Rising For The Moon

[Ollie]

Ditto. Fairport could have easily been Fotheringay at that point. With TL and JD, it just doesn't have that English FC sound (not that I'm being xenophobic in anyway)

[Barry]

I'm so partial to Nine.  To me, that's the big "what if."  So much potential was lost, because they basically shot their wad and lost everything by trying to hype Moon.  Had that line-up been given more opportunity to create records on their own terms and expectations........

Very true ..... was it a mistake, Sandy rejoining?  I don't think so myself, but there is always that "what if" the Nine line up had carried on as it was.

[davidmjs]

Ditto. Fairport could have easily been Fotheringay at that point. With TL and JD, it just doesn't have that English FC sound (not that I'm being xenophobic in anyway)

In response to that I should say that the Fotheringay album is one of my favourite albums of all time.  Personally, I don't think RftM comes even close to that masterpiece...

[davidmjs]

Very true ..... was it a mistake, Sandy rejoining?

Well, she thought it was, didn't she...?

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I'm listening to RftM at the moment, I borrowed it from Ancient Muse and copied it to my MP3 and, to be honest, I rarely listen to it. Have just realised what I'm missing.

I agree One More Chance is superb and I also like After Halloween. I'm a big fan of Trevor Lucas's voice as well and would like it to have featured more on this album.

Not my fave FC album but good anyway. It's almost like it's another band altogether (which I suppose it was, in a way).

[Barry]

Very true ..... was it a mistake, Sandy rejoining?

Well, she thought it was, didn't she...?

I don't recall her (or anybody else) sauing that at the time.  In fact, I don't recall her saying that at all ....

[Big Dave]

Very true ..... was it a mistake, Sandy rejoining?

Well, she thought it was, didn't she...?

I don't recall her (or anybody else) sauing that at the time.  In fact, I don't recall her saying that at all ....

I agree with Barry, although I'll probably get shot down in flames, weren't the record company and Trevor putting pressure on Sandy to pursue solo (no pun intended) career, I have read that Sandy said she was comfortable and happy to be back in the fold.

[Pat Helms]

I've never seen her quoted as saying it was a mistake, but enough voices have echoed the sentiment that it would be easy to incorrectly assume it.  Really, Moon seems more like a Sandy solo record, sans a couple of tunes, than a Fairport or Fotheringay one.  Certainly, her material on it was meant for an upcoming solo project - not from a band effort.  At the time, her rejoining was more a decision of convenience and not seen so much as a career move.

As I recall, Island was trying to market them as another Fleetwood Mac, hence Moon has a very polished and slick sound.  Unless I'm mistaken (and I usually am), Island did not try to book them with a strong touring band to promote the album.  Most of what I've been able to acertain is that they were booked in the same small to medium auditoriums they would have been playing otherwise.  Can somebody confirm this for me?  If so, it seems like they would have had a fighting chance had they been booked with The Eagles, Mac, or even Captain and Tenneal (?) to break into the US market a little more effectively.

Oh yeah!  After Halloween.  Love that song!  Forgot all about it!

[BPTNT]

The first Fairport album I heard so predictably I really like most of it, except Let It Go and Night Time Girl which seem a bit naff now amongst the more heartfelt stuff (and would have been more at home on Gottle O'Geer). Then again it would be really slow paced without them, since most of the Sandy vocal songs are slow-mid tempo. Wouldn't want to be without all those great Sandy ballads though...Dawn, Stranger To Himself etc.

Really like the Trevor Lucas vocals (Restless is a very overlooked song) and the playing from everyone on One More Chance is stunning! Would love to hear this song in August if DM, Swarb and Donahue are around on the Saturday night set. Remember seeing them attempt it at Cropredy after Swarb's departure in the mid-80s and it was alright but it definitely needed Swarb. Here's hoping for this year;)

[davidmjs]

The first Fairport album I heard so predictably I really like most of it, except Let It Go and Night Time Girl which seem a bit naff now amongst the more heartfelt stuff (and would have been more at home on Gottle O'Geer). Then again it would be really slow paced without them, since most of the Sandy vocal songs are slow-mid tempo. Wouldn't want to be without all those great Sandy ballads though...Dawn, Stranger To Himself etc.

Really like the Trevor Lucas vocals (Restless is a very overlooked song) and the playing from everyone on One More Chance is stunning! Would love to hear this song in August if DM, Swarb and Donahue are around on the Saturday night set. Remember seeing them attempt it at Cropredy after Swarb's departure in the mid-80s and it was alright but it definitely needed Swarb. Here's hoping for this year;)

They did it with Cathy in '86 i think....isn't it on one of the Free Reed boxsets...?

[Malcolm]

 Really like the Trevor Lucas vocals (Restless is a very overlooked song)

Have been known to sing (or what passes for it) that at our local pub accoustic night. I missed Jerry to do the break, though

[Mindwarper]

I have listened to it once, I didn't like it. Some people are saying its country or like Fotheringay. No Fotheringay is that bad. It seems uninspired. I find many of the mid 70's releases a fraction of what they sound like live. Maybe a live recording will let me like the material. Its the only FC cd I never play.

[Jim]

too produced for my liking, it was a last throw of the dice for island with sandy back in the fold and big bucks were spent gettting glyn johns on board and the quality cover art
 had it sold it may have signalled a "sandy denny and fc" outcome, but that line up was mustard live
great players, great and good singers, a great back catalogue to call on and 3 main songwriters
 the songs always sounded more fc live than the recorded versions

[Jules Gray]

It's a little too over produced for my tastes too.  It sounds like one of Sandy's later album welded to the Rosie album.  It just doesn't really sound like a band.  It sounds like Sandy and a backing band, and then Trevor and a backing band and then Swarb and a backing band.  And yes Swarb's song is terrible.  And Trevor's are below par too.  It just doesn't hang together.  Thank goodness for One More Chance though - by far the best track on there.

Jules

[Neil Morrell]

 Really like the Trevor Lucas vocals (Restless is a very overlooked song)

Have been known to sing (or what passes for it) that at our local pub accoustic night. I missed Jerry to do the break, though

One of my favorite FC songs.  

I think it's a great album, but I've heard it referred to (perhaps a little unfairly) as "Fotheringay II".   But hey, I loved Fotheringay too!

[GubGub (Al)]

 the songs always sounded more fc live than the recorded versions

Yes, the Before The Moon live set, recorded before the album, is proof of that and is really rather fabulous.

[malcolm weaver]

Since I posed the question opinions do seem to be mixed, I think it is fair to say that it perhaps wasn't the Fairport before or the Fairport after. It is still very good though wherever you want to place it.

[Neil Morrell]

and Simon should really take a pop at restless or Iron Lion sometime soon

I think Simon could, and should, do a BRILLIANT version of restless.

It is a different band, apart from the name, but they really should try it!!!

Chris While on Backing vocal?

[Thor-Rune]

For me one of the most important factors about the RFTM album is this: Just about half way through the recording of it, Dave Mattacks left the band. Most of the good stuff on there are the songs he is on.

In came Bruce Rowland. Who was a good drummer - trouble is: He was never a FAIRPORT drummer. Bruce Rowland made FC sound pedestrian from the word go. The power, the taste, the imagination and the understanding of what makes a song work - so much of it just went out the window from the drumming point of view. DM was always the ultimate FC drummer. Just listen to the live recordings from DM's time in the line-up and then hear live stuff from BR's time in it. There's just no contest!

In fairness to BR, it also has to be said that the RFTM material recorded after DM's departure was considerably weaker than the earlier songs on it. I heard several early RFTM songs played live long before the album came out - which made me feel extremely optimistic about it. When it came out I liked it a lot, but there were songs on it that disappointed me. "Let it go" is probably my least favourite. And I don't much care for "What is true", either.

But I still love about 70 % of it, which is more than enough for me. Pity the drummer and the material of the second part of the recording wasn't up to par with those on the first.

Having said this, I agree entirely with the sentiments about the Nine line-up. Sandy rejoining seemed like an excellent idea to me when it happened. But looking back with the wisdom of experience, I keep thinking that the Nine line-up really never got a proper chance to develop. It showed great promise and there were many interesting directions it could have gone. Nine is FC's most underrated album and one of my favourites.

But that's an entirely different discussion, I suppose.

Thor-Rune

[davidmjs]

For me one of the most important factors about the RFTM album is this: Just about half way through the recording of it, Dave Mattacks left the band. Most of the good stuff on there are the songs he is on.

In came Bruce Rowland. Who was a good drummer - trouble is: He was never a FAIRPORT drummer. Bruce Rowland made FC sound pedestrian from the word go. The power, the taste, the imagination and the understanding of what makes a song work - so much of it just went out the window from the drumming point of view. DM was always the ultimate FC drummer. Just listen to the live recordings from DM's time in the line-up and then hear live stuff from BR's time in it. There's just no contest!

In fairness to BR, it also has to be said that the RFTM material recorded after DM's departure was considerably weaker than the earlier songs on it. I heard several early RFTM songs played live long before the album came out - which made me feel extremely optimistic about it. When it came out I liked it a lot, but there were songs on it that disappointed me. "Let it go" is probably my least favourite. And I don't much care for "What is true", either.

But I still love about 70 % of it, which is more than enough for me. Pity the drummer and the material of the second part of the recording wasn't up to par with those on the first.

Having said this, I agree entirely with the sentiments about the Nine line-up. Sandy rejoining seemed like an excellent idea to me when it happened. But looking back with the wisdom of experience, I keep thinking that the Nine line-up really never got a proper chance to develop. It showed great promise and there were many interesting directions it could have gone. Nine is FC's most underrated album and one of my favourites.

But that's an entirely different discussion, I suppose.

Thor-Rune

BR is a superb drummer, and a superb FC drummer... the SN, DP, BR, DS 4-piece is probably my favourite lineup.  But then it was my first...which probably explains a lot!  I would agree that he's not a 'showy' drummer and the Rising material is certainly that!