The Boots box set

[PJayBe]

Still no thoughts on the strange disembodied voice saying what sounds like "grammar" at the start of Meet On The Ledge on Disc Eleven?

[RobertD]

Anyone know how many sets were produced? Amazon has now twice postponed my order (despite being ordered on July 9th). I have no confidence in them, and am considering placing the order directly through Madfish but before placing the order I'd like to know if they still have them in stock. Anyway to be sure? Any help appreciated!

[GubGub (Al)]

Still no thoughts on the strange disembodied voice saying what sounds like "grammar" at the start of Meet On The Ledge on Disc Eleven?

I think it is probably the same Radio 2 presenter who speaks over some of the later tracks on the disc. Most likely Steve Madden as he was the most frequent presenter of the programme.

I got around to watching the DVD a couple of nights ago and it is hugely entertaining. It seems as though the band or members thereof spent most of the first half of the 80's hanging around the BBC's Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham. The Whistle Test excerpts from the 70s do rather underline the degree to which they had fallen from the nations coolest music show to the cheap and cheerless likes of Pebble Mill At One and indeed Pebble Mill at various other times of day. And the less said about Simon's fashion sense the better.  

The highlight here is the band bantering with a clearly refreshed and somewhat confused David Soul on 6.55 Special. I used to watch that show regularly but I can't remember that particular episode. Presenting a British tea time magazine show was always a somewhat odd gig for Hutch. This wasn't all that long after Salem's Lot!

[bassline (Mike)]

Anyone know how many sets were produced? Amazon has now twice postponed my order (despite being ordered on July 9th). I have no confidence in them, and am considering placing the order directly through Madfish but before placing the order I'd like to know if they still have them in stock. Anyway to be sure? Any help appreciated!

I'm wondering if they are delaying due to the dodgy disc problem ?
Replace them before shipping them out sort of thing...

[RobertD]

Anyone know how many sets were produced? Amazon has now twice postponed my order (despite being ordered on July 9th). I have no confidence in them, and am considering placing the order directly through Madfish but before placing the order I'd like to know if they still have them in stock. Anyway to be sure? Any help appreciated!

I'm wondering if they are delaying due to the dodgy disc problem ?
Replace them before shipping them out sort of thing...

Thanks! Will keep that in mind. Keeping the Amazon open for now but will see how I feel as it gets closer

[RobertD]

Anyone know how many sets were produced? Amazon has now twice postponed my order (despite being ordered on July 9th). I have no confidence in them, and am considering placing the order directly through Madfish but before placing the order I'd like to know if they still have them in stock. Anyway to be sure? Any help appreciated!

I'm wondering if they are delaying due to the dodgy disc problem ?
Replace them before shipping them out sort of thing...

Thanks! Will keep that in mind. Keeping the Amazon open for now but will see how I feel as it gets closer

UPDATE! After getting the delay message from Amazon I didn't have much hope, but yesterday got a notification that I was finally charged for it, with a reduction from the original price of about $30.00. And I received it today! Ripping the discs currently and listening to Disc 1 and more as the day progresses. I needed some joy tbh (long story I will relate some other time) and this is it. Now where to store the bloody thing!

[bassline (Mike)]

Anyone know how many sets were produced? Amazon has now twice postponed my order (despite being ordered on July 9th). I have no confidence in them, and am considering placing the order directly through Madfish but before placing the order I'd like to know if they still have them in stock. Anyway to be sure? Any help appreciated!

I'm wondering if they are delaying due to the dodgy disc problem ?
Replace them before shipping them out sort of thing...

Thanks! Will keep that in mind. Keeping the Amazon open for now but will see how I feel as it gets closer

UPDATE! After getting the delay message from Amazon I didn't have much hope, but yesterday got a notification that I was finally charged for it, with a reduction from the original price of about $30.00. And I received it today! Ripping the discs currently and listening to Disc 1 and more as the day progresses. I needed some joy tbh (long story I will relate some other time) and this is it. Now where to store the bloody thing!

Congrats.
I have no idea where mine is going to go either.

[GubGub (Al)]

I have solved that problem.

[bassline (Mike)]

The light vase is gonna get moved eventually.
I'm guessing a 64 disc Nena box set.  
Looks cool though.

[GubGub (Al)]

The light vase is gonna get moved eventually.
I'm guessing a 64 disc Nena box set.  
Looks cool though.

I fear you may be right about the vase, though I resisted the temptation to move it to accommodate the Horslips box which resides elsewhere.

Much as I love her, I think I would have to resist a Nena box, though I am quite surprised there hasn't already been one. Fan base too concentrated in two countries to be viable perhaps.

There are already Jethro Tull, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell (announced today) boxes on the near horizon.  

[John From Austin]

It’s a box set boomlet. I still have all the late 1980s boxes (Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers) in my bookcase alongside the new ones.

[RobertD]

Still no thoughts on the strange disembodied voice saying what sounds like "grammar" at the start of Meet On The Ledge on Disc Eleven?

I know this will get lost in Cropredy news but as to your question, it sounds like a glitch of some kind. If I had to guess on a voice, it sort of sounds like the sort of little vocal squibs Maart did, for example on The Card Song.

I'm loving the set and will write about it in detail at some point, but for those who have it, what may I ask happened to Fiddlextix, on disc 9. This performance is on video from the It All Comes Round Again documentary in 1987, and identically was on the Third Leg bootleg. This version on the box has a completely out of place middle section, crowd noise, and seems completely wrong. Anyone else notice? Anyone else have an explanation as to the why...perhaps some weird BBC mashup attempt?

[GubGub (Al)]

Still no thoughts on the strange disembodied voice saying what sounds like "grammar" at the start of Meet On The Ledge on Disc Eleven?

I know this will get lost in Cropredy news but as to your question, it sounds like a glitch of some kind. If I had to guess on a voice, it sort of sounds like the sort of little vocal squibs Maart did, for example on The Card Song.

I'm loving the set and will write about it in detail at some point, but for those who have it, what may I ask happened to Fiddlextix, on disc 9. This performance is on video from the It All Comes Round Again documentary in 1987, and identically was on the Third Leg bootleg. This version on the box has a completely out of place middle section, crowd noise, and seems completely wrong. Anyone else notice? Anyone else have an explanation as to the why...perhaps some weird BBC mashup attempt?

I need to go back and listen to this again as I didn't notice it first time through but Fiddlestix does not appear on my copy of The Third Leg, which is the CD, so I can't make any comparison. Was it only on the original cassette? I did make a digital copy of my VHS of It All Comes Round Again so I will try and find it on there later.

[GubGub (Al)]

Still no thoughts on the strange disembodied voice saying what sounds like "grammar" at the start of Meet On The Ledge on Disc Eleven?

I know this will get lost in Cropredy news but as to your question, it sounds like a glitch of some kind. If I had to guess on a voice, it sort of sounds like the sort of little vocal squibs Maart did, for example on The Card Song.

I'm loving the set and will write about it in detail at some point, but for those who have it, what may I ask happened to Fiddlextix, on disc 9. This performance is on video from the It All Comes Round Again documentary in 1987, and identically was on the Third Leg bootleg. This version on the box has a completely out of place middle section, crowd noise, and seems completely wrong. Anyone else notice? Anyone else have an explanation as to the why...perhaps some weird BBC mashup attempt?

I need to go back and listen to this again as I didn't notice it first time through but Fiddlestix does not appear on my copy of The Third Leg, which is the CD, so I can't make any comparison. Was it only on the original cassette? I did make a digital copy of my VHS of It All Comes Round Again so I will try and find it on there later.

I have now mnaged to do a direct compare with the It All Comes Round Again performance and oh dear! It sounds like another BBC tape foul up. As far as I can tell the final section of the track has somehow been duplicated over the middle section so there are two different portions of the track playing at the same time until it resolvejust before the final section plays again. It is a mess. Does anyone dare tell Colin H? I don't think I want to open that can of worms again.

I might just substitute my It All Comes Round Again rip or try and do an edit.

[RobertD]

Just waking up here but yes everything you say is accurate. On the American edition of The Third Leg cassette bootleg, it appears as a bonus track, and should align with this one from the documentary. What you say is what I felt about a tape mixup also. Frustrating but I’ll let it go I think

https://youtu.be/TCzkI2qcOLg?si=rO36SKYJuz7rlkjm

[Harbottle (Martin)]

I'm currently enjoying CD11, which appears to be mainly the line-up of Red and Gold (Or 'My line-up' as this was the line-up when I 'found' the band.)
Lots of energy in these tracks.
And electric guitar.

I'm glad I picked up this box set. I just need to to sort out that replacement disc!

[davidmjs]

I'm currently enjoying CD11, which appears to be mainly the line-up of Red and Gold (Or 'My line-up' as this was the line-up when I 'found' the band.)
Lots of energy in these tracks.
And electric guitar.

I'm glad I picked up this box set. I just need to to sort out that replacement disc!

I understand only in retrospect how much I loved the Maart era band despite always being a little underappreciative of them at the time (having fallen in love with the 4-piece Swarb/Bruce interregnum band).  Energy and electric guitar...aye, that's exactly what Fairport were always about to me - and haven't been for over a quarter of a century now.  Fwiw, I'm convinced now the key to what Fairport have become was there for us all to see in Simon's solo albums.  I remember getting the first one at the point of release ('87 or '88 or whatever it was) and having a long conversation with a folk-rocking mate about how this was excellent, but was definitely 'Radio 2 (as was) music'.  For whatever reason, as I've got older I've never changed my opinion.  Things are what they are.  I often reflect how difficult it must be for Fairport to keep everybody happy when they've been around as long (and in as many variations) as they have.  In the circumstances they do a pretty good job of it to be fair - new stuff and mostly acoustic gigs for fans of the current band (winter tour is 50/50 I suppose), lots of archival releases for those of us stuck in the past etc etc.

[GubGub (Al)]

I'm currently enjoying CD11, which appears to be mainly the line-up of Red and Gold (Or 'My line-up' as this was the line-up when I 'found' the band.)
Lots of energy in these tracks.
And electric guitar.

I'm glad I picked up this box set. I just need to to sort out that replacement disc!

I understand only in retrospect how much I loved the Maart era band despite always being a little underappreciative of them at the time (having fallen in love with the 4-piece Swarb/Bruce interregnum band).  Energy and electric guitar...aye, that's exactly what Fairport were always about to me - and haven't been for over a quarter of a century now.  Fwiw, I'm convinced now the key to what Fairport have become was there for us all to see in Simon's solo albums.  I remember getting the first one at the point of release ('87 or '88 or whatever it was) and having a long conversation with a folk-rocking mate about how this was excellent, but was definitely 'Radio 2 (as was) music'.  For whatever reason, as I've got older I've never changed my opinion.  Things are what they are.  I often reflect how difficult it must be for Fairport to keep everybody happy when they've been around as long (and in as many variations) as they have.  In the circumstances they do a pretty good job of it to be fair - new stuff and mostly acoustic gigs for fans of the current band (winter tour is 50/50 I suppose), lots of archival releases for those of us stuck in the past etc etc.

This is not actually about the box but I think it fits here as a companion piece. The Live At Rock City, Nottingham 1987 set is another radio broadcast from the era which had a digital release vis Angel Air records two or three years ago just before they went out of business. It has now had a vinyl only (for the time being at least) physical release.

What appears to have happened is that Angel Air bought the rights to all of the Rock City live broadcasts and issued one or two on CD, including a Richard Thompson set, before they went out of business. Cherry Red then bought the entire Angel Air catalogue, most of which they are yet to reissue, though there are notable exceptions such as the Stackridge reissue campaign which is continuing this autumn. They now seem to have licensed the Fairport set to Trading Places for a vinyl release, as they have done with a few other things. I picked this up this week from WH Smith of all places for £20 for the double vinyl set which is £5-£10 cheaper than I found it for from any other retailer. Amazon don't have it at all for some reason. I wouldn't have paid a fortune for it but £20 seemed reasonable for two slabs of vinyl. It arrived yesterday, offers nearly an hour and three quarters of music, has era appropriate artwork and photography (the front cover art is actually an enlargement of the artwork used for the 1987 Meet On The Ledge single) and guess what? It sounds fantastic.

I am not an obsessive collector of Fairport live performances. There are a lot appearing on grey market releases and some eras are over represented. But apart from a few non Cropredy tracks on the new box, there is not much available from this early era of the Maart/Ric line up. It is fascinating to hear this show, not least of all because the album being promoted is Expletive Delighted so it is a heavily instrumental set. With the exception of a very peculiar performance of Jams O Donnells Jig that I don't need to hear again in a hurry it is a really enjoyable and energetic performance. When did they stop playing the jigs with this level of vigour? Anyway, given the contemporaneous nature and high quality of the recordings, this set sits nicely alongside and complements the box well.

[davidmjs]

This is not actually about the box but I think it fits here as a companion piece. The Live At Rock City, Nottingham 1987 set is another radio broadcast from the era which had a digital release vis Angel Air records two or three years ago just before they went out of business. It has now had a vinyl only (for the time being at least) physical release.

What appears to have happened is that Angel Air bought the rights to all of the Rock City live broadcasts and issued one or two on CD, including a Richard Thompson set, before they went out of business. Cherry Red then bought the entire Angel Air catalogue, most of which they are yet to reissue, though there are notable exceptions such as the Stackridge reissue campaign which is continuing this autumn. They now seem to have licensed the Fairport set to Trading Places for a vinyl release, as they have done with a few other things. I picked this up this week from WH Smith of all places for £20 for the double vinyl set which is £5-£10 cheaper than I found it for from any other retailer. Amazon don't have it at all for some reason. I wouldn't have paid a fortune for it but £20 seemed reasonable for two slabs of vinyl. It arrived yesterday, offers nearly an hour and three quarters of music, has era appropriate artwork and photography (the front cover art is actually an enlargement of the artwork used for the 1987 Meet On The Ledge single) and guess what? It sounds fantastic.

I am not an obsessive collector of Fairport live performances. There are a lot appearing on grey market releases and some eras are over represented. But apart from a few non Cropredy tracks on the new box, there is not much available from this early era of the Maart/Ric line up. It is fascinating to hear this show, not least of all because the album being promoted is Expletive Delighted so it is a heavily instrumental set. With the exception of a very peculiar performance of Jams O Donnells Jig that I don't need to hear again in a hurry it is a really enjoyable and energetic performance. When did they stop playing the jigs with this level of vigour? Anyway, given the contemporaneous nature and high quality of the recordings, this set sits nicely alongside and complements the box well.

It never made it to CD then, Al?

[GubGub (Al)]

This is not actually about the box but I think it fits here as a companion piece. The Live At Rock City, Nottingham 1987 set is another radio broadcast from the era which had a digital release vis Angel Air records two or three years ago just before they went out of business. It has now had a vinyl only (for the time being at least) physical release.

What appears to have happened is that Angel Air bought the rights to all of the Rock City live broadcasts and issued one or two on CD, including a Richard Thompson set, before they went out of business. Cherry Red then bought the entire Angel Air catalogue, most of which they are yet to reissue, though there are notable exceptions such as the Stackridge reissue campaign which is continuing this autumn. They now seem to have licensed the Fairport set to Trading Places for a vinyl release, as they have done with a few other things. I picked this up this week from WH Smith of all places for £20 for the double vinyl set which is £5-£10 cheaper than I found it for from any other retailer. Amazon don't have it at all for some reason. I wouldn't have paid a fortune for it but £20 seemed reasonable for two slabs of vinyl. It arrived yesterday, offers nearly an hour and three quarters of music, has era appropriate artwork and photography (the front cover art is actually an enlargement of the artwork used for the 1987 Meet On The Ledge single) and guess what? It sounds fantastic.

I am not an obsessive collector of Fairport live performances. There are a lot appearing on grey market releases and some eras are over represented. But apart from a few non Cropredy tracks on the new box, there is not much available from this early era of the Maart/Ric line up. It is fascinating to hear this show, not least of all because the album being promoted is Expletive Delighted so it is a heavily instrumental set. With the exception of a very peculiar performance of Jams O Donnells Jig that I don't need to hear again in a hurry it is a really enjoyable and energetic performance. When did they stop playing the jigs with this level of vigour? Anyway, given the contemporaneous nature and high quality of the recordings, this set sits nicely alongside and complements the box well.

It never made it to CD then, Al?

No. I don't know whether it was intended to when the digital version came out. As I say, Angel Air did manage to put a few Rock City performances out on CD before they disappeared. I presume this fell victim to their demise. Any CD release now will I guess be at the discretion of Cherry Red.