New 7 CD box set

[Delfini (Diane)]

I've treated myself to this.  

Ok, so I've only got to disc three, but I love it! Superb selection of tracks so far, and put together in a thoughtful order so it 'flows'. Some unexpected gems, and a couple of moments of 'dust in my eyes'. Ive never heard the other verse on Cell Song before, I think.

Excellent  

[GubGub (Al)]

Given my travails with Spin CDs, I have succumbed and ordered a copy of this from a different vendor.

Should the Spin copy ultimately arrive, I intend to sell it for what I paid for it, £49.99.

I will give Spin until the end of September to fulfil the order before implementing proceedings against them via my card issuer to recover the cost.

I cannot therefore guarantee that I will have a copy to sell but if anyone provisionally wishes to register an interest in buying it for that price, in the event that it appears in the next 6 weeks or so, please PM me.

[John From Austin]

I'm up to Disc 6, Live at Fairfield Hall 16/12/1973.

Having completed Discs 1-5, Disc 6 is the most exciting discovery for me. It's a pristine soundboard recording of a Nine-era show, featuring material from Rosie, Babbacombe Lee (which I have never heard with this line-up), and of course Nine, plus singer-songwriter material from John Prine and Bob Dylan.  It's a real treat to hear this.

[GubGub (Al)]

A few thougts.

It is of course a 5 star set. Any flaws that exist are insufficient amongst such a wealth of material to significantly tarnish its lustre. But flaws there are. Firstly, why the poster? What does it really add? Is what is left of the record industry still under the impression that they are pedalling Fairport Convention CDs to 15 year old boys who will pin this up on their bedroom wall? Is there anybody at all who is likely to display this poster? I suspect not.

Also, the arrangment credit for Bruce Rowland on the Goldstar version of Bonny Bunch of Roses surely cannot be right as it was recorded more than 4 years before he joined the band.

The set also falls prey to a mistake that many sets of this type make. Just because something is rare does not mean it is desireable. I cannot, for example, see that the pedestrian run through of All Along The Watchtower on disc 5 does anything to enhance Fairport's legend. Similarly the performance by the "final" line up of Flowers Of The Forest is poignant because of its timing and placement on the set but the limitations of the source tape undermine it fatally.

Farewell To A Poor Man's Son on my copy will not play at all. Anybody else had this problem?

Finally, as good as they are, two live discs recorded within a few months of each other does rather unbalance the box in favour of that fairly brief period in the band's history, even taking into account the 10 year timeframe that this set is intended to cover. It is a shame that no professional recordings of shows from 1969 or 1971 for example seem to exist to balance things out but the compilers can only work with what they have.

On the other hand. The studio and radio material has never sounded better. The outtakes are mostly enlightening and discs 4 & 6 respectively are the real finds here. Disc 4, containing the Manor Sessions, a terrific outtake of Think It Over by The Bunch and two stellar recordings from OGWT is genuinely eye opening whilst the Fairfield Halls concert on Disc 6 is so tight and fleet of foot that it makes the better known performance with Sandy, recorded at The Troubadour a few months later and featuring on disc 7, sound rather stodgy by comparison.

[GubGub (Al)]

A few thougts.

Or thoughts. What a shame I can't type.

[fstix (Michael)]

You know what else is good about this compilation?  I've had cause to extract a few tracks to WAV files and can happily say the whole "loudness wars" thing has been avoided.   I see so many recent releases / reissues that have been badly over-compressed and made so loud that they lose all semblance of subtlety, and in some cases are wall-to-wall waveform with no room to breathe.  Not with this set!  

My true response would be auto-edited here, but is along the lines of "thank goodness".  It actually shows care for the music itself, which is apparently becoming a rarer thing in the world of production and / or mastering.

[GubGub (Al)]

You know what else is good about this compilation?  I've had cause to extract a few tracks to WAV files and can happily say the whole "loudness wars" thing has been avoided.   I see so many recent releases / reissues that have been badly over-compressed and made so loud that they lose all semblance of subtlety, and in some cases are wall-to-wall waveform with no room to breathe.  Not with this set!  

My true response would be auto-edited here, but is along the lines of "thank goodness".  It actually shows care for the music itself, which is apparently becoming a rarer thing in the world of production and / or mastering.

All true.

On the other hand, having listened to it a few times now, I do find myself questioning some of the selections and omissions. The absence of Now Be Thankful is an obvious glaring error. Not only should it be present, it would probably have made a better title for the box, given its celebratory nature. Surely one of the many versions of the less than essential Matthew Mark Luke & John could have been sacrificed for its inclusion.

I would also question the inclusion of a solo demo by Sandy. What is the criteria here? If we have solo Sandy then why not solo Swarb or Richard or some of Ashley's exploits? Which leads me on to The Bunch. I have no argument with the quality of any of the music that has been included but why is it there? Yes there were several members of Fairport involved in The Bunch project but so there were in Morris On or The Compleat Dancing Master or Smiddyburn. Where do you draw the line? Here it seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

The box would have been better confined to material recorded and/or released by the full band (in whichever incarnation) under its own name rather than dilute itself by focussing on individuals or side projects. Indeed, to anthologise the side projects that the band members indulged in between 1967 & 1978 would make a fascinating box in its own right.

[fstix (Michael)]

"To Althea From Prison" is solo Swarb.  

A perfect, all-satisfying-to-everybody compilation is impossible, I think - even a 7CD one.  I'm just happy  to have it for the rarities and in some cases, improved sound of previously released material.

[Jules Gray]

The absence of Now Be Thankful is an obvious glaring error. Not only should it be present, it would probably have made a better title for the box, given its celebratory nature.

This!

Indeed, to anthologise the side projects that the band members indulged in between 1967 & 1978 would make a fascinating box in its own right.

And this!

Jules

[LarWes]

I bought the box at my local record shop a few weeks back and now I've finally listened to all the seven discs. The sound is fantastic and there are many things that I hadn't heard before that are great. The french radio recordings of the Full House line up stands out and I really like the final songs on disc 5 by the Swarb-Pegg-Nicol-Rowland line up. But as a whole  I feel that the box is unbalanced (as mentioned here by Al earlier). It is as if the interest to document Sandy came first and Fairport without her took second place (if not third). There are so many of tracks from 73-74 in proportion to other periods in the bands first ten years that we can talk about revisionist history writing here. Surely there should have been place for Now Be Thankful and Angel Delight and other great performances that now is left out instead of three versions of Down in the Flood, the sloppy version of All along the Watchtower, three versions of Matthew, Mark... and the Bunch tracks.  On Youtube there are many fine sounding recordings (Rockpalast and Norwegian tv) of the line up with Dan Ar Braz that could have been included. Instead of two live cd:s with the "Rising for the Moon-line up" that is already more documented live than any other there could have been a concert from the Farewell tour and of course the last single.
Now I go into hiding...

[Jules Gray]

I ordered my copy 3 weeks ago.  Still no sign.  No, it's not from Spin, yet still I smell a big furry rat.  

Jules

[Jules Gray]

Down to £34.99 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0716RR5Q7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jules

[quodlibet (Ian)]

Down to £34.99 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0716RR5Q7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jules

Thanks Jules. Glad I held out.  

[Harbottle (Martin)]

Down to £34.99 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0716RR5Q7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jules

Thanks Jules. Glad I held out.  

It’s the same price in HMV as well, I knew it would come down eventually! Picked it up today.

Can’t wait to listen. I’m surprised there was so much more unreleased stuff!

[Jules Gray]

Listening to the set over the past couple of days.  Some thoughts:

1) The mastering is largely fantastic.  The only exceptions are the tracks taken from less-than-stellar sources, where they probably couldn't do any better.

2) There are bags of fascinating alternate versions and rare tracks.

3) The first two discs in particular are a joy from start to finish.

4) Boy am I glad that David Rea didn't join up full-time.  His singing does nothing for me at all.

5) It's bloody hard to open each individual disc, each one being sealed in tight-fitting plastic.

6) I'm still vexed that Now Be Thankful isn't on it.  Yeah, I know, "let it drop, Jules".  

Jules

[Will S]

Guess I jumped the wrong way on both this (not waiting long enough), and on the Jethro Tull Songs From The Wood expanded box (waited too long, and currently at nearly £70 on Amazon)

[Jules Gray]

three versions of Matthew, Mark...

This.

I'm thinking that it was going to be two versions until the live gig discs were added late on in the project, but jeez, even two versions of this song are two versions too many.  It's not that it's a bad song, just that it's largely unremarkable.

This should and could have been a 5-star set, it just needed one final rethink and re-edit.  They should have run it past us lot first.

Jules

[quodlibet (Ian)]

This should and could have been a 5-star set, it just needed one final rethink and re-edit.  They should have run it past us lot first.

Jules

Might have got "Billy The Orphan Boy....."  

[PaulT]

... or even the rude Sailors' Alphabet!  

[Jules Gray]

... or even the rude Sailors' Alphabet!  

I listened to that just yesterday.....and there's not a chance!    

Jules