New Fairport CD

[Shane (Skirky)]

I was hanging on to see what they'd put on the vinly, but they seem to have front-loaded it with the studio tracks, which are the ones which seem to be getting a pasting around here.

[David H]

We'll, Robin Denselow likes it...4 star review in the Grauniad.

Robin Denselow is right.  After reading all the moans and groans on this thread, I finally took delivery of 50/50, and you know what?  Its pretty damn good.  And I say that as someone who both has followed Fairport since the first album and has all too often been underwhelmed by recent output.  First off, the new CD is beautifully recorded - the sound is great.  Second, its a strong amalgam of back catalogue material and new songs.  I actually think Eleanor's Dream is a stronger song than any of Chris's other Franklin narratives.  There's a real vigour about all the tracks, not just the live, and Plant and Jacquie McShee add genuine variety.  This feels like a 'proper' Fairport album.

As a new contributor to the forum, I'm not going to have a go at the miserabalist nostalgia merchants, but the truth is that of course this is not the same band as the classic line-ups, but it has a life and a character of its own.  The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

This is a band that, somehow, has survived fifty years in a very tough business, is still going strong, and still means it. I for one appreciate that.

[Brendan]

As long as your not going to have a go at "the misrablist nostalgia merchants" I will value your opinion and that of mr Denslow and to show no hard feelings I will share a pint at the next gig we chance to meet...but unfortunately I don't drink because in my version of nostalgia everyone is tone deaf and only enjoys a nice glass of milkshake

[Henry Tompkins (Pete)]

As long as your not going to have a go at "the misrablist nostalgia merchants" I will value your opinion and that of mr Denslow and to show no hard feelings I will share a pint at the next gig we chance to meet...but unfortunately I don't drink because in my version of nostalgia everyone is tone deaf and only enjoys a nice glass of milkshake

  very witty sir!

[davidmjs]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

[Shane (Skirky)]

“It has never been hard to tell the difference between a Talkawhiler with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.”  

[PL (Peter)]

It has never been hard to tell the difference between a Talkawhiler with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.”  Grin

 

[Jim]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

🙌

[Henry Tompkins (Pete)]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

This ^^^^  

[Bingers (Chris)]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

This ^^^^  

What?

[Albie]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

PMSL.  

[Will S]

The February gig at Union Chapel was energised and accomplished - the highlight being Sally Barker's terrific performance of 'Rising for the Moon.'

When the highlight of the gig is someone who isn't in the band adding some energising qualities whilst pretending to be somebody who used to be in the band well over 40 years ago, then...(well, you can fill in the rest of the sentence for yourself)  

That sounds like a very harsh way to interpret a very positive review of the gig.  He said the whole gig was 'energised and accomplished', not that it was energised by Sally Barker's addition.  Seems fair enough to describe her contribution as a highlight, if he thought that was an especially good bit, but nothing in what he wrote suggests that it needed her contribution to lift the gig.  

[David H]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Oh - and its quite possible to like the current Fairport as well as, say,  Sleaford Mods (who I for one would love to see at Croppers - if only to provoke the more venerable worshippers at the shrine of 1969)

[davidmjs]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Oh - and its quite possible to like the current Fairport as well as, say,  Sleaford Mods (who I for one would love to see at Croppers - if only to provoke the more venerable worshippers at the shrine of 1969)

Well, it's certainly possible to adore both Fairport and the Mods...on that we can agree    Bizarrely they (the Mods, not sadly Fairport) are playing Wembley stadium in the summer - as guests of the Roses!

[Albie]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Well, I would, but getting out just isn't what it used to be.  

[Henry Tompkins (Pete)]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Oh - and its quite possible to like the current Fairport as well as, say,  Sleaford Mods (who I for one would love to see at Croppers - if only to provoke the more venerable worshippers at the shrine of 1969)

David H, this is an open forum, where occasionally people gather to express their views. Sometimes, unsurprisingly these views can differ.
You obviously are enjoying the latest cd, whilst a handful of others aren't quite so impressed with it.
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the premise of Talkawhile - pleasant and friendly discussion.

[GubGub (Al)]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Oh - and its quite possible to like the current Fairport as well as, say,  Sleaford Mods (who I for one would love to see at Croppers - if only to provoke the more venerable worshippers at the shrine of 1969)

Of course it is and most of the members here have extremely wide and varied tastes, as you will find if you delve back into the Listening To or Recent Gigs threads for example but your first assertion completely misrepresents them/us.

Disliking something is not an act of nostalgia. It is a qualitative assessment, albeit a subjective one. Is Paul McCartney's latest record as good as The Beatles? Is Triplicate as good as Blood On The Tracks? Of course they are not. That is not nostalgia. It is an acknowledgement that those records are not as innovative or exciting or fulfilling as their older work. And the same holds true for Fairport. If I don't like much of the new album it is not because it was not made in 1969 (when I was 5), 1979 or 1989, it is because the music doesn't move me and the lyrics don't stimulate my interest. There is plenty of music being made in 2017 that does both. It is entirely reasonable and understandable that band's/artists with Fairport's longevity will be assessed in the context of their past and will usually come up short. The bigger point is that there is other new music that I would prefer to listen to than what Fairport are currently providing to us and that is not nostalgic at all.

[Dan O.]

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.....a veritable nest of nostalgic miserabilists.  Reading all the back pages of this and the Cropredy 2017 stream, its hard no to feel that some of you guys need to get out more....

Oh - and its quite possible to like the current Fairport as well as, say,  Sleaford Mods (who I for one would love to see at Croppers - if only to provoke the more venerable worshippers at the shrine of 1969)

Of course it is and most of the members here have extremely wide and varied tastes, as you will find if you delve back into the Listening To or Recent Gigs threads for example but your first assertion completely misrepresents them/us.

Disliking something is not an act of nostalgia. It is a qualitative assessment, albeit a subjective one. Is Paul McCartney's latest record as good as The Beatles? Is Triplicate as good as Blood On The Tracks? Of course they are not. That is not nostalgia. It is an acknowledgement that those records are not as innovative or exciting or fulfilling as their older work. And the same holds true for Fairport. If I don't like much of the new album it is not because it was not made in 1969 (when I was 5), 1979 or 1989, it is because the music doesn't move me and the lyrics don't stimulate my interest. There is plenty of music being made in 2017 that does both. It is entirely reasonable and understandable that band's/artists with Fairport's longevity will be assessed in the context of their past and will usually come up short. The bigger point is that there is other new music that I would prefer to listen to than what Fairport are currently providing to us and that is not nostalgic at all.

One of the most sensible posts on this thread, Gub...

[Tom64]

I think it is quite funny that on a board dedicated to Fairport Convention it isn't possible to just say "Hey, I like the new album" without being called to order. Rays of sunshine indeed ; - )

[mickf]

Well I've been a supporter of most of Fairport's recent output - I thought 'Myths and Heroes' was a fine album, for instance. But apart from one or two songs, the new album is a bit of a disappointment - particularly with only 6 new songs out of the 14 tracks and 3 of those (I'll leave it to you to decide which ones I'm talking about) being, shall we say, less than classics. I also think that if I disagree with an opinion expressed it doesn't make me right or wrong, just different..