Staffan
Swedes stun easily
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Loc: Skärhamn, Sweden
"Always look on the bright side of life..."
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« on: November 03, 2007, 09:07:31 AM » |
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With the band celebrating 40 years of existence I'm a little surprised that I haven't read anywhere about a larger biography of the band being in preparation somewhere. Having just reread "The Woodworm Years" I find an urgent need for a more in-depth biography of the band that also goes up to today. In another thread Fairport was named "the most boxed band" but while Sandy, Richard and Ashley have been the topic for rather substantial biographies , I only have the 1982 "Meet On The Ledge" (does the paperback edition from 1997 add anything to the original edition btw?), "The Woodworm Era" and David Hughes "The Fairport Tour" as biographies. I also have Kingsley Abbott's book, whose contents could be a good kick-off to a new biog.Does anyone know if a fat, rich, 300-page FC-biography is being written at this very moment so I can look forward to a such, together with sound and vision souvenirs from this Summer's Cropredy?
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« Last Edit: November 03, 2007, 09:20:44 AM by staFCarin »
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" -Just a roll, just a roll..."
" -I was 16 now and full of life..."
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2007, 10:17:53 AM » |
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The 1997 version of Meet On The Ledge has a little bit of extra writing, but not much. It remains a very basic and not-so-in-depth summary of the band's career up to that point. Nice to have, but not that satisfying overall IMO.
Jules
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Now be thankful for good things below
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leahdon (Donna)
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« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2007, 12:05:43 PM » |
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Agreed, t'would be excellent...
Are there any authors on Taw who could be persuaded?
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Cheers,
Donna
xx
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Cocker Freeman
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« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2007, 12:09:52 PM » |
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Has someone done a book with Peggy? Or was that just for the box?
Blimey! I'm talking music!
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Andy
Brain half the size of a planet
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Not perfect. Never claimed to be.
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« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2007, 12:10:46 PM » |
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To be brutally frank, if no-one did this, even for their 40th year, it points to there not being a suffiently large market for it.
Sad, but true.
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Staffan
Swedes stun easily
Folkcorp Guru
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Posts: 746
Loc: Skärhamn, Sweden
"Always look on the bright side of life..."
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« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2007, 04:06:46 PM » |
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To be brutally frank, if no-one did this, even for their 40th year, it points to there not being a suffiently large market for it.
Sad, but true.
That´s what I feared!  |
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" -Just a roll, just a roll..."
" -I was 16 now and full of life..."
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Keith
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« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2007, 05:54:24 PM » |
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I bet Maart would do it. There's at least 10,000 sales just at Cropredy, and he does seem to know everything about FC  |
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Andy
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« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2007, 06:01:07 PM » |
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If there was a profit in it, he'd surely have already done it.
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Andy
Brain half the size of a planet
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Not perfect. Never claimed to be.
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« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2007, 06:41:52 PM » |
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I bet Maart would do it. There's at least 10,000 sales just at Cropredy, and he does seem to know everything about FC To elucidate on my previous reply: As demonstrated with his songbooks, Maart has a good commercial head on his shoulders and, as you say Keith, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of Fairport, if anyone was to do such a tome it could well be him. But given that "Festival Folk" took about a year to sell 1500 copies, I think your idea that 10,000 would sell in one fell swoop at Croppers is a tad fanciful and would represent a huge financial risk just in terms of investment in the printing. Just look at how hard Peggy has had to push Box'o'Peggs, for another example of a limited marketplace in this area. It'd be interesting to know how many albums Fairport sell these days, even the deluxe 2CD version of L&L. Obviously Fairport are a viable financial concern, but as has been said more than once by Simon et al (and I may be paraphrasing a bit here) "all it takes is one financially bad Cropredy to never have another one ever again", so there's obviously a balance to be made. |
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Jim
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« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2007, 08:55:21 PM » |
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ill bet the latest version of l&l sold poorly as the extras have all been out there legally and otherwise for donkeys years
thers been 2 fc biogs so far one covwering the early years and that poor effort that covered some of the woodworm years, what would a new version tell us that we dont all know?
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The Dude abides
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Keith
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« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2007, 08:58:25 PM » |
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ill bet the latest version of l&l sold poorly as the extras have all been out there legally and otherwise for donkeys years
thers been 2 fc biogs so far one covwering the early years and that poor effort that covered some of the woodworm years, what would a new version tell us that we dont all know?
Why all the fiddle players wear baseball caps? |
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Jim
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« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2007, 08:59:23 PM » |
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sad, innit
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The Dude abides
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Ancient Muse (Andy)
As nature intended
Folkcorp Guru 2nd Dan
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Sometimes a redhead, always a natural blonde!
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« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2007, 11:07:59 PM » |
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It's just to cover up the bald patches.
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Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana
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Andy
Brain half the size of a planet
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« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2007, 11:21:45 PM » |
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Ya think?
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leahdon (Donna)
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« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2007, 10:20:39 AM » |
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I bet Maart would do it. There's at least 10,000 sales just at Cropredy, and he does seem to know everything about FC To elucidate on my previous reply: As demonstrated with his songbooks, Maart has a good commercial head on his shoulders and, as you say Keith, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of Fairport, if anyone was to do such a tome it could well be him. But given that "Festival Folk" took about a year to sell 1500 copies, I think your idea that 10,000 would sell in one fell swoop at Croppers is a tad fanciful and would represent a huge financial risk just in terms of investment in the printing. Just look at how hard Peggy has had to push Box'o'Peggs, for another example of a limited marketplace in this area. I think using "Festival Folk" as an example is a bit of a red herring... It's a book about the people who attend Festivals, not about the music, musicians or anything more interesting. I only bought it as I knew a couple of people in the photos and it was for charity. Otherwise, it isn't anything really of interest. I think an updated Fairport book would be much more interesting, even if it is only taking Patrick H's book and continuing it. |
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Cheers,
Donna
xx
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David W
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« Reply #15 on: November 07, 2007, 10:32:11 AM » |
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Isn't part of the problem that a book about a bunch of 20 somethings, fired up by a wonderful idea, suffering tragedy, acclaim and breakups is a damn fine story.
A story about a bunch of 40 somethings having the occasional tiff whilst being on a hamsterwheel of touring and recording isn't.
Just a thought.
Jackdaw
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #16 on: November 07, 2007, 07:03:40 PM » |
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Isn't part of the problem that a book about a bunch of 20 somethings, fired up by a wonderful idea, suffering tragedy, acclaim and breakups is a damn fine story.
A story about a bunch of 40 somethings having the occasional tiff whilst being on a hamsterwheel of touring and recording isn't.
Just a thought.
Jackdaw
Oh for sure, the first 10 years of the Fairport story is still going to be the most interesting material. But it's the same with every major artist of that generation. 200 pages on the first 10 years and just another 100 on the next 30. Jules |
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Now be thankful for good things below
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MarkC
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« Reply #17 on: November 08, 2007, 05:50:54 PM » |
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Oh for sure, the first 10 years of the Fairport story is still going to be the most interesting material.
Jules
Speaking for myself, the first 10 years have been told to death. Far more fascinating to me would be an in depth tale of how they went from "has-beens" in 1979 to the viable, energetic organization they are now. Now THAT'S a story... |
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Ollie
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« Reply #18 on: November 08, 2007, 06:20:01 PM » |
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I don't know whether Chris Pegg would do a sort of biography/story of Cropredy. Like a kinda memoir. Unless this has already been done...
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"Tradition must be respected, convention can be broken; but only when you know which is which."
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davidmjs
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« Reply #19 on: November 08, 2007, 08:02:57 PM » |
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Oh for sure, the first 10 years of the Fairport story is still going to be the most interesting material.
Jules
Speaking for myself, the first 10 years have been told to death. Far more fascinating to me would be an in depth tale of how they went from "has-beens" in 1979 to the viable, energetic organization they are now. Now THAT'S a story... Isn't that what The Woodworm Years is? Out of date now of course, mind... |
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