Fairport Compendium

[peter m]

Just a thought. There's eras. But there's also musical styles. I couldn't imagine a 'Representative FC Compendium' without at least one Jigs and Reels. But I could imagine Lark in the Morning, Dirty Linen, Hens March , River Ash etc being outvoted individually by other more compelling material. Or as another example maybe there should be a couple of light hearted tracks. Maybe a bit of structuring should happen not just across eras but across genres too.

[Phil Perry]

Well, as a civil servant, I'm sticking to the original brief   - 1 CD covering every recording line-up (I'm not counting Gottle as that particular line-up is nowhere to be found on the LP ! )so, here goes & you can all disagree with me ... 1) Time will show the wiser; 2) Fotheringay; 3) Who knows...; 4) Sailor's life; 5) Crazy Man Michael; 6) Walk awhile; 7) Banks of the River Ash; Polly on the shore; 9) One more chance; 10) Widow of Westmoreland's daughter; 11) Meet on the Ledge (from "Farewell, Farewell"); 12) Hiring fair; 13) Red & Gold; 14) Big 3 Medley inc. Matty Groves (from "In Reel Time"); 15) John Gaudie; 16) Myths & Heroes. Somebody else will have to work out if that comes to less than 80 minutes if they can be bothered, but I'm quietly confident ...

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

Just a thought. There's eras. But there's also musical styles. I couldn't imagine a 'Representative FC Compendium' without at least one Jigs and Reels. But I could imagine Lark in the Morning, Dirty Linen, Hens March , River Ash etc being outvoted individually by other more compelling material. Or as another example maybe there should be a couple of light hearted tracks. Maybe a bit of structuring should happen not just across eras but across genres too.

Best idea yet.

[Chris from Fieldtown]

A fair number of CD releases these days come with a 2 disk version and to get any real sense of the development of FC I there has to a reasonable sample of their output. Anything less than 2 disks wouldn’t be a fair representation of their output and history. The disks could then be split to show the different eras, say up to Tipplers on one, and from Glady’s onwards on t'other.  

[Jules Gray]

A fair number of CD releases these days come with a 2 disk version and to get any real sense of the development of FC I there has to a reasonable sample of their output. Anything less than 2 disks wouldn’t be a fair representation of their output and history. The disks could then be split to show the different eras, say up to Tipplers on one, and from Glady’s onwards on t'other.  

Agreed.  Though my disc one would stretch a bit further to include that Fairport version of Sandy's It Suits Me Well from Swarb's Smiddyburn LP.

Jules

[hendo (Dave)]

Having had comments about my contribution to the Strictly thread I think I will now do my best to keep myself out of this thread.
I think one album is an impossible task. There are so many permutations and everyone on here will suggest one!
Committee designing a horse produces a Camel

[hendo (Dave)]

Having had comments about my contribution to the Strictly thread I think I will now do my best to keep myself out of this thread.
I think one album is an impossible task. There are so many permutations and everyone on here will suggest one!
Committee designing a horse produces a Camel

Addendum.
E.g Phil's list above is a completely reasonable compendium, it wouldn't be mine .

[Ronald]

I hope this will continue.

[hendo (Dave)]

I hope this will continue.

I hope it continues too Ronald but I still think it as an impossible task.
If you look at Phil's list above he only has 2 tracks from the lineup of the band that has been together for 18 years.
He has cleverly, chosen old tracks, done by more recent line ups..I hope it continues and I will try and sit back and watch it unfold.

[davidmjs]

If you look at Phil's list above he only has 2 tracks from the lineup of the band that has been together for 18 years.

That's two too....oh, no, it's alright, I'll shup up...  

[Ronald]

I hope there will be a poll to vote for the songs on each album, where you can vote for all the tracks you like, could be one or two or all, or none if you don't like the album at all.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

I'm trying to work out a system that doesn't get too complex.
Although I am having problems getting over the concept of coming up with a representative selection, spread across the decades, rather than a best of.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

Yes. This will be underway next month.
I'm still got a heap of cutting and pasting to do.

[Phil Perry]

OK, personally I tend to agree with Hendo's "Camel" comment (great band 'though  ) so, for the sake of simplicity, how about no contrived "mixing and matching" of people's "entries".   So, anyone would be able to make an "entry" and it only gets disqualified if it leaves out a line-up or exceeds 1 (or 2, if that is the consensus) CD's length. Then at a certain point - say, the end of May, that part of the game closes and then anyone can vote for any entry - provided it is not their own, of course !

[jimc]

If you haven't abandoned the eras idea, then I think it might be easier with a little more granularity. To a reasonable extent I think you can devise eras around key people at that time...

Dyble/Denny	Fairport ->	Leige and Lief
Thompson/Swarbrick	Full House ->	Babbacombe Lee
Donahue/Lucas	Rosie ->	Rising
Swarbrick/Nicol	Gottle ->	Tipplers
Sanders/Maart	Gladys ->	Old/New
Sanders/Leslie	Who Knows	->

3 CDs, Two eras per CD, but doesn't need to be equal numbers of tracks from each era?

[Jules Gray]

If you haven't abandoned the eras idea, then I think it might be easier with a little more granularity. To a reasonable extent I think you can devise eras around key people at that time...

Dyble/Denny	Fairport ->	Leige and Lief
Thompson/Swarbrick	Full House ->	Babbacombe Lee
Donahue/Lucas	Rosie ->	Rising
Swarbrick/Nicol	Gottle ->	Tipplers
Sanders/Maart	Gladys ->	Old/New
Sanders/Leslie	Who Knows	->

3 CDs, Two eras per CD, but doesn't need to be equal numbers of tracks from each era?

Perfect!

Jules

[hendo (Dave)]

If you haven't abandoned the eras idea, then I think it might be easier with a little more granularity. To a reasonable extent I think you can devise eras around key people at that time...

Dyble/Denny	Fairport ->	Leige and Lief
Thompson/Swarbrick	Full House ->	Babbacombe Lee
Donahue/Lucas	Rosie ->	Rising
Swarbrick/Nicol	Gottle ->	Tipplers
Sanders/Maart	Gladys ->	Old/New
Sanders/Leslie	Who Knows	->

3 CDs, Two eras per CD, but doesn't need to be equal numbers of tracks from each era?

I like it but I think the intention is to be one CD. Hence my 'camel' comment.

[Shane (Skirky)]

I like it but I think the intention is to be one CD. Hence my 'camel' comment.

I love Camel. What's your favourite era - the one with Peter Bardens or with Jan Schelhaas?

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

I'm trying to avoid people going off in a huff because they can't stomach early tracks being excluded to include more recent ones.

So how about a double CD. The first 25 years and the second. Well roughly. The break being 'Red & Gold' <-> 'The Five Seasons'

I think some will only be interested in CD1, but there are also the 'youngsters'.

Well?

[Jules Gray]

I'm trying to avoid people going off in a huff because they can't stomach early tracks being excluded to include more recent ones.

So how about a double CD. The first 25 years and the second. Well roughly. The break being 'Red & Gold' <-> 'The Five Seasons'

I think some will only be interested in CD1, but there are also the 'youngsters'.

Well?

I can go for the double idea, but it's the wrong place to take the break.  It needs to pre and post original split to my mind.  The early years are more intense and more important.  That's true of any band with a long history, it's not me being partisan.  It's just the way it is.

Jules