New Fairport CD

[Dan O.]

There have been many examples of filler on Fairport albums over the years : M1 Breakdown, The Lord Is In This Place..., Hungarian Rhapsody, Night Time Girl, My Feet Are Set For Dancing, London River, All Your Beauty, etc...

I wasn't particularly keen on By Popular Request due to the auto-tuning of some vocal parts* making the album virtually unlistenable.

Another idea for a new album would be "Son Of Expletive Delighted" as the instrumental skills of the current Fairport are one of their major strengths.
However, the last time I made this suggestion here I was informed in no uncertain terms what a terrible idea it was. Still, each to their own...

I'm looking forward to the new album as much as I look forward to any new Fairport product, i.e. quite a lot !

* By the way, the vocals sound processed and artificially tuned to me - if any of the band or production team behind By Popular Request are reading this and wish to exercise their right to reply and inform me that I'm mistaken, then I will be more than happy to be proved wrong on this point.

[PaulT]

"Son of Expletive Delighted" - would that be "Chuffing Well Chuffed"?

I guess I'll buy the new album- hopefully it'll be on the merch table on the Wintour...

[Adam]

I've always thought of Fairport as a live band; I can't think of any song that sounds better in its recorded form over a live version in the years that I've been seeing them.

[Jules Gray]

I can't think of any song that sounds better in its recorded form over a live version in the years that I've been seeing them.

I love seeing a band play live, but it's always the records for me ultimately, and that's definitely true for Fairport.

Jules

[hendo (Dave)]

I wouldn't go quite so far as 'great' but I certainly agree that Jewel in the Crown was the last decent stab Fairport made at recording an album.  It's certainly the last one I listen to regularly. It came out 21 years ago.....  

Then again, which was the last best album before that? What everyone seems to be conveniently ignoring is that FC haven't actually been a great albums band since about 1970. Expecting them to start again now is probably wishful thinking to the nth degree. Having said that, I personally think that Myths and Heroes is the closest they've got since Jewel.

You've made me think Shane.
I suppose I have always broken the band down into eras.
At the time of release I was unaware of the 1st album (I was 16)then along came the next 4 albums and my love of folk rock was ignited.
I had to be weaned on to the Nine lineup , I missed Sandy too much but I came to appreciate it.
Maart brought something else to the band but the keyboard arrangements became overblown, much as I like wounded whale!
Chris took the band somewhere else. A more  acoustic band in which Ric became something of an anachronism?
I hadn't heard Myths and Heroes when I first heard the songs live at Cropredy . I wanted to love it......and just didn't.Sorry. However a couple of songs, I really like, which is the point really. ......and I really take the point that albums if 50 yrs ago where much shorter in format.
I just found it twee and lacking power. I wanted  a PJ power chord on the title track!
So I view the last , almost 20 years, version of the band as a completely seperate entity and although I have some of the albums , including Over  the Next Hill and Sense of Occassion, I have never expected them to be the band of 50 yrs ago.
I do need some rock in my folk Rock, an itch that Trad Arr are nicely scratching at present.

[Andy]

Nit: "TRADarrr". Apparently. (I love 'em)

[hendo (Dave)]

Nit: "TRADarrr". Apparently. (I love 'em)

Yep. I always get it wrong!

[Shane (Skirky)]

So I view the last , almost 20 years, version of the band as a completely seperate entity and although I have some of the albums , including Over  the Next Hill and Sense of Occassion, I have never expected them to be the band of 50 yrs ago.
I do need some rock in my folk Rock, an itch that Trad Arr are nicely scratching at present.

Sense of Occasion. Now there is a terrible, terrible album...

[David W]

So I view the last , almost 20 years, version of the band as a completely seperate entity and although I have some of the albums , including Over  the Next Hill and Sense of Occassion, I have never expected them to be the band of 50 yrs ago.
I do need some rock in my folk Rock, an itch that Trad Arr are nicely scratching at present.

Sense of Occasion. Now there is a terrible, terrible album...

Some very odd covers on that one - including the CD cover as well.

[Shane (Skirky)]

So I view the last , almost 20 years, version of the band as a completely seperate entity and although I have some of the albums , including Over  the Next Hill and Sense of Occassion, I have never expected them to be the band of 50 yrs ago.
I do need some rock in my folk Rock, an itch that Trad Arr are nicely scratching at present.

Sense of Occasion. Now there is a terrible, terrible album...

Some very odd covers on that one - including the CD cover as well.

We once played the original and the SOO version of 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages' concurrently, switching between them at random, on the radiogram. They match up exactly.

[GubGub (Al)]

Nit: "TRADarrr". Apparently. (I love 'em)

Yep. I always get it wrong!

They have a charity Christmas single (i.e. download) out by the way.

[StephenB]

I agree with a lot of what Hendo says above and while I like some of the recent stuff they're not the same band at all (no harm in that, just sayin'...). I was only re-introduced to them 8 years ago when I came back to Cropredy after a very long break (1979    )  ). And while I do like some of the newer stuff, and love and everything about them as consummate musicians and troubadours, I do agree with Dave's description of "twee" for many of their recent songs. I recall an interview of a few years back by Swarb when he (not in a hateful way) pointed out that the recent band were going nowhere near the vast repertoire of traditional folk for inspiration and material (as they did early on with such classics as Spens and Matty and many more). And I think that hits the nail on the head. I agree with Hendo that I'd like a bit more rock in my folk-rock (an electric guitar, for a start...); and then the other side of the coin, I'd like more folk in my folk-rock. And nobody can say the material isn't there for that. (Full English is a prime example).

[Jules Gray]

We once played the original and the SOO version of 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages' concurrently

What is SOO?

Jules

[KascadeDan]

We once played the original and the SOO version of 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages' concurrently

What is SOO?

Jules

That would be Sense of Occasion.

[Jules Gray]

That would be Sense of Occasion.

Doh!  Of course it would be.

Jules

[David W]

 I do agree with Dave's description of "twee" for many of their recent songs. I recall an interview of a few years back by Swarb when he (not in a hateful way) pointed out that the recent band were going nowhere near the vast repertoire of traditional folk for inspiration and material (as they did early on with such classics as Spens and Matty and many more).

A quick look and there are very few "trad arr" tracks over the past 20 years really - in fact since the 85 reformation there are only 13 new trad arrs (nor including rerecordings of earlier tracks) compared to 11 across Bonny Bunch and Tipplers Tales alone and 15 between L@L, Full House and Angel Delight. I for one would love to see return to the folk tradition rather than gentle singer songwriter stuff.

DW

[GubGub (Al)]

I suspect this is about who is in the band. The flag wavers for trad were very much Ashley & Swarb in their respective line ups. In the current band, Ric is a jazzer, Simon & Peggy are both known to be fond of acoustic singer songwriter material and Chris needs an outlet for his own songs. None of their personal tastes, it seems to me, encompass the enthusiasm for either traditional music or electric music that their erstwhile colleagues espoused (the electricity having come from Richard, Jerry & Maart) so it seems unlikely that there will be any move away from comfy slippers Fairport at this point. We just have to enjoy them (or not) for what they are.

Personally I can always find a couple of songs on each album to enjoy, sometimes more but the last complete album I rate is WKWTTG. Jewel is patchy in my view and like most products of the CD age, way too long and therefore stuffed with filler.

I shall buy the new album. I hope to enjoy some of it but I hope more that it is a two disc set, not a single disc split between live and studio. That will not satisfy anyone.

[davidmjs]

I wouldn't go quite so far as 'great' but I certainly agree that Jewel in the Crown was the last decent stab Fairport made at recording an album.  It's certainly the last one I listen to regularly. It came out 21 years ago.....  

Then again, which was the last best album before that? What everyone seems to be conveniently ignoring is that FC haven't actually been a great albums band since about 1970. Expecting them to start again now is probably wishful thinking to the nth degree. Having said that, I personally think that Myths and Heroes is the closest they've got since Jewel.

I don't disagree although I'd certainly make a stab at defending Tipplers Tales.  I'm more of a live fan anyway, and knowing the band was still kicking arse in the early 80's (and to an extent still doing that - differently - for another 15 years or so) is enough for me.

[hendo (Dave)]

I agree with a lot of what Hendo says above and while I like some of the recent stuff they're not the same band at all (no harm in that, just sayin'...). I was only re-introduced to them 8 years ago when I came back to Cropredy after a very long break (1979    )  ). And while I do like some of the newer stuff, and love and everything about them as consummate musicians and troubadours, I do agree with Dave's description of "twee" for many of their recent songs. I recall an interview of a few years back by Swarb when he (not in a hateful way) pointed out that the recent band were going nowhere near the vast repertoire of traditional folk for inspiration and material (as they did early on with such classics as Spens and Matty and many more). And I think that hits the nail on the head. I agree with Hendo that I'd like a bit more rock in my folk-rock (an electric guitar, for a start...); and then the other side of the coin, I'd like more folk in my folk-rock. And nobody can say the material isn't there for that. (Full English is a prime example).

Getting a bit scared now Stephen. That's twice on this thread people have agreed with me.

[GubGub (Al)]

I agree with a lot of what Hendo says above and while I like some of the recent stuff they're not the same band at all (no harm in that, just sayin'...). I was only re-introduced to them 8 years ago when I came back to Cropredy after a very long break (1979    )  ). And while I do like some of the newer stuff, and love and everything about them as consummate musicians and troubadours, I do agree with Dave's description of "twee" for many of their recent songs. I recall an interview of a few years back by Swarb when he (not in a hateful way) pointed out that the recent band were going nowhere near the vast repertoire of traditional folk for inspiration and material (as they did early on with such classics as Spens and Matty and many more). And I think that hits the nail on the head. I agree with Hendo that I'd like a bit more rock in my folk-rock (an electric guitar, for a start...); and then the other side of the coin, I'd like more folk in my folk-rock. And nobody can say the material isn't there for that. (Full English is a prime example).

Getting a bit scared now Stephen. That's twice on this thread people have agreed with me.

Would you like me to disagree, just to calm your nerves?