'Knights of the Road' and 'The Plainsman'

[Jules Gray]

Knights of the Road and The Plainsman are my favourite tracks from the Rosie album, yet it always kind of bothers me that these aren't really Fairport performances, but a kind of ersatz Fotheringay shoehorned into impersonating Fairport.  Even with all the lineup changes Fairport have had, this still strikes me as something of a deception or a masquerade.  Silly really - I should just enjoy what I enjoy and not worry about who plays what.

But let me come to the point - are there any decent quality (soundboard or otherwise) live versions of Knights of the Road or The Plainsman perfomed by the Fairport Nine lineup?  Just so I can hear how those songs sounded played by a working lineup of the band.

Jules

[Jim]

well they were written by Trevor ,who, having been in fotheringay,joined fairport in their hour of need and stamped his, not inconsiderable, personality on the band who were deperately in need of it having gone through 3 years of constant changes, lineups that didnt work etc.
 and the chaps were in need of a songwriter,at the time, even Peggy was having to chip in

 so whats the beef?

[PLW (Peter)]

Given that only one member of Fotheringay has never been in Fairport, I can't see the problem.

[Jules Gray]

 so whats the beef?

No real beef.  It's just that the tracks were already recorded by the Sandy-less Fotheringay before Trevor and Jerry joined Swarb and Peggy.  And then they removed Pat's bass, and maybe Swarb overdubbed a little something.  So they're not true Fairport recordings as such - their genesis predates the Rosie sessions.

Like I said though, I love both songs.  I just want to hear what they sounded like played live.

Jules

[Cocker Freeman]

Given that only one member of Fotheringay has never been in Fairport, I can't see the problem.

Gerry was in Fotheringay too, wasn't he? He said pedantically. Mind you, he was only the drummer.

What am I doing! Talking about Fairport Convention!

[David W]

Given that only one member of Fotheringay has never been in Fairport, I can't see the problem.

Gerry was in Fotheringay too, wasn't he? He said pedantically. Mind you, he was only the drummer.

What am I doing! Talking about Fairport Convention!

But Pat Donaldson has never been in FC - hence PLW's point.

[Jules Gray]

I know the lines between Fairport and Fotheringay are blurred at best.  Hence the "Fotheringay Confusion" tag.  But I hear little if any Swarb on these songs, and if Peggy hadn't dubbed over Pat's bass parts then they really wouldn't be Fairport tracks at all.....not unless you consider the Fotheringay album to be really a Fairport album!

I hear Jerry is putting the original Fotheringay version of The Plainsman on Fotheringay 2.  I wonder if Knights of the Road will make it as well....?

Anyway, back to my original question - do either of these songs exist in decent quality live versions from 1972/3?

Jules

[Edthefolkie]

written by Trevor

I have a feeling that the lyrics for The Plainsman, and maybe those of Knights of the Road, and others, were written by a chap called Pete Roche. I think that he was mates with Trev.  

About 4 poems by Pete appear in a 1967 Corgi paperback edited by Mr. Roche, called "Love, Love, Love - The New Love Poetry" - which I have the honour to possess. I can report that it contains poems by the Adrians Mitchell and Henri - Brian Patten - Roger McGough - and Pete Brown (of the well known "Beat Group" Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments). Some of the poems are great and some are....errr..... The cover has a rather risque painting of a young gentleman and a young lady cuddling on a cloud - a ship with oars & a heart-shaped sail floats in the distance.

(For younger readers, I am not making this up, I swear - Jude, can you back me up here on the wonders of psychedelia? I bet you remember 1967 & all them pome thingies don't you?)

Love & peace and that (and sorry to lurch off topic) - Ed

[jude]

written by Trevor

I have a feeling that the lyrics for The Plainsman, and maybe those of Knights of the Road, and others, were written by a chap called Pete Roche. I think that he was mates with Trev.  

About 4 poems by Pete appear in a 1967 Corgi paperback edited by Mr. Roche, called "Love, Love, Love - The New Love Poetry" - which I have the honour to possess. I can report that it contains poems by the Adrians Mitchell and Henri - Brian Patten - Roger McGough - and Pete Brown (of the well known "Beat Group" Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments). Some of the poems are great and some are....errr..... The cover has a rather risque painting of a young gentleman and a young lady cuddling on a cloud - a ship with oars & a heart-shaped sail floats in the distance.

(For younger readers, I am not making this up, I swear - Jude, can you back me up here on the wonders of psychedelia? I bet you remember 1967 & all them pome thingies don't you?)

Love & peace and that (and sorry to lurch off topic) - Ed

Oh yes. He's quite right, that Edthefolkie.

Now listen here all you babies, the sky was lemon-coloured, and the trees were red and all was beautiful mannnnn, so cool......burble burble....but only for a short while.

Then it turned back to what it was. Black & White - Colour telly hadn't been invented then.

[Andy]

Boring, I know, but I'll just interpose the fact that colour tv was first broadcast in this country in July 1967 on BBC2.

BBC1 and ITV followed suit in 1969.

I'll get me coat.

[jude]

Yes. Well. It was meant as a small joke, Andy

[Jim]

we didnt get a colour tv till 1970/71 because i had to pesuade my mam to swap up and promise to pay half the rental,i think it was a fiver a month, a big jump after paying 25/- for the black and white
 i can be certain about the date because that was after i had started working for a living