Shuffle and Go

[Dan O.]

I think the last two albums were recorded communally at Woodworm. Only Ric's bits seem to have been done separately. Certainly the sleevenotes for S&G say as much, even confirming that Gerry was unavailable for the last session so a rhythm track was created from his previously recorded performances for one track, the point being that they had to do it that way for one song but they were all present for the rest of it.

I find it rather sad that five chaps can't get their diaries coordinated well in advance for a whole album. It is not as if half of them lived all over the USA.

He could've had a cold or something?

The chaps are a bit more geographically spread out these days, though, aren't they ?
Ric (Bloxham) and Chris (Adderbury) are the only ones living in the environs of Banbury ; Simon's in Canterbury, Peggy's in Brittany and Gerry's in Redhill.
Shouldn't be too difficult to sync diaries, though.

[GubGub (Al)]

I think the last two albums were recorded communally at Woodworm. Only Ric's bits seem to have been done separately. Certainly the sleevenotes for S&G say as much, even confirming that Gerry was unavailable for the last session so a rhythm track was created from his previously recorded performances for one track, the point being that they had to do it that way for one song but they were all present for the rest of it.

I find it rather sad that five chaps can't get their diaries coordinated well in advance for a whole album. It is not as if half of them lived all over the USA.

I suspect that it is more down to cost. Studio time is expensive. They no longer own Woodworm and it is considerably cheaper, given the available technology nowadays, just to plug everyone into a laptop individually, especially for an album that is not going to sell vast quantities and may not recover its recording costs. For this one they did two weeks at Woodworm and then appear to have tidied things up by the latter method.

He could've had a cold or something?

The chaps are a bit more geographically spread out these days, though, aren't they ?
Ric (Bloxham) and Chris (Adderbury) are the only ones living in the environs of Banbury ; Simon's in Canterbury, Peggy's in Brittany and Gerry's in Redhill.
Shouldn't be too difficult to sync diaries, though.

[Andy]

I've listened to the album today and found it pretty enjoyable. It has to be said that the engineering / production is excellent too, good job John Gale!

[PaulT]

I've just noticed that the Fairport shield /escutcheon/coat of arms they used some years ago appears on the back cover of the Album... on the shelf (Ledge?) above the clock in the bar...

[PJayBe]

Let's be honest, it's a 21st century Fairport Convention album.  Most people will have decided if they were going to like it or not before the band recorded it!  It is really no better or worse than anything else they're released of late, although thankfully it avoids the total clunkers like the DIY one.....  I like it, I won't play it as much as albums from any of the "classic" eras, but it will get an airing from time to time.  We should be grateful that the band still make and release new material, and I'm sure they know how many copies to press to satisfy "demand!!"

[Phil Perry]

Having finally picked this up - at the Harpenden concert - I feel moved to add to the positive comments on this "recent" CD - i thoroughly enjoyed it. For what it's worth, my view on the "Chris Leslie FC albums" is that they did reach a bit of a low point round about the "Over the Next Hill / Sense of Occasion" era, but have put in a spirited revival since. Having said that, I think I'll listen to those two again - so many years have passed that I might have aged into them !!

 

[davidmjs]

Having finally picked this up - at the Harpenden concert - I feel moved to add to the positive comments on this "recent" CD - i thoroughly enjoyed it. For what it's worth, my view on the "Chris Leslie FC albums" is that they did reach a bit of a low point round about the "Over the Next Hill / Sense of Occasion" era, but have put in a spirited revival since. Having said that, I think I'll listen to those two again - so many years have passed that I might have aged into them !!

  

I'm definitely not the right person to ask, but OtNH is just about the only post-Maart album I can listen to.

[wayne stote]

Having finally picked this up - at the Harpenden concert - I feel moved to add to the positive comments on this "recent" CD - i thoroughly enjoyed it. For what it's worth, my view on the "Chris Leslie FC albums" is that they did reach a bit of a low point round about the "Over the Next Hill / Sense of Occasion" era, but have put in a spirited revival since. Having said that, I think I'll listen to those two again - so many years have passed that I might have aged into them !!

  

Glad you're enjoying Shuffle & Go!

It certainly might be worth giving Over The Next Hill and Sense Of Occasion another go. They both have plenty of fine songs and the latter has become one of the most regular Fairport visitors to my music system. As a caveat, however, I will add that I find the Chris Leslie era of the band as enjoyable as the "classic" years.

[DarrenWilliams]

Having finally picked this up - at the Harpenden concert - I feel moved to add to the positive comments on this "recent" CD - i thoroughly enjoyed it. For what it's worth, my view on the "Chris Leslie FC albums" is that they did reach a bit of a low point round about the "Over the Next Hill / Sense of Occasion" era, but have put in a spirited revival since. Having said that, I think I'll listen to those two again - so many years have passed that I might have aged into them !!

  

Glad you're enjoying Shuffle & Go!

It certainly might be worth giving Over The Next Hill and Sense Of Occasion another go. They both have plenty of fine songs and the latter has become one of the most regular Fairport visitors to my music system. As a caveat, however, I will add that I find the Chris Leslie era of the band as enjoyable as the "classic" years.

I'd also recommend a reappraisal of Over The Next Hill. I enjoy the Chris Leslie era albums as much at the Maart era. The CL era albums I don't really rate are those released in big anniversary years, so XXXV, Sense Of Occasion and 50/50@50. I'll make an exception for By Popular Request as it does what is says on the tin. I think OtNH and Myths and Heroes are the best two, but Shuffle and Go and Festival Bell aren't far behind. I'm not sure about Wood and The Wire, there are some good tracks and it sounds a lot more cohesive than Who Knows Where The Time Goes, but there are a handful of tracks that I regularly skip.

[garrypbrooks]

I haven't bought any of the recent Fairport albums , but I'm glad they still produce new stuff, makes gigs much more interesting. Quite a few acts of similar vintage haven't produced anything new for years, maybe this isn't surprising in the Spotify age when breaking even on a new album is quite an achievement

[Peter Allen]

Completely agree , even though they're not for me I'm glad they are still creating new albums