Fairport Compendium

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

As was mentioned a couple of months ago the idea is to compile an all new 'History of Fairport Convention' virtual CD, made up of tracks from across the decades.

All we need is a plan of how to do it.
I was thinking of splitting the the albums into 'eras' and then having a vote/debate to select tracks from each of those.

Firstly does this look like a good list to start with:

Fairport Convention	What We Did on Our Holidays	Unhalfbricking	Liege & Lief	Full House
Angel Delight	Babbacombe Lee	Rosie	Nine	Rising for the Moon
Gottle O'Geer	The Bonny Bunch of Roses	Tipplers Tales	Gladys' Leap	Expletive Delighted!
Heyday	In Real Time: Live '87	Red & Gold	The Five Seasons	Jewel in the Crown
Old New Borrowed Blue	Who Knows Where the Time Goes?	The Wood and the Wire	XXXV	Over the Next Hill
Sense of Occasion	Festival Bell	By Popular Request	Myths and Heroes

[hendo (Dave)]

Morning Colin.
For once a serious comment.
I like this idea.
However I think you may have to define the length of a new History Of.
12tracks?
A double?
A double with one cd pre 85 and one post.?

Personally Sloth, Matty, Sailors Life, WKWTTTG would have to be there cos they define a genre but others would disagree!!!
If it was A 12 track album, could you just ask people for their 12, favourite / most influential, songs?
However to be a true history it should include later albums, so you may need to create a specific vote.
When Fairports did by Popular request, it was by vote and they were pleased to get votes for later songs so, ' By Popular Request' may already be the new History Of'?

[Ronald]

Colin, would it be possible to select two, three or four albums every week and to let people vote for the tracks they like of each album?
It would be interesting to see how the outcome will be, to see the order of preference for the songs of each album.
I would also suggest to include songs that were recorded at the same time but did not make it to the albums.

[Jules Gray]

I would say let's fill up one (or possibly two) 80 minute CDs.

In terms of eras, I would move Heyday to the era of the recordings rather than the release date.  It would be out of step in terms of chronology to have, say, Suzanne in the middle of the 80s stuff.

Jules

[bassline (Mike)]

Taking one track from each album, which I think would be fair - if this is a history of, rather than the best of or an impossible greatest hits - would give us 29 tracks. A single CD wouldn't be enough. So at least a double.
But then some albums would throw up more than one song. I'd say a triple CD is needed.
Maybe a four disc box. (Modestly priced with a nice booklet   .)
 

[hendo (Dave)]

As was mentioned a couple of months ago the idea is to compile an all new 'History of Fairport Convention' virtual CD, made up of tracks from across the decades.

All we need is a plan of how to do it.
I was thinking of splitting the the albums into 'eras' and then having a vote/debate to select tracks from each of those.

Firstly does this look like a good list to start with:

Fairport Convention	What We Did on Our Holidays	Unhalfbricking	Liege & Lief	Full House
Angel Delight	Babbacombe Lee	Rosie	Nine	Rising for the Moon
Gottle O'Geer	The Bonny Bunch of Roses	Tipplers Tales	Gladys' Leap	Expletive Delighted!
Heyday	In Real Time: Live '87	Red & Gold	The Five Seasons	Jewel in the Crown
Old New Borrowed Blue	Who Knows Where the Time Goes?	The Wood and the Wire	XXXV	Over the Next Hill
Sense of Occasion	Festival Bell	By Popular Request	Myths and Heroes

Sorry Colin. When I first looked at this I read down rather than across! Eras looks fine.

[bassline (Mike)]

Jules is right about Heyday - I guess it should be between Holidays and Unhalfbricking.

Specific eras are difficult because they blend into each other.

It would be easiest to go album by album and discuss the essential tracks from each - some may contain two, three or more. It's inevitable that there will be more tracks from the earlier six or seven albums and fewer from the last twenty or so. And then prune them down to fit, taking track times into account to squeeze as near to 79.59 mins as poss.  

[GubGub (Al)]

I agree that it needs to be a 3 or 4 disc set at this point.

At the risk of confusing matters, can I suggest excluding In Real Time & By Popular Request? They are what they are but they don't add anything to the canon.

Also, does there need to be an option for people to nominate other officially released tracks that did not appear on the original studio albums? Now Be Thankful & Fiddlestix for example. In my case the live version of I Wandered By A Brookside from the 1992 Cropredy album would make my personal list but the anodyne studio version from a decade or so later would not. Just offered as "for instance". There are also other tunes on the live albums for which no studio version exists and which should not be overlooked. Battle of the Somme for example.

[Ronald]

I agree that it needs to be a 3 or 4 disc set at this point.

At the risk of confusing matters, can I suggest excluding In Real Time & By Popular Request? They are what they are but they don't add anything to the canon.

Also, does there need to be an option for people to nominate other officially released tracks that did not appear on the original studio albums? Now Be Thankful & Fiddlestix for example. In my case the live version of I Wandered By A Brookside from the 1992 Cropredy album would make my personal list but the anodyne studio version from a decade or so later would not. Just offered as "for instance". There are also other tunes on the live albums for which no studio version exists and which should not be overlooked. Battle of the Somme for example.

Al, there are I think not that many tracks who did not make it to the albums, I was thinking about songs like Sir Patricks Spens sung by Sandy Denny which did not make it to Liege and Lief and Poor Will. I think they should be considered.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

That wasn't a strict list and not really in order.
It will be easiest to argue about what's in or out, one era at a time.

Anybody care to suggest a list of eras?

eg:
Fairport Convention (on it's own)
WWDOOH & UHB
L&L, FH & AD

etc.....

[GubGub (Al)]

I agree that it needs to be a 3 or 4 disc set at this point.

At the risk of confusing matters, can I suggest excluding In Real Time & By Popular Request? They are what they are but they don't add anything to the canon.

Also, does there need to be an option for people to nominate other officially released tracks that did not appear on the original studio albums? Now Be Thankful & Fiddlestix for example. In my case the live version of I Wandered By A Brookside from the 1992 Cropredy album would make my personal list but the anodyne studio version from a decade or so later would not. Just offered as "for instance". There are also other tunes on the live albums for which no studio version exists and which should not be overlooked. Battle of the Somme for example.

Al, there are I think not that many tracks who did not make it to the albums, I was thinking about songs like Sir Patricks Spens sung by Sandy Denny which did not make it to Liege and Lief and Poor Will. I think they should be considered.

But there are a few and they are important ones. The two I have mentioned. Sir B Mckenzie is another. The Ballad of Easy Rider and a goodly number of songs that only exist on live albums for which there are no officially released studio recordings.

[GubGub (Al)]

That wasn't a strict list and not really in order.
It will be easiest to argue about what's in or out, one era at a time.

Anybody care to suggest a list of eras?

eg:
Fairport Convention (on it's own)
WWDOOH & UHB
L&L, FH & AD

etc.....

67 - 69 The "classic" era.
70 - 79 The revolving door.
85 - 96 The Maart era
97 - Present  The Leslie era/current line up.

I know there are variatons in length but they equate to specific key moments in history and there was a lot of output in those first three years.

Having said that, the last two eras are squeezed into a disc and a half of my 4 disc anthology!

[peter m]

I agree that it needs to be a 3 or 4 disc set at this point.

At the risk of confusing matters, can I suggest excluding In Real Time & By Popular Request? They are what they are but they don't add anything to the canon.

Also, does there need to be an option for people to nominate other officially released tracks that did not appear on the original studio albums? Now Be Thankful & Fiddlestix for example. In my case the live version of I Wandered By A Brookside from the 1992 Cropredy album would make my personal list but the anodyne studio version from a decade or so later would not. Just offered as "for instance". There are also other tunes on the live albums for which no studio version exists and which should not be overlooked. Battle of the Somme for example.

Al, there are I think not that many tracks who did not make it to the albums, I was thinking about songs like Sir Patricks Spens sung by Sandy Denny which did not make it to Liege and Lief and Poor Will. I think they should be considered.

But there are a few and they are important ones. The two I have mentioned. Sir B Mckenzie is another. The Ballad of Easy Rider and a goodly number of songs that only exist on live albums for which there are no officially released studio recordings.

Agreed. Added to which I think there are a few songs where the live performance is better than on the original album. Banks of the Sweet Primroses and Journeymans Grace are examples IMHO. This 2 (or 3 or 4) CD notional box needs a few excellent live performances to leaven the mix. Isn't FC's reputation to a fair extent as a live band?

[mickf]

67 - 69 The "classic" era.
70 - 79 The revolving door.
85 - 96 The Maart era
97 - Present  The Leslie era/current line up.

I agree and I think these are the eras that most people think of when it comes to Fairport, with, of course, some overlaps - but that's going to be inevitable.

[Neil]

67 - 69 The "classic" era.
70 - 79 The revolving door.
85 - 96 The Maart era
97 - Present  The Leslie era/current line up.

I agree and I think these are the eras that most people think of when it comes to Fairport, with, of course, some overlaps - but that's going to be inevitable.

Era's are a good idea although I would end classic with Full House and not '69. Thompson leaving is the end of that classic period in my mind. This is what I hoped the FreeReed box would be but they chose a different thematic approach.

Also maybe a bonus disc of definitive live versions, with nothing live on the other discs.

[Jules Gray]

67 - 69 The "classic" era.
70 - 79 The revolving door.
85 - 96 The Maart era
97 - Present  The Leslie era/current line up.

Eras are a good idea although I would end classic with Full House and not '69. Thompson leaving is the end of that classic period in my mind. This is what I hoped the FreeReed box would be but they chose a different thematic approach.

I agree with Gub's era list.  The difference between Full House and Angel Delight is one man MIA.  The difference between Liege & Lief and Full House is much more apparent.

Jules

[RobertD]

I agree that it needs to be a 3 or 4 disc set at this point.

At the risk of confusing matters, can I suggest excluding In Real Time & By Popular Request? They are what they are but they don't add anything to the canon.

Also, does there need to be an option for people to nominate other officially released tracks that did not appear on the original studio albums? Now Be Thankful & Fiddlestix for example. In my case the live version of I Wandered By A Brookside from the 1992 Cropredy album would make my personal list but the anodyne studio version from a decade or so later would not. Just offered as "for instance". There are also other tunes on the live albums for which no studio version exists and which should not be overlooked. Battle of the Somme for example.

 
Rare I disagree with 'my learned colleague' Al but I would argue for keeping In Real Time. I think particularly here in the U.S. In Real Time was particularly important in highlighting Fairport, especially as part of their (at the time) 20th anniversary. Yes it is a 'false' item but I still regard it as one of my favorite albums and I certainly feel a case can be made for several of the songs-Reynard, Widow Of Westmorland, Close To The Wind, or maybe even MOTL. After all, that is the arrangement of the song that has been in place since.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

Maybe first of all we nominate the songs, then the final decision will be which version.
Also as well as eras. there are a few albums that could stand alone.

All ideas welcome.  

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I'm with Robert. In Real Time was the first, and for some time the only, FC album I'd heard, and subsequently bought. I had no idea it wasn't live and it has some of my favourite versions of some of their most popular songs. I'd like to see it in.

Other than that though, I'll probably stay out of this thread. I took a lot of stick for Strictly FC and I don't fancy any more.

Cheery-bye Talkawhilers - enjoy your arguments  

[hendo (Dave)]

I'm with Robert. In Real Time was the first, and for some time the only, FC album I'd heard, and subsequently bought. I had no idea it wasn't live and it has some of my favourite versions of some of their most popular songs. I'd like to see it in.

Other than that though, I'll probably stay out of this thread. I took a lot of stick for Strictly FC and I don't fancy any more.

Cheery-bye Talkawhilers - enjoy your arguments  

Brij, for strictly, please seriously understand it was never real stick. We were playing a game. You were a judge. Genuinely no malice at all. Really sorry if you felt that and any of it came from me.
I was always only playing the game, in jest and I would  be mortified if I thought I had upset you.