The First Time

[John From Austin]

Most of my life I only knew of Sandy through "The Battle of Evermore."  (Mrs. John From Austin advises that she had the "Northstar Grassman" LP in college, but it had disappeared from her collection by the time we got together.)  My first RT album was "Mirror Blue" in 1994, but the excessive production really turned me off at the time.  I didn't rediscover him until a live solo performance at the Texas Union Ballroom in 2001.

I officially converted to Fairportism around the same time, thanks to "Meet on the Ledge - The Classic Years 1967-1975."  It's been an orgy of back catalog acquisition ever since.

I didn't get to see them until the first Cropredy warm-up gig in 2007.  By then, I knew all the words and every note through RFTM.  I still have a lot of holes in the post-reunion discography, though the tunes "Jewel in the Crown" and "The Wood and the Wire" are as good as anything they've ever done.

[Henry Tompkins (Pete)]

I have a couple of weird ones.

I wondered what you were going to say there Ian!    

[dooovall [Daniel]]

In 1988, I was in high school, and the cool older kids I hung around with were constantly playing a cassette of "In Real Time."  I acquired my own copy and was discovering Jethro Tull around the same time, so I rapidly became a fan of Dave Pegg's bass playing.  For a few years I listened exclusively to the Maart/DM/Peggy/Simon/Ric lineup's albums and finally got to see the band live in 1991 at an intimate venue called The Hearth in Pennsylvania.  Over the past couple of decades, I've branched out into enjoying various songs and tunes from throughout Fairport's history, and I eagerly await each new CD by the current band.  I've been fortunate to enjoy gigs over the years in Ohio and California.

[Jonathan]

Jonathan, thats great...since only you and Bob from here on Talkawhile would know of what I speak, I remember Maart pointing towards the direction of the old Galleria Mall in downtown Worcester and mentioning you could find the "new album" In Real Time there.

Unfortunately, the Galleria is no more. I'm still not sure what's going to replace it.

Yep..slight thread drift I realize, but noticed that last time I was up there two years ago Bob.

But getting back to topic I just remember Fairport went down a storm. I think for them it was a we've got nothing to lose kind of thing...just go out there and have fun every night in these American arenas, and if we win people over, then all the better. It must have worked because over the years I have met several people who came across Fairport on that same tour, and even if they didn't become the mega fan I became, they seem to think quite highly of the them.

I agree, I think Fairport made a good number of fans on that tour.  A couple years later, I saw Fairport open up for Tull at Great Woods for the Performing Arts with my brother and a cousin. Unfortunately we missed the beginning of Fairport's set and only caught their last few songs.  But I remember my cousin picking up "In Real Time" on cassette on the way out at the souvenir stand.  He had never heard of them, and the few songs he caught just hooked him.

The only songs I remember them playing in Worchester were "The Hiring Fair" and the "Big Three Medley" I think is what they called it - The Swirling Pit ->Matty Groves -> The Rutland Reel/Sack The Juggler, though I was totally confused at the time, shouldn't it have called "Big Four Medley"?    I just remember Ric's violin at the end of "The Hiring Fair" just filling the arena, sounding eerie and unworldly and just thinking that if I was so completely blown away by an opening band I'd never heard of, what's Tull going to be like?  When "The Cocktail Cowboy Goes it Alone" came out, I was so thrilled that "The Swirling Pit" was on there.

I think on Budapest only Ric came out, to do the violin bit that he did on the album.  That, and the Great Woods' shows were the only times I saw "Budapest" with the violin.  It's a great live song, but without violin, it kind of misses something.  I do remember most of Fairport coming out for a song; I think it was "Skating Away..." though for the life of me, I couldn't tell you who played what.  Maart on accordion?

I know memory is a shaky think, and the best concert most people have seen is either the last one they saw or their first concert, but that was, if not the best concert I ever saw, definitely in the top five.  Fairport was great, and I discovered a new band that I still love.  Tull was on (though, to be honest, even if they didn't play all that well that night, I wouldn't have cared or likely known the difference!) but with the addition of various Fairport members on a couple songs, they fleshed out the songs live which really improved the show.  

[NickDunning]

Hello folks, I am loitering Jules...

I remember holding an original copy of 'Full House' at a record fair aged about 16 in 1983, I loved the cover, but didn't hear the music at the time.

In 1986 I came across 'The History Of Fairport' double LP with the book. Took a chance on it, love at first hearing. Very quickly got 'What We Did On Our Holidays', which has remained in my top 5 favourite records ever since.

After that there was no stopping me, got the Sandy 'WKWTTG' box for Xmas that year, and first saw Fairport live at the Half Moon in 1987. Had a good chat with a nice chap who I later discovered to be Jerry Donahue. Countless gigs since, my absolute favourite being Cropredy in 1992 I think, when Ric Sanders had broken his arm, and we got Robert Plant on the Friday night, and maximum 'Full House' with Swarb on the Saturday. Fantastic.

[Jules Gray]

Hi Nick!

Jules

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

1967 one Sunday afternoon John Peel played 'If I Had a Ribbon Bow' and I fell in love with that voice

Thats how I heard them for the first time too... I bought the first lp on the back of Ribbon Bow. Still have it, as well as the originals of all the stuff up to and including Full House.

A certain Bob Pegg was around West Yorkshire at that time , and he had picked up on a Joni Mitchell song Gallery. That was before even her first lp was released, never mind the second one which the song was actually on. I mention this as Fairport also did some Joni stuff (incl Chelsea Morning) around that time too. Since then I've been intrigued as to just how they learned of those songs.

[jude]

1967 one Sunday afternoon John Peel played 'If I Had a Ribbon Bow' and I fell in love with that voice

Thats how I heard them for the first time too... I bought the first lp on the back of Ribbon Bow. Still have it, as well as the originals of all the stuff up to and including Full House.

A certain Bob Pegg was around West Yorkshire at that time , and he had picked up on a Joni Mitchell song Gallery. That was before even her first lp was released, never mind the second one which the song was actually on. I mention this as Fairport also did some Joni stuff (incl Chelsea Morning) around that time too. Since then I've been intrigued as to just how they learned of those songs.

Joe Boyd knew Joni and brought her demo songs over from the US to try to get a publishing/recording deal for her in the UK, naturally he played them to us and we instantly latched on to several and made them our own..

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

1967 one Sunday afternoon John Peel played 'If I Had a Ribbon Bow' and I fell in love with that voice

Thats how I heard them for the first time too... I bought the first lp on the back of Ribbon Bow. Still have it, as well as the originals of all the stuff up to and including Full House.

A certain Bob Pegg was around West Yorkshire at that time , and he had picked up on a Joni Mitchell song Gallery. That was before even her first lp was released, never mind the second one which the song was actually on. I mention this as Fairport also did some Joni stuff (incl Chelsea Morning) around that time too. Since then I've been intrigued as to just how they learned of those songs.

Joe Boyd knew Joni and brought her demo songs over from the US to try to get a publishing/recording deal for her in the UK, naturally he played them to us and we instantly latched on to several and made them our own..

Thank you Jude, thank you so much. And even though he will most probably never see this post, a HUGE thank you to Joe Boyd too...

 

[Glen S]

I was a very late starter to Fairport really!...In the late 80's early 90's I was in a band playing pubs and the occasional function around the Oxford area.

One day our drummer Tony managed to secure us a gig at The George Inn, Barford St Michael. I'm guessing we probably played there 2 or 3 times in total. Hanging up on the wall of the back room was a framed copy of Fairports "Red and Gold" LP. It was only then that I twigged the connection between the pub and Fairport Convention...Dave Pegg and Woodworm Studios were just down the lane. I'm not sure our little band were ever going to set the world alight with our rather pedestrian sounding Rhythm and Blues set, but they were nice gigs, and I can remember the landlady Tracey and her husband treating us really kindly...Anyway to cut a long story short...I was interested to discover this band called Fairport Convention, so bought a copy of "The History Of" which I loved (still do!), and "In Real Time" which contained the current band lineup of the time, Maart, Simon, Peggy, Ric, and DM.

From that day I was completely hooked...alas our little band is no more...but happy days!







    

[johanna/ulla]

It was in 1981 and I was a MEGA Jethro Tull fan when my biology teacher said one day: "Do you know that Dave Pegg plays in a better band?" And he gave me the L & L album. Good man  

[martin driver]

I was a very late starter to Fairport really!...In the late 80's early 90's I was in a band playing pubs and the occasional function around the Oxford area.

One day our drummer Tony managed to secure us a gig at The George Inn, Barford St Michael. I'm guessing we probably played there 2 or 3 times in total. Hanging up on the wall of the back room was a framed copy of Fairports "Red and Gold" LP. It was only then that I twigged the connection between the pub and Fairport Convention...Dave Pegg and Woodworm Studios were just down the lane. I'm not sure our little band were ever going to set the world alight with our rather pedestrian sounding Rhythm and Blues set, but they were nice gigs, and I can remember the landlady Tracey and her husband treating us really kindly...Anyway to cut a long story short...I was interested to discover this band called Fairport Convention, so bought a copy of "The History Of" which I loved (still do!), and "In Real Time" which contained the current band lineup of the time, Maart, Simon, Peggy, Ric, and DM.

From that day I was completely hooked...alas our little band is no more...but happy days!







    

If I'm not mistaken Tracey the landlady is heard calling time on the song Closing Time (Jewel in the Crown)

[Glen S]

You're absolutely right Martin!

Actually, being typically slow on the uptake, I only realised that quite recently, and many years after we played at The George Inn..  

[Jim]

It was in 1981 and I was a MEGA Jethro Tull fan when my biology teacher said one day: "Do you know that Dave Pegg plays in a better band?" And he gave me the L & L album. Good man  

you would have thought he'd have given you and album on which Mr Pegg actually played!  

[Eugene K]

Yikes, I'm a newcomer. But when I get in to something, it's done obsessively so

In the last few years, my tastes reverted back to folk and acoustic music both new and old. I somehow managed to be a fan of artists like Roy Harper, Nick Drake, Pentangle, etc without having known much about Fairport. Eventually I came across I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight and fell in love. As it turned out, this Thompson fellow was in a band prior to that...

Genesis Hall was the song that hooked me several years ago.

[Ronald]

What a nice thread and funny to read how people got into Fairport, forgive me if I'm a bit late but I only discovered this forum a couple of days ago.

The first time I heard Fairport was in 1968 when I bought their first album, in that year a lot of albums were released (The Byrds, The Mothers of Invention, Fleetwood Mac etc etc). As I had in that same year started my first job and earning money a lot of that money I did spend on records (too much according to a colleague who said I could have bought a nice secondhand car instead). Every Friday I did go to a record shop to listen to all the new albums that had come out and one day I listened to the first Fairport album and liked it immediately. It stood out from the rest because to me it sounded different and although several of the songs were by American writers it still sounded very English to me and maybe that is what attracted me to them. My favourite songs were Time will show the wiser, I don't know where I stand and Chelsea morning. After that I bought all the albums when they were released and by the third one I was complete hooked and Fairport was my favourite band. I was very disappointed when they stopped after the release of Tipplers tales and in those 10 years (1968 to 1978) I just could not understand when talking to people about music that they had never heard of the band, because for me it was Fairport, Fairport and Fairport.

[Gouty (Gary)]

I saw Swarb on some BBC TV programme in the mid-70s and that was my 'Beatles on Ed Sullivan' moment. From there, a bit of research led me to Fairport and I subsequently devoured their back catalogue (or as much of it was available to an impecunious teenager in pre-iTunes days).

Didn't actually get round to seeing them until 1983 and had no idea what to expect. Needn't have worried. It was one of that year's Cropredy warm-ups at the Half Moon, Putney, and when Jonah took the mic he announced: Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Cathy Le Surf... Peggy came on at the end!

Didn't miss much after that! Saw the pre- Gladys line-up (Simon, Peggy, Swarb, Bruce) a few times, then suddenly there were these two new faces with them, playing all these new songs! (Something about a 'hiring fair' rings a bell...?  )

[Alan Arnold]

First heard Fairport Convention when my English teacher played Sir Patrick Spens from Full House for us to compare the original poem and Fairports interpretation and have been a fan ever since, already knew of Dave Swarbrick from folk festivals my parents had danced in at Brum, and knew Dave Pegg's father as he was caretaker at my primary school where my mum taught folk dancing I can remember seeing Dave P's daughter at the school when her grandfather was looking after her I  think this was when Fairport was appearing in America.
First saw them in concert at a small chapel in Sutton Coldfield shortly after Richard Thompson had left the group.

[Phil Perry]

Unusual route here I think - went to the National Theatre in 1980, the Albions were the backing band and I instantly loved them. A friend said that in that case it was obligatory to also hear Steeleye & Fairport. First I picked up "Prospect Before Us" at Bond Street HMV (believe it's just re-opened). Liked that, so a few days later bought "History" at a local record shop (probably the one one they had) - I believe never having heard a note of FC but knowing it was many of the same musicians as the Albion Band ! I instantly loved the first LP of the pair, mainly due to Sandy's vocals, but I believe it was at least a year before I got used to the "yokel" vocals on the second LP. Finally saw FC at Cropredy 1982. Only found out many years later that that was the first time that they used the now-hallowed field !

[Jamie73]

First heard them in 1984. I noticed that my aunt had The History of Fairport Convention, so listened to that. Loved it! Saw them for the first time in January 1987 at City Hall, St. Albans, then dozens of times after. Also saw a fair few Simon Nicol and Ric Sanders gigs, and even a gig billed as Nicol, Mattacks & Whetstone. Last saw them at Cropredy in 1994.