Fairport Convention

[Yorkshire Chris]

Does anyone have a set list please?

Here you go!

Bottom of the Punchbowl / East Neuke of Fife / Ye Mariners All
Summer By The Cherwell
Time Will Show the Wiser
I Don't Know Where I Stand
Reno Nevada
Suzanne
Farewell, Farewell
Crazy Man Michael
Come All Ye
The Deserter
The Lark in the Morning Medley
Tam Lin
Walk Awhile
Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman
Sloth
Now Be Thankful
Sir Patrick Spens
Fotheringay
The Ballad of Ned Kelly
Talk About Money (Sally Barker)
Rising for the Moon
White Dress
A Surfeit of Lampreys
The Hiring Fair
The Hexhamshire Lass
Jewel in the Crown
Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
Our Bus Rolls On
Dirty Linen
Matty Groves
Meet on the Ledge (Encore)

[Jim]

Does anyone have a set list please?

check your messages mrs Bridie, maam

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

Does anyone have a set list please?

check your messages mrs Bridie, maam

Diolch yn fawr!  

[Albie]

I have seen a few grumbles elsewhere from people saying there was too much emphasis on the early years

Absolutely hilarious...  

I've had a conversation with someone who made that point, too unbalanced in favour of the early years, and RT given too much time on stage on the Saturday evening.    

[spooley (Simon)]

... too unbalanced in favour of the early years, and RT given too much time ...

Well, as an RT fan who started coming to Cropredy 25 years ago without knowing much about Fairport or their music, I was delighted that this year's Fairport set leaned heavily on the early years, and the early, now ex-, members.

I've even splashed out on the new "First 10 Years..." CDs (well, the download, at least!).

And as for the words "too much" near a mention of RT ... after a couple of "RT-Lite" Cropredys in recent years, I really enjoyed his time on-stage with Fairport, solo, with the Nichol/Mattacks/Pegg band, and with Morris On.

[hendo (Dave)]

Serious query from me as someone who wasn't there.
I was lucky enough to see the 30 th anniversary set at Cropredy which was wonderful.
People are saying that the latest set, 50 th, was the best but......
how much of the set was a present Fairport set cos it would seem that for long periods, Ric, Gerry and even Chris , were not on stage?
Reading ,it it seems very RT orientated, which I would have obviously loved cos his is the Fairports I fell in love with.
Just didn't seem to be much from Maart era or post 97?

[Shankly (Peter)]

Serious query from me as someone who wasn't there.
I was lucky enough to see the 30 th anniversary set at Cropredy which was wonderful.
People are saying that the latest set, 50 th, was the best but......
how much of the set was a present Fairport set cos it would seem that for long periods, Ric, Gerry and even Chris , were not on stage?
Reading ,it it seems very RT orientated, which I would have obviously loved cos his is the Fairports I fell in love with.
Just didn't seem to be much from Maart era or post 97?

Here's a setlist with the personnel listed if that helps

Bottom of the Punchbowl / East Neuke of Fife / Ye Mariners All (Ric Sanders, Simon Nicol, Gerry Conway, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie)
Summer By The Cherwell (Ric, Simon, Gerry, Peggy, ChrisL)
Time Will Show the Wiser (with Iain Matthews) (Iain Matthews (lead vocals), Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Judy Dyble, Dave Mattacks, Ashley Hutchings) I Don't Know Where I Stand (with Judy Dyble) (Judy Dyble (lead vocals), Iain Matthews, Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, Ashley Hutchings)
Reno Nevada (with Iain Matthews) (Iain (voc), Simon, RT, Judy, DM, Ashley)
Suzanne (with Chris While) (Chris W. (voc), Iain (voc), Simon, RT, Judy, DM, Ashley)
Farewell, Farewell (with Dave Mattacks) (Ric, Simon, Gerry, DM, Peggy, Chris L.)
Crazy Man Michael (Simon (voc), Ric, Gerry, Peggy, Chris L. (8-string guitar))
Come All Ye (with Chris While) (Chris W. (voc), Simon, RT, DM, Ashley, Chris L.)
The Deserter (with Chris While) (Chris W. (voc), Simon, RT, DM, Ashley, Chris L.)
The Lark in the Morning Medley (with Richard Thompson) (Simon, RT, DM, Ashley, Chris L.)
Tam Lin (with Chris While) (Chris W. (voc), Simon, RT, DM, Ashley, Chris L.)
Walk Awhile (with Richard Thompson) (Simon, RT, DM, Peggy, Chris L.)
Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman (with Richard Thompson) (RT (voc), Simon, DM, Peggy, Chris L. (fiddle))
Sloth (with Richard Thompson) (RT (voc), Simon, DM, Peggy, Chris L. (fiddle))
Now Be Thankful (with Richard Thompson) (RT (voc), Simon, DM, Peggy, Chris L. (mandolin))
Sir Patrick Spens (with Richard Thompson) (Simon, RT, DM, Peggy, ChrisL, Gerry)
Fotheringay (Simon (voc), Ric, Gerry, Peggy, Chris L.)
The Ballad of Ned Kelly (with PJ Wright) (PJ Wright (voc), Sally Barker (voc), Gerry, Peggy, Maart)
Talk About Money (with Sally Barker) (Sally Barker (voc, guitar) and Maartin Allcock (electric slide guitar) only)
Rising for the Moon (Ric, Simon, Gerry, Sally, DM, Peggy, Maart (keyboard), Chris L. (mandolin))
White Dress (with Ralph McTell) (Ralph McTell, Maart, Simon, Gerry, Sally, DM, Peggy, Chris L.)
A Surfeit of Lampreys (Ric, Gerry, Simon, DM, Peggy, Maart, Chris L.)
The Hiring Fair (Simon (voc), Ric, Gerry, Peggy, DM (kbd), Chris L. (mandolin))
The Hexhamshire Lass (Ric, Simon, Gerry, Peggy, DM, Chris L.)
Jewel in the Crown (Simon (lead vocals, electric guitar), Ric, Gerry, Peggy, DM, Maart (electric guitar), Chris L. (8-st)
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (with Chris While) (Chris W. (voc), Simon (voc), Ric, Gerry, Peggy, DM (kbd), Chris L. (fiddle))
Our Bus Rolls On (Chris L. (lead vocal), Ric, Simon, Gerry, Peggy)
Dirty Linen (with Richard Thompson) (RT, Maart, et al...)
Matty Groves (Simon (lead vocals), Chris L. (banjo), Ric, Gerry, DM, Peggy)
Meet on the Ledge (Everyone and many guests on stage)

[spooley (Simon)]

...how much of the set was a present Fairport set cos it would seem that for long periods, Ric, Gerry and even Chris , were not on stage?

There's a thorough setlist here: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/fairport-convention/2017/festival-site-cropredy-england-13e505f9.html
showing who played on each track.

We lost Ric after track 2 and - apart from an amusing intro - he didn't re-appear until track 18, when the current band were re-united for Fotheringay. Then there were a handful of numbers with Maart, before the current line-up returned for track 24, The Hiring Fair.

[Phil Perry]

I'd echo most of the above - certainly best of the 8 times we've seen them this century. Highlights: Time will show the wiser, Suzanne, Come all ye, Jolly hangman, Hiring fair & Rising for the moon. Only disappointments were having "new" rather then "classic" versions of Farewell Farewell & Matty Groves and that they evidently failed to get any of the Gottle o' Geer line-up together (it looks from YouTube that Peggy tried to contact Roger Burridge).

[Tasha]

I'd echo most of the above - certainly best of the 8 times we've seen them this century. Highlights: Time will show the wiser, Suzanne, Come all ye, Jolly hangman, Hiring fair & Rising for the moon. Only disappointments were having "new" rather then "classic" versions of Farewell Farewell & Matty Groves and that they evidently failed to get any of the Gottle o' Geer line-up together (it looks from YouTube that Peggy tried to contact Roger Burridge).

Peggy did!  I found an address for him and a phone number but all to no avail. Which was rather sad. Roger has a band Brinytide who are playing at the New World Festival in  Randolph, Vermont this September if anyone is from/around those parts.

[Keith E Rice]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

[Keith E Rice]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

Good post

[GubGub (Al)]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

Good post

Two good posts in fact!  

[davidmjs]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

Good post

Yep (apart from the not being much of a NY or RT fan, of course.  That's just silly)  

[GubGub (Al)]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

Good post

Yep (apart from the not being much of a NY or RT fan, of course.  That's just silly)  

Indeed

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

Every time I've seen RT with the then-current Fairport, he pushes them up a gear if not several gears! So no wonder some of them looked a little tense when RT was on stage. He adds a sense of danger and unpredictability - in a similar way to what Neil Young did with Crosby Stills & Nash.

I suspect a number of us have found post-GLADYS Fairport a little too ready to stay in their comfort zone. With Maart, for all his inane card playing and drinking songs, he did unleash the occasional howl of danger - 'Metal Matty' from the 25th, for example! Chris, for all that he is a VERY capable singer and musician, tends to let Fairport luxuriate in their comfort zone. (He lets them put on their woolly jumpers and slippers, musically speaking. To continue these odd analogies, Maart made the occasional really loud and smelly f**t that shook people up.)

RT, on the other hand, has something of the psychopath about him - and some of his playing is just bonkers machine noise - yet I personally have never known it not work.

There is simply no being comfortable with RT around.

On the way back, I was listening to 'Sloth' from the 2002 festival. Jerry is - was? hopefully will be again one day - one of the few guitarists on the planet who can keep up with RT and even throw in the odd trick or two RT doesn't seem to have in his repertoire. Yet on 'Sloth', RT even pushes Jerry. When Jerry's soloing, you can hear RT behind him pushing the beat and playing harmonics that will burst through if Jerry doesn't keep on top of it.

As with Young and CSNY, I'm not much of a Neil Young fan and I'm not much of an RT fan but, gosh, can I appreciate what they do to their respective musical partners!

Good post

Yep (apart from the not being much of a NY or RT fan, of course.  That's just silly)  

I'm not much of an RT fan (I appreciate his genius in playing and writing but it's not to my taste) but I love NY  

[bassline (Mike)]

Great FC set.
 The first record has been my most listened to Fairport album over the past couple of years, so I loved the big chunk of Jude and Ian stuff, and the now already legendary knitting moment was genius. A little bit miffed at the lack of Maart era tunes as he was there, but with there only being the one FC set as opposed to the two in previous anniversary years, it was quite understandable.
As for the current band doing some of the classic era material, I think the reason was possibly just that those tunes are already in the set anyway.
A fab ending to a great weekend.
 

[Mitch]

Great FC set.
A little bit miffed at the lack of Maart era tunes as he was there, but with there only being the one FC set as opposed to the two in previous anniversary years, it was quite understandable.

Agreed - maybe they could play for a bit longer next time . However I did like Simon's comment along the lines of about how in retrospect he realises how great the Maart era records were.

[David W]

Quick question - does anyone know which ex members actually made it back for MOTL?

I guess Tom Farnell was there but did Bod Brady and Roger Burridge make it in the end, Cathy LeSurf maybe, any others we may not have expected?

DW