lot but remain to be convinced of the point of reworking old material but I do have the option of listening to the album in my preferred form. It seems a legitimate thing to do with modern albums that are designed for CD/downloading, less so with fondly remembered classics.

[Sir Martin]

Keep on turning the wheel
Rubbish - even the 'jokey bits' (like the Bealtesqu backing wheen the Beatles are mentioned is just embarasing rather then funny, which is weird because when its done with conviction (c.f. Beatle Boots by Billy Childish) a nice touch liek that can lift a song.

Love on a farmboys wages
I liked this - except of course it does not bear comparrison with the original. But I was fearing it would be 'XTC for wrinklies', but its much better then that. Maybe they should get Andy P. to write them an original?


The Bowmans Return
Boring. Folk Music by numbers

South Dakota
Alright

Spring Song
Getting better

Polly on the shore - Does not live up to the original, and I'm not one for the rerecordings, on the plus side, they do a decent job, and if it means that this excellent song becomes a regular in the live set, then I'm happy.

Just Dandy
dull. Ro coin a phrase

Tam Lin - Excruciatingly bad. Like watching your grandad beat your Grandmother to death with a mandolin.

Edge of the world
Liked this one

Hawkwoods Army - Theres a decent song burried in here, but the arangement does it no favours.

The Vision.
Did nawt for me

Your Heart and mine
Ho hum

Untouchable
Not bad, but then Tillbrook is always good value for money. Again, he should write them an original.

Galileo's Apology
Some interesting stuff buried in the lyrics, but the execution is too bombastic.


Best Wishes.  
OK

the hidden track
Pointless

So not as good as OTNH (which I quite like), it just seems so.... lazy for want of a better word. Half of a decent Chris Lesley solo album, cover versions and filler. Maybe its the production? the arrangements don't seem to do the lyrics many favours at some points.

So I listened to the reissue of Bonny Bunch of Roses streight after. Maybe Fairport should.

[Andy]

"Lazy" it may be, so is not spelling Chris' surname correctly.

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

You took the words out of my mouth there Andy...  

[mikec]

"Lazy" it may be, so is not spelling Chris' surname correctly.

True and there are spelling mistakes all through the review but it doesn't make the review any less worthwhile. (and I know you didn't say that Andy but I just think we should concentrate on the topic of this thread really ). Its interesting to see SM commenting that the production is poor. Production being something others have said is excellent.

Me, I just hope its as good live as folks have said as some of the songs need that type of lift.

[PL (Peter)]

Ain`t life hard being critical ?
Luckily, it`s all subjective and bearing this in mind
I like SoO a lot, actually it gets better and better with each go.
Lots of musical details in there and - with the exception of Tam Lin (good in itself but sounds slightly out of context in this album) -
it gives a very compact impression, a unified whole
oooh beware, now I was a critic as well  

Peter

[Jonathan]

So far I like it, and I think I like about as much as OtNH, maybe a little more.  I also received Peggy and PJ's CD the same day, and I've been listening to them in the car to and from work the past couple days.  I think I like the Peggy and PJ CD better, but not by much.  I'd give SoO an 7/10, and the Pegg/PJ CD an 8/10.

"House Full," "What We Did on Our Holiday," "Liege and Leaf" would all be 9.5/10 or 10/10, just for sake of comparisons.  

[Andy]

4 star review here - http://tinyurl.com/2g2umw

[Sandra]

Listened to this for the first time today. Mr S described it as 'brilliant' - praise indeed from him.

Having just given it a second listen and have to agree. The only track I don't like is Love on a Farmboys Wages. Hawkwood's Army IS brilliant.

I found the recording very 'clean', so all the comments about the sound on a proper stereo v radio/download seem to be fair, and I would recommend anyone in doubt to have a 'proper' listen.

Most of all I cannot get over how good Simon's voice sounds.

[Andy]

I agree that Simons voice sounds great. Chris', though, with the greatest respect, is wearing a bit thin for me. "I'm on my weeeeee" and similar lines make me curl up a tad. YMMV, IMHO and all that.

[Malcolm]

It was well and balancedly (new word that!) reviewed in the Telegraph Arts supplement yesterday.

[Rozza]

I defnitely feel that this is a disc that grows on you the more you hear it. Whilst there are a couple of weaker tracks - Love on a Farmboy's Wages doesn't really seem to suit the range of Simon's voice, and The Vision seems nondescript - most of the rest are very enjoyable. To me there is a a much better variety of songs and tunes than on OTNH, and I reckon that this their best since WKWTTG.

[Andy]

After a thoughtful period of contemplation on the matter of cover versions, I've just been listening to the "Untouchable" track by Glenn Tolbrook and FC and "Love On A Farmboy's Wages" by FC and XTC back-to-back.

I'm sorry, but I just don't find the FC versions on this album very good.  They don't add anything and are more-or-less a straight run-through. The live versions may be much better but I'm not in a position to go to gigs at the moment.

I freely admit that I'm no musiican and I haven't the right to criticise the actual musicianship because there's no doubt that FC are accompished in the art and brilliant musicians and indeed vocalists* in their own right.

However, the point of doing cover versions is, to me, to show how you'd do it differently to the original - the most extreme example being "Anarchy In The UK" by the Ukelele Orchestra - sometimes as with that example to comic effect, other times to show how the song can be revamped, retain its meaning and sound all the better for it.

One good example is Madonna's 1998 single "Ray Of Light". The song is based on the track "Sepheryn", which was originally written by Clive Muldoon and Dave Curtiss in the '60's. However it ended up being recorded by Madonna with its lyrics  changed in a few spots, with a slightly changed melody and instrumentation and was all the better for it.

I applaud the adventure of using these songs, but I'm afraid the execution isn't what this fan wanted to hear.


*I still have my reservations around Chis Leslie's vocals sometimes, though.

[Ollie]

I know that this is slightly off the subject, but does anyone know where you can buy a new copy of WKWTTG, other than eBay!!   I've heard that it's a really good album and I'd like to get a copy.

[Nuthouse]

I know that this is slightly off the subject, but does anyone know where you can buy a new copy of WKWTTG, other than eBay!!   I've heard that it's a really good album and I'd like to get a copy.

Not being sarky but go to HMV or Virgin they will probably get you a copy

On the internet Barnes & Noble are pretty good too

[Sir Martin]

"Lazy" it may be, so is not spelling Chris' surname correctly.

Spelling is something that happens to other people I'm afraid, never have been able to no matter how hard I try.

There is a higher then average typo count though - serves me right for being in a rush.