Re: Folk Rock Champions League

[Jules Gray]

Battle of the Field v No Roses

It's true.  No Roses should have been in this thing somewhere.

Jules

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Liege & Lief v I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Not that it's going to make much difference

[Tony F]

Battle of the Field v No Roses
Danger, Danger .... I am going into overload...failure to compute....the result is....47

Battle of the Field v No Roses

Liege and Lief v I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

Liege and Lief v I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
 - what a surprise

[folkicons]

Spoiled ballot paper on this one I'm afraid. It's like those two blokes at Wimbledon endlessly bashing away at each other.

Oh, alright then - Liege & Lief v I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, but only by a gnat's crotchet!

[johnnysaint (John)]

Liege & Lief v I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

You know it makes sense

johnnysaint

[Neil]

Liege & Lief v I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight[/b

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

"With no other choice except for to go" for Liege and Lief v I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

[Staffan]

Liege & Lief v I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight  

[GS (Graham)]

Liege & Lief v I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

C'mon ye Bright Lights - the fightback starts here!

[JeremyRS]

Liege & Lief v I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Cheers for delaying the deadline.  A very very tough call but while L&L is more influential the songs on Bright Lights are peerless.

[GubGub (Al)]

Time to blow the whistle on this.

The final result is:

Liege & Lief lots, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, very few.

I am a little disappointed by this, not by the result which I think was inevitable but I hoped it would be closer.

Somebody is seriously going to have to explain the all conquering power of Liege & Lief to me. I bow to no man in my devotion to Fairport but is L&L really head and shoulders above everything else? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand its importance, significance and influence but does that necessarily make it their most enjoyable record or the best of the genre? As Fairport favourites go, it is not even in my top 6. So I am seriously asking, what is it that I can't hear, beyond its historical significance, that makes it so loved and so much better than everything else (and unbeatable in any competition like this)?

Anyway, that can of worms notwithstanding, congratulations to Liege & Lief on their victory. However a handicap may have to be considered in any future tournament to level the playing field a little.

[Jules Gray]

I bow to no man in my devotion to Fairport but is L&L really head and shoulders above everything else? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand its importance, significance and influence but does that necessarily make it their most enjoyable record or the best of the genre? As Fairport favourites go, it is not even in my top 6. So I am seriously asking, what is it that I can't hear, beyond its historical significance, that makes it so loved and so much better than everything else (and unbeatable in any competition like this)?

The production is a little wooden, but the performances still sound fresh and filled with inspiration.  It's a work of genius.  It's consistently top drawer.  It has at least 4, possibly even 6, folk rock legends all working together for the only time in history forging something truly wonderful.  Other Fairport albums may have higher highs, but none of them can match Liege & Lief for its total brilliance over the full playing time.  That's why I think it's still The One.

Jules

[Brendan]

I bow to no man in my devotion to Fairport but is L&L really head and shoulders above everything else? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand its importance, significance and influence but does that necessarily make it their most enjoyable record or the best of the genre? As Fairport favourites go, it is not even in my top 6. So I am seriously asking, what is it that I can't hear, beyond its historical significance, that makes it so loved and so much better than everything else (and unbeatable in any competition like this)?

The production is a little wooden, but the performances still sound fresh and filled with inspiration. it's a work of genius. it's consistently top drawer.  It has at least 4, possibly even 6, folk rock legends all working together for the only time in history forging something truly wonderful.  Other Fairport albums may have higher highs, but none of them can match Liege & Lief for its total brilliance over the full playing time.  That's why I think it's still The One.

Jules

Please post your top six. I personally have a soft spot for Babbacombe Lee, but if someone says liege and lief is better I know why. The is not just an original, it showcases the best qualities of traditional interpretation with electric instruments, peaks of songwriting from Thompson with both Farewell, Farewell and Crazy Man Michael, the playing from all is exemplary and displays the exuberance of youth and energy of those exploring new ideas. There are so many high points the bass line on tamlyn, the instrumentals, the first and most inspiring version of Matty Groves and some of Sandy's best vocals, not a bad moment. This is without having the rose tinted view of being there at the time.

[folkicons]

I think GubGub is correct in that some votes were probably for significance, influence etc. but its impact musically holds up for all the reasons Brendan stated. All bias aside, the interplay between RT & Swarb is still genuinely exciting and the whole album still sounds fresh to me.

[Shane (Skirky)]

I was talking to someone who is slowly coming round to the idea of it being a classic album yesterday and encouraging him along, although I did add "...but if you think that's good, wait till you hear Full House!". I think the band played and sang better together as a group, had written better songs, and had more quality time to stretch out and work on material at their own pace before committing it to tape. Mind you, I wasn't there.  

[davidmjs]

Somebody is seriously going to have to explain the all conquering power of Liege & Lief to me. I bow to no man in my devotion to Fairport but is L&L really head and shoulders above everything else? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand its importance, significance and influence but does that necessarily make it their most enjoyable record or the best of the genre? As Fairport favourites go, it is not even in my top 6. So I am seriously asking, what is it that I can't hear, beyond its historical significance, that makes it so loved and so much better than everything else (and unbeatable in any competition like this)?

I could have written that myself.  In fact I had to check to see I hadn't (as I have written similar things on here in the past)....

Well said (or asked, at least!), that man.

[MarkC]

Somebody is seriously going to have to explain the all conquering power of Liege & Lief to me. I bow to no man in my devotion to Fairport but is L&L really head and shoulders above everything else? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand its importance, significance and influence but does that necessarily make it their most enjoyable record or the best of the genre? As Fairport favourites go, it is not even in my top 6. So I am seriously asking, what is it that I can't hear, beyond its historical significance, that makes it so loved and so much better than everything else (and unbeatable in any competition like this)?

I could have written that myself.  In fact I had to check to see I hadn't (as I have written similar things on here in the past)....

Well said (or asked, at least!), that man.

Couldn't agree more...fabulous for its day, but I just don't think it holds up all that well. "Unhalfbricking," for example, sounds much fresher today. And to my ear, "Jewel in the Crown" will likely hold up better in the decades to come over any of the early records.

But it's all subjective, I realize.

[davidmjs]

And to my ear, "Jewel in the Crown" will likely hold up better in the decades to come over any of the early records.

But it's all subjective, I realize.

Ain't it just...you started off agreeing with me, now I'm disagreeing with you

'Hold up Better'...what does that actually mean?  That you'll still prefer it in the decades to come?  You'll know best on that score, but as to a) critical opinion (whatever that is) and b) sales, I'd be almost willing to bet my very last penny (believe me I haven't got many to spare at the best of times) that you're wrong on this JitC business....  Having said that it is (by far) my favourite of the post 70's releases, but that's still, imho, a pretty low benchmark.

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

It isn't my favourite either. But we were all consulted, and that's how the result occured.

I took the first copy of L&L to Leeds Poly Disco, and they played Medley side 2.track 2. If there were 300 young students in there, probably 275 of them had never heard of Fairport. I've never experienced anything like it before or since. The whole of the 300 just went wild, with a capital wild.