Top 10 Fairport Albums.........

[Jim]

you or him?
nine not fairport!!!
silly boy

[Cocker Freeman]

Silly, silly boy.

Very silly, eh Jim.

[PLW (Peter)]

you or him?

Me. He's young enough to drink standing up.

[Ollie]

Let me explain. Nine is a good album; it's very good. Fairport are a very good band, in what ever guise (ok, not Gottle...). Fairport have always for me been a very English band, with a very English sound, and I don't think that Nine captures that Fairport 'sound'. Yes, I know that 'that sound' has changed drastically over the years, but on Nine, with the addition of Jerry, bringing his American blues/rock/country style to Fairport, and Trevor, bringing his very distinctive voice to the band, the overall sound isn't Fairport. I also find that Swarb's fiddle playing is vasty different in style to that on, say, Angel Delight, only two years previous.

It's also the choice of material, not just the way it was done, that doesn't really do it for me. Tracks like the Brilliancy Medley, Pleasure and Pain and, to an extent, Possibly Parson's Green, don't really fit with what Fairport are about for me, in that they are not the kind of tracks that an English Folk-Rock band would choose. As I say, it's a great album, enjoy it, but it's not that Fairport sound.

PS - after reading that through, it may seem that I am xenophobic or racist. Apologies if it comes across like that, but I assure you that I'm not  

[PLW (Peter)]

Presumably "What We Did...." although my copy is named "...On Our Holidays", so dunno about the F.

What We Did On Our F****** Holidays?

[davidmjs]

Let me explain. Nine is a good album; it's very good. Fairport are a very good band, in what ever guise (ok, not Gottle...). Fairport have always for me been a very English band, with a very English sound, and I don't think that Nine captures that Fairport 'sound'. Yes, I know that 'that sound' has changed drastically over the years, but on Nine, with the addition of Jerry, bringing his American blues/rock/country style to Fairport, and Trevor, bringing his very distinctive voice to the band, the overall sound isn't Fairport. I also find that Swarb's fiddle playing is vasty different in style to that on, say, Angel Delight, only two years previous.

It's also the choice of material, not just the way it was done, that doesn't really do it for me. Tracks like the Brilliancy Medley, Pleasure and Pain and, to an extent, Possibly Parson's Green, don't really fit with what Fairport are about for me, in that they are not the kind of tracks that an English Folk-Rock band would choose. As I say, it's a great album, enjoy it, but it's not that Fairport sound.

PS - after reading that through, it may seem that I am xenophobic or racist. Apologies if it comes across like that, but I assure you that I'm not  

That Fairport sound?  Which is that?  I guess what you mean by that is the Fairport you like best... FC is different to WWDOOH and UHB which is different to L&L which is different to....and on and on it goes.  I guess if I think of a 'Fairport sound' to me it is the sound of the 4-piece SN, DP, DM, DS lineup playing/interpreting (mostly) Fairports material from '69-'79... Personally I don't think anything Fairport have recorded in the last 23 years sounds like Fairport...but that's just me.  The simple truth is we like what we like.  I like Nine....although I prefer that lineup live to the studio album....there's a few good recordings about.

[Cocker Freeman]

My live intro to the band was the Nine line-up plus Sandy Denny.

That, to me, is what everything else has to live up to.

Blimey! What am I doing talking about Fairport ******g Convention! It's your fault, Ollie, and I'll never forget that.

[Ollie]

Let me explain. Nine is a good album; it's very good. Fairport are a very good band, in what ever guise (ok, not Gottle...). Fairport have always for me been a very English band, with a very English sound, and I don't think that Nine captures that Fairport 'sound'. Yes, I know that 'that sound' has changed drastically over the years, but on Nine, with the addition of Jerry, bringing his American blues/rock/country style to Fairport, and Trevor, bringing his very distinctive voice to the band, the overall sound isn't Fairport. I also find that Swarb's fiddle playing is vasty different in style to that on, say, Angel Delight, only two years previous.

It's also the choice of material, not just the way it was done, that doesn't really do it for me. Tracks like the Brilliancy Medley, Pleasure and Pain and, to an extent, Possibly Parson's Green, don't really fit with what Fairport are about for me, in that they are not the kind of tracks that an English Folk-Rock band would choose. As I say, it's a great album, enjoy it, but it's not that Fairport sound.

PS - after reading that through, it may seem that I am xenophobic or racist. Apologies if it comes across like that, but I assure you that I'm not  

That Fairport sound?  Which is that?  I guess what you mean by that is the Fairport you like best... FC is different to WWDOOH and UHB which is different to L&L which is different to....and on and on it goes.  I guess if I think of a 'Fairport sound' to me it is the sound of the 4-piece SN, DP, DM, DS lineup playing/interpreting (mostly) Fairports material from '69-'79... Personally I don't think anything Fairport have recorded in the last 23 years sounds like Fairport...but that's just me.  The simple truth is we like what we like.  I like Nine....although I prefer that lineup live to the studio album....there's a few good recordings about.

Well, I dunno. Maybe it's because there's no Simon. Just something about that album (and Live Convention too) just doesn't do it for me.

[Barry]

I'm with Cocker, Jim, PLW, davidmjs.  

But then, as we find time and time again, the Live Convention line up was the first band I ever saw live, and that was my introduction to Fairport (best 50p I ever spent).  

Many others have similar experiences and affinities for other line-ups.  

It usually seems to be down to the first line up we encountered.

[KascadeDan]

I'm afraid I have to agree with Ollie on this one. Nine is a great album none-the-less, but songs from that period are certainly performed better by some line-ups. IMO of course, I'm not saying you have to think that way.

[MarkC]

Wow. Just...wow.

I hear the complaint occasionally from over there that Jerry Donahue's guitar playing was "too American." I am not really sure what that means...but I will say that I can't think of a single American guitar player---anywhere!--- who sounds anything like him at all. Or even could if they tried.

Whatever. I LOVE the Nine album no matter what the nationality of the participants. Funny, though...I haven't heard anyone from Mary Chapin Carpenter's recent shows over here complaining that DM's drumming is "too English."

[Jim]

Let me explain. Nine is a good album; it's very good. Fairport are a very good band, in what ever guise (ok, not Gottle...). Fairport have always for me been a very English band, with a very English sound, and I don't think that Nine captures that Fairport 'sound'. Yes, I know that 'that sound' has changed drastically over the years, but on Nine, with the addition of Jerry, bringing his American blues/rock/country style to Fairport, and Trevor, bringing his very distinctive voice to the band, the overall sound isn't Fairport. I also find that Swarb's fiddle playing is vasty different in style to that on, say, Angel Delight, only two years previous.

It's also the choice of material, not just the way it was done, that doesn't really do it for me. Tracks like the Brilliancy Medley, Pleasure and Pain and, to an extent, Possibly Parson's Green, don't really fit with what Fairport are about for me, in that they are not the kind of tracks that an English Folk-Rock band would choose. As I say, it's a great album, enjoy it, but it's not that Fairport sound.

PS - after reading that through, it may seem that I am xenophobic or racist. Apologies if it comes across like that, but I assure you that I'm not  

I'm afraid I have to agree with Ollie on this one. Nine is a great album none-the-less, but songs from that period are certainly performed better by some line-ups. IMO of course, I'm not saying you have to think that way.

Children ,Children!
You've been amusing so far, but i'm afraid we've not been strict enough with you and now youre both talking rubbish in the company of your elders
  Off to bed with the pair of you

[Anji]

I thought that young Bean expressed his opinion with maturity and some flair  

[Jim]

doesnt make it right , though

[Neil]

I missed the fight

Nine is the most rounded Fairport album for me, a great mix of tunes trad and original songs, a band at the peak of it's abilities the Englishness is well represented and the rock is their in abundance, how can you not love a violin played through a wah pedal. It has everything a Fairport album should have, humour, tragedy and great playing, and Peggy wears some, very fetching boots on the album cover.

[KascadeDan]

doesnt make it right , though

TBH, it doesn't really need to be right. Me and Ollie both agree that it's Simon that really keeps fairport alive as he's now, and was during angel delight/babbacombe lee, the only original member. After he left, they changed. It was in the folk rock genre, which starting out on liege and lief, and i love that. And even today, the songs from it are played brilliantly, but who is it that makes them so brilliant, Simon of course. That's what I think anyway.

[Jim]

very good young man
but in 1972 when simon took his sabbatical it was down to Dave's Swarbrick and Pegg to keep Fairport alive
due in the main to the shher brilliance of Swarb's playing

had they decided to go back playing the clubs solo or join jethro tull then there wouldnt have been  a fairport
for Simon to rejoin in '77 or for youngsters to enjoy in 2008

[KascadeDan]

very good young man
but in 1972 when simon took his sabbatical it was down to Dave's Swarbrick and Pegg to keep Fairport alive
due in the main to the shher brilliance of Swarb's playing

had they decided to go back playing the clubs solo or join jethro tull then there wouldnt have been  a fairport
for Simon to rejoin in '77 or for youngsters to enjoy in 2008

True.

[davidmjs]

 I guess if I think of a 'Fairport sound' to me it is the sound of the 4-piece SN, DP, DM, DS lineup playing/interpreting (mostly) Fairports material from '69-'79...

Spot the deliberate mistake...I meant BR instead of DM of course...(although DM did sometimes fill the seat in those years, especially on the US tours)

[Jim]

 I guess if I think of a 'Fairport sound' to me it is the sound of the 4-piece SN, DP, DM, DS lineup playing/interpreting (mostly) Fairports material from '69-'79...

Spot the deliberate mistake...I meant BR instead of DM of course...(although DM did sometimes fill the seat in those years, especially on the US tours)

BR joined in 76 after DM departed for the 2nd time so i guess your other deliberate mistake is 69-79?
what tours did DM fill for BR?