Fairport:The Island Years Mega Box.

[Jules Gray]

Ashamed to say I'd never heard of these sessions until now   (Surrenders Fairport badge; folk-rock licence revoked...)

The version of Bonny Bunch Of Roses on the expanded Full House is from those sessions, and they're mentioned in the liner notes too.

Jules

[Dan O.]

So if Island have an ongoing reissue programme, now they've done Anthrax, surely it's only a matter of time before a Fairport box is forthcoming   :


[Photo over 400 days old. Removed by Admin.]

[Ronald]

Oh bloody hell.  Now you've said it, it's going to happen, isn't it?  More records to buy all over again.

If they put the 1970 Gold Star studio sessions in it, then I won't be able to help myself.  

Jules

Which songs did they record during those sessions?

[bassline (Mike)]

Most probably much the same material that ended up on Full House.Why the sessions were abandoned is not known in any depth,as far as I know.

[Jules Gray]

Which songs did they record during those sessions?

Versions of Dirty Linen, Sir Patrick Spens, Walk Awhile and The Bonny Bunch of Roses.

Jules

[Ronald]

So the plan was to record the Full House album in the US but, as Mike wrote, abandoned for unknown reasons. It would be interesting to hear what the recordings sound like in comparison the ones recorded in England.

[Jamie73]

According to Richard Thompson, Staines Morris ws one of the tracks.

[Simon Withers]

I've still got the FC 25th Anniversary Island Box Set. And what a sad effort that was. 4 perfectly normal Island CDs in a box! Catalogue number FCBX1. Even that was a bit lame. And I've just got it down from its home on the top shelf and I can't even open it:it seems to have locked itself solid. I remember that the adverts at the time promised some sort of leaflet history with it, and Island couldn't even get that together, so they went out leafletless.

I have that box set too...all the CD's contained within had that 'CD cancer'...the Cd's are deceased...all brown and flakey...but the box still works.

[Jules Gray]

So the plan was to record the Full House album in the US but, as Mike wrote, abandoned for unknown reasons. It would be interesting to hear what the recordings sound like in comparison the ones recorded in England.

Indeed it would.  I believe that the London recordings were done first, so the LA versions must have been an attempt to better them.  The band must have felt that they hadn't achieved this.

Interesting though that when Poor Will was dropped from the album that nobody seems to have thought to substitute one of the Gold Star cuts.

Jules

[bassline (Mike)]

Out of interest Jules,as you can compare at least the two versions of Bonny..,which,if any,do you prefer?

[Jules Gray]

Out of interest Jules,as you can compare at least the two versions of Bonny..,which,if any,do you prefer?

The 1970 Gold Star one has the edge for me.  It's a little ragged, but it has a spirit and a tension lacking from the later version.

Jules

[bassline (Mike)]

I guessed that might be the case,same here.
I have Tippler's/Bonny Bunch on a twofer,and tend to skip it.If I let it run,my mind drifts off elsewhere,and I find myself shouting at the stereo when another verse starts and I think the songs finnished.Sometimes I enjoy it ,though.Depends on the mood.I don't have those problems with the Full House version,probably because I'ts less familiar,so I pay more attention.
I'm of the mind that to include Bonny Bunch on the original 40 minute Full House would have made for a pretty 'down' experience with quite a few slow paced and sombre songs already on there,(and I'd rather have Sloth covering the subject of war,thank you very much!)

[folkfreak (Alexander)]

I like the 1977 version better. The Goldstar version is always flat for me, without any moving. Can't tell exactly, but it just goes on and on.
The 1977 version on the other hand keeps it interesting. The only thing I skip on that record (regulary!) is The last waltz. I my opinion this is by far the worst and boring song they ever recorded.

Alex

[Ronald]

I Googled the Manor sessions to see what I could find about it and the first site to come up was a bootleg site. There is a bootleg album and I recognised 5 of the 9 songs, but they did not use these but rerecorded them.

I had a look to see if they had anything by Steeleye Span, there are four and one of the albums were recordings they made for the John Peel show in 1971 but I could not believe my eyes when I saw the cover, it was one of my own pictures, one I had taken in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1971.

[GubGub (Al)]

I have been thinking about this (instead of getting on with the work that I should be doing) and it seems to me that there must be a wealth of live material that could be included, much like the John Martyn box. At the very least, Island must have recorded more of the Troubador material than made it onto the House Full/Live At The LA Troubador albums (even in expanded form) and presumably the entire show was recorded that was edited down for the single disc Live Convention (A Moveable Feast).

A box containing remasters of all of the albums from Fairport Convention to Tipplers Tales, plus all of the bonus tracks released to date plus the Gold Star & Manor sessions plus the unreleased live material from shows that were recorded for for release would be an enticing prospect.

In my case, at least half of the albums are the original CD releases and are suffering the ravages of time and inept manufacturing processes so such a box would be most welcome.

You couldn't of course call it The Island Years as, although all this material is now owned by Universal, at the time it was recorded for three different labels.

[Jules Gray]

You couldn't of course call it The Island Years as, although all this material is now owned by Universal, at the time it was recorded for three different labels.

Although they may do just that and also stick In Real Time in there as well.

Jules

[GubGub (Al)]

You couldn't of course call it The Island Years as, although all this material is now owned by Universal, at the time it was recorded for three different labels.

Although they may do just that and also stick In Real Time in there as well.

Jules

I did consider that In Real Time and a DVD/Blu Ray of It All Comes Round Again (which is also owned by Island) might make for further good bonus material.

[bassline (Mike)]

There you go then,Universal.
We've done the research,there's at least some suckers eager fans who would be willing to be ripped off invest in it,you know what you could include.

Get on with it.

_{(Although not yet...I have to go see my bank manager and move to a bigger house first.)}

[GubGub (Al)]

_{(Although not yet...I have to go see my bank manager and move to a bigger house first.)}

...or download it from Amazon for £1.19!  

[Chris]

Amazon have killed that offer!