Cropredy 2014

[Jules Gray]

Anyway, From the Jam is not a tribute act - it's the original bassist (ie a third of the group) playing songs he helped to write. We've had loads of bands with only 1 or 2 original members,indeed as is often pointed out, you could call FC a tribute band.  

It's a tribute band.  A cabaret act.  A cash-in nostalgia trip.  I would really rather see a pub band play for fun than watch some of these desperate groups.  Fairport are an on-going concern that still make new records.  From The Jam aren't.

Jules

[hendo (Dave)]

Didn't Shameless Quo play one year or was that in the village?


As hendo mentioned, Can they be classed as a tribute with a former member in them?

 Shameless Quo were on the main stage.

Legend went down well twice! Tribute band.
Big Country? without Stuart
My personal feeling is their shouldn't be tribute bands at Cropredy
We have a fest in Leics called Glastonbudget. Mainly tribute bands. it pulls 15000+ people

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

Has anybody mentioned Procol Harum. They're touring. Pity only Gary Brooker is left from the original line-up, but lets face it, he IS the voice of Procol Harum.

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

Anyway, From the Jam is not a tribute act - it's the original bassist (ie a third of the group) playing songs he helped to write. We've had loads of bands with only 1 or 2 original members,indeed as is often pointed out, you could call FC a tribute band.  

It's a tribute band.  A cabaret act.  A cash-in nostalgia trip.  I would really rather see a pub band play for fun than watch some of these desperate groups.  Fairport are an on-going concern that still make new records.  From The Jam aren't.

Jules

Er, they do make new music - they did a number of tunes from Bruce Foxton's latest solo album (which features the same singer and drummer) and a few other songs.  
Tribute? Yes they did say how much they enjoy playing The Jam's music, some of which Bruce Foxton wrote of course. It's hardly a Stars in Your Eyes "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight Jim Smith IS Elvis Presley" style tribute  
Desperate? Hardly! They were having as much fun as the audience.
Cashing in? Well, they need to earn money, we all do. They're musicians, so it makes sense to tour and do what you know best. It's not really cashing in when you're on the road 200 nights a year, travelling up and down the country in a Renault Scenic, even if it does have aircon.

I admit we had no idea what From the Jam would be like, and we went along more to see Bruce Foxton play than anything else, but they totally surprised and delighted us. From the second they stepped onto the stage they delivered good, well-played music, and they had the audience (there were 3 generations from one family sat behind us) on their feet, singing, clapping and dancing along. A bit like when Tom Robinson came onto the stage at Cropedy

After all, Bruce Foxton IS the bass sound of The Jam...

[Jules Gray]

After all, Bruce Foxton IS the bass sound of The Jam...

Every bass player is the bass sound of their band!  Personally, I'd rather see Bruce going out there and presenting his own music under his own name.

Jules

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

After all, Bruce Foxton IS the bass sound of The Jam...

Every bass player is the bass sound of their band!  Personally, I'd rather see Bruce going out there and presenting his own music under his own name.

Jules

It was a reference to the previous post from David Terrrrrrrr

[Peter H-K]

After all, Bruce Foxton IS the bass sound of The Jam...

Every bass player is the bass sound of their band!  Personally, I'd rather see Bruce going out there and presenting his own music under his own name.

Jules

Is it just the branding that's at fault here, as if he's trying to say that this somehow still is The Jam? Or is it that the set is chiefly composed of Jam numbers? I accompanied my 15 year-old son (who was then 14) to see Johnny Marr in Manchester a few months ago. Marr and his band played a handful of Smiths songs, and when they did the crowd went wild, but we had no sense at all that this was a tribute act. Instead, here was a chap who had every right to play and sing these songs. But might we have thought differently had his band been called "From the Smiths", or if most of the set had been Smiths songs? Possibly.

[hendo (Dave)]

Jules, we don't want to be on too much of a pedestal.
 People loved the Muffin Men. Zappa tribute band tacking on one original member of the Mothers to give it some veracity.
Legend went down incredibly well etc.
It illustrates the changing Cropredy audience. Musafir and String Band may no longer get the gig!
and noting the post above, Martin Barre plays Tull.

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Up until fairly recently, "From The Jam" also included Rick Buckler, so with two thirds of the Jam involved I guess they felt they had a right to include "Jam" in the name.
They also happen to be extremely good!

[Dave.P]

I do recall that Hamsters were at Cropredy

They are brilliant but they are a Hendrix/ Queen tribute band really (with a bit of Zappa thrown in at times )

[JeremyRS]

I'm with you Jules. It's a tribute band. Possibly a very good one, and one that many people like, but still a tribute band. I enjoyed 10CC at Wickham this year but they're still a tribute band. Cropredy likes tributes, fair enough, but it's one of the reasons I haven't been since 2007.

[davidmjs]

Oh ffs this is such a pointless argument.  Statistically FTJ are less of a tribute band than Fairport are.  Get over it.

[hendo (Dave)]

Pointless arguments? On Talkawhile? Never!

[davidmjs]

Pointless arguments? On Talkawhile? Never!

As are rather stroppy overly aggressive put downs.  Sorry about that...bad day  

[Jules Gray]

Oh ffs this is such a pointless argument.  Statistically FTJ are less of a tribute band than Fairport are.  Get over it.

Depends which statistics you're using.  Fairport morphed into what they are now.  From The Jam were started by Bruce and Rick many years after their old group's demise, and expressly to play old songs to make some money.  Fair enough, I suppose, but let's not try and pretend that there's anything other than the desire for commercial gains going on here.

Anyway, my opinion is that suggesting such outfits for Croppers is aiming way too low.  I'd much rather listen to somebody new than someone coasting on former glories.

Jules

[davidmjs]

Anyway, my opinion is that suggesting such outfits for Croppers is aiming way too low.  I'd much rather listen to somebody new than someone coasting on former glories.

Jules

Oh Lord have mercy....now that is a very, er, interesting sentence to use about Cropredy...

[Jules Gray]

Oh Lord have mercy....now that is a very, er, interesting sentence to use about Cropredy...

Even if you think Fairport tend to coast these days, they sure up their game for Cropredy.  Maybe if From The Jam brought out that cantankerous old git from Woking who can't sing very well to guest on guitar, it would help matters somewhat.  

Jules

[davidmjs]

Now, now, Jules, don't you be putting words into my mouth...  

[RobertD]

I have made this point on here before, and I figured I would mention it again. As Jules says, Fairport have morphed, or evolved into what they are now, and have been a working band in some guise for every year of their 46 years (including the balance of 1979-1980, because they still got together for Cropredy). That anyone could think they are a tribute band of any sort is  wrong IMO. We all know the Fairport history, and we know the times when they had no original members, or only one original member. So if there is one band on the planet who knows what it is like to go out there and play only to be met with-"Sandy isn't in the band, no thanks, pass," "Richard isn't in the band, why bother?" "Swarb not in the band, whats the point?" it is Fairport Convention.

So when bands reform and play festivals like Cropredy they surely encounter the same problem, and they, and only they are the ones that have to do the convincing. Does it always work-no. Does it sometimes work-sure. The Blockheads and Squeeze being two recent examples for which it seemed consensus was pretty strongly in favor, whilst bands like Big Country and the Status Quo that appeared at Cropredy had mixed reviews on this board. The point to me is in the end result. I don't know The Jam, or From The Jam all that well, but if it is a good show, why not?

[RobertD]

Previous post I meant to describe the years 1979-1985 as still being "working" years because of Cropredy, not 1979-1980.