Help a Fairport virgin please

[Collstoke (Ian)]

I've been trying to persuade my wife to go to our first ever festival for years and i'm hoping Cropredy will be the one.
Over the years, I've seen clips of Fairport on tv and the net and i've usually enjoyed what i've seen. But when I look for something to buy, there's just too much choice
I want to get 2 or 3 cd's (to start with) so that we can just put them on in the car.
If I want to get to know the popular stuff that Fairport will play at Cropredy, which albums should I buy ?

[Chris]

The latest - Festival Bell - they're bound to play a lot of that....

[Jim]

"Babbacombe Lee" becuase they'll be playing it in its entirity and it might help if you were familiar
"The Festival bell" because its the latest offering and they'll be playing a fair amont of that as well
"Liege and lief" because its one of the best records ever made and still provides a fair amount of the live set after 42 years

other than that theres a mountain of FC stuff out there, dive in

[Bob Barrows]

I've been trying to persuade my wife to go to our first ever festival for years and i'm hoping Cropredy will be the one.
Over the years, I've seen clips of Fairport on tv and the net and i've usually enjoyed what i've seen. But when I look for something to buy, there's just too much choice
I want to get 2 or 3 cd's (to start with) so that we can just put them on in the car.
If I want to get to know the popular stuff that Fairport will play at Cropredy, which albums should I buy ?

Well, they will probably play quite a bit from their latest album, Festival Bell. They will also likely highlight their Babbacombe Lee album so get that if you can find it. Other than that, since they play very long shows that include tracks from most of their albums, you should go with one of the live Cropredy cds: the box set is a really good one, but it's 3 cds and might be pricey. Others can be found here: http://www.musikfolk.co.uk/expletive-delighted/.
A good representation of the pre-1995 output is this one.

The Fairport At Forty DVD will give you a really good idea of what a Cropredy performance will be like. It can be found on the FC main site here.

[Collstoke (Ian)]

Thanks for that. Just ordered Babbacombe Lee from Amazon for £3.99 - bargain  

[Nick Reg]

The important thing to remember is that a Fairport Cropredy set is often very different to a Winter tour set. Guests come and go as do past members. Some of the Free Reed box sets are worth exploring particularly the FC Cropredy one , but they are expensive.
My favourite has always been the 1992 set with the classic Metal Matty.

[Nick Reg]

And nice to see a new convert from our local area.

[Jules Gray]

Regardless of whatever angle you're approaching from, I'd still start with their 2 best albums:-

The deluxe 2 disc version of Liege & Lief

And the expanded CD of Full House

And that way if you don't like what most of us consider to be their masterpieces, then you probably know Fairport aren't the band for you and can save yourself the bother of the wonky road that is made up of their less celebrated later works.

If, on the other hand, you love them, then you're in for a fun ride.

And to get a flavour of Cropredy, why not pick up The Cropredy Box?

Jules

[Neil]

If you want a fairly decent feel for Cropredy Live at Cropredy 08 will do that, it will also give you a fairly good idea of what the current band sounds like, has some guests and a chunk of Babbacombe Lee.

Other than that what everyone else has said..

[Glen S]

I would always recommend the Cropredy recordings as a starting point. They paint a superb picture of Fairports musical history, and feel a little special in the knowledge that they have been captured on an August evening in that gently sloping field in North Oxfordshire.

In no particular order-

Cropredy Box- 30th Anniversary and covering all points along the journey. 3 CDs in tiny card box, and great value.

Cropredy Capers- Boxed set with books and village guides etc. 65 performances from 25 years of Cropredy Festival, more pricey but a lovely thing.

[Andy]

Frankly there's not that much of Croppers devoted to the Chaps - 4 hours out of 28 or so -  so it's well worth listening to some of the other bands featured this year. Some are extremely good - Horslips for instance - and some are less so. It's all personal opinion.

If your wife likes good beer, pleasant company, the opportunity to jostle with Frank Skinner and Robert Plant at the bar and staying up late drinking and listening to other attendees singing into the night in the camping area, then she'll have a fine old time. For many, the music is an additional attraction to the above.

Come along, have fun and just enjoy. Life's too short.

[MarkV]

Frankly there's not that much of Croppers devoted to the Chaps - 4 hours out of 28 or so -  so it's well worth listening to some of the other bands featured this year. Some are extremely good - Horslips for instance - and some are less so. It's all personal opinion.

If your wife likes good beer, pleasant company, the opportunity to jostle with Frank Skinner and Robert Plant at the bar and staying up late drinking and listening to other attendees singing into the night in the camping area, then she'll have a fine old time. For many, the music is an additional attraction to the above.

Come along, have fun and just enjoy. Life's too short.

You did forget the drunken snoring into the night.  But other than that I did get my now wife to come along on the basis of one artist, and they were not Fairport, and at that time i had only listened to a history of fairport (a good start for beginers i would say), but we came, we saw and have been back since 1994.

[Dr Clive]

I just love the 25th Anniversary double CD (1993) - lots of guests, lots of my favourite songs. If I remember correctly this was the year when Chris (before he joined the band) had to stand in for Ric following the latter's arm/window interface escapade.

DC

[davidmjs]

I just love the 25th Anniversary double CD (1993) - lots of guests, lots of my favourite songs. If I remember correctly this was the year when Chris (before he joined the band) had to stand in for Ric following the latter's arm/window interface escapade.

DC

Released in '93, recorded in '92, just in case anyone is confused...

It's probably my fave official live recording.  Still one of the best performances I've seen them play...  Love it.

[GubGub (Al)]

I just love the 25th Anniversary double CD (1993) - lots of guests, lots of my favourite songs. If I remember correctly this was the year when Chris (before he joined the band) had to stand in for Ric following the latter's arm/window interface escapade.

DC

Released in '93, recorded in '92, just in case anyone is confused...

It's probably my fave official live recording.  Still one of the best performances I've seen them play...  Love it.

One of mine too though for my money the 97 set just edges it.

[davidmjs]

One of mine too though for my money the 97 set just edges it.

Its not an argument I'd put a lot of effort into fighting, as that's a fab album/box as well...I, personally, just prefer Chris's fiddle playing to Ric's violin....

[GubGub (Al)]

One of mine too though for my money the 97 set just edges it.

Its not an argument I'd put a lot of effort into fighting, as that's a fab album/box as well...I, personally, just prefer Chris's fiddle playing to Ric's violin....

Fair point. I think my preference for 97 is down to the generous amount of Swarb & RT on those recordings.

[Collstoke (Ian)]

Thanks for all the replies guys.
Lots of options for me there  

[Jules Gray]

I think my preference for 97 is down to the generous amount of Swarb & RT on those recordings.

That's the same for me, Gub.  Plus there's some nasty technical buzzing on the '92 set.  Plus the band play with more energy on the '97 set, from that frantic Time Will Show The Wiser onwards.  It's a blast!

Jules

[davidmjs]

The Dan ar Braz version of Rain on the '97 set has to be one of my fave recordings ever!

Thinking about it, because of the historical breadth of the '97 set that probably would be a better place to go.  And there is the April Fool Tape as a bonus too