liege and lief

My favourite is Nine which is the only one of their albums I still occasionally play (Full House and Liege and Lief being the other ones I have)

Sandy Denny is worthwhile tracking down as well; e.g Sandy Denny and the Strawbs – All our own work.

Rgds,
Peter

quote:

Originally posted by bornwina:
almost a Foreverchanges moment for me (well not quite but a similar feeling of missing out for years before discovery).
I can't imagine getting 'completist' (or growing a beard or wearing sandals without socks) but is there any other stand out stuff by Fairport Convention or the solo albums I ought to get hold of?

Yes, it's up there with Forever Changes. You will also need 'Unhalfbricking' and 'What We Did On Our Holidays' (Beware, there is also a compilation of the same name. Be sure to get the original album).

Anything by Richard Thompson or him and Linda (Mrs Thompson). IMO
Second Unhalfbricking and WWDOOH.

Howard

I third 'Unhalfbricking' . 'Who knows where the time goes' is one of my favourite tracks ever (and is ideal for funerals). The LP cover is also one of my favourite covers. Though doesn't do it justice on pic below.



'Matty Groves' on 'Leige & Leaf' is marvellous. The production is bloomin awful on my cd tho

Diccus

quote:

Originally posted by Diccus62:
I third 'Unhalfbricking' . 'Who knows where the time goes' is one of my favourite tracks ever (and is ideal for funerals).

And 'A Sailor's Life' is simply stunning. I envy Bornwina in hearing this for the first time.

I have a double CD (and vinyl, in fact) called History of Fairport Convention. Can't put my hands on either right now, but they certainly contain the best of those early albums and, if I recall correctly, a family tree by Pete Frame.

And I agree with BigH47, Richard and Linda Thompson made some great albums. I have "Shoot Out the Lights" on a Ryko AU20 CD, and it still sounds wonderful.

Fairport Convention's first album with Judy Dyble on vocals is masterpiece; from the opening note I just love that album. I wrote some comments about it here. The recent re-master has the excellent and rare debut single (If I had A) Ribbon Bow.

Judy left to form King Crimson (try The Brondesbury Tapes if you're interested) and then the excellent Trader Horne with Jackie McAuley - another great album Morning Way.

Meanwhile, Fairport gained Sandy Denny and released the excellent What We Did On Our Holidays - great opening with Fotheringay and it has Meet On The Ledge and a decent version of the traditional folk song Nottamun Town where you can really hear the Shirley Collins' influence on their evolving style.

Unhalfbricking is OK. Sandy's Who Knows Where The Time Goes is a classic. Sailor's Tale is superb. Cajun Woman is excellent. Genesis Hall and Autopsy are fine songs. Not too keen on the Dylan covers.

Liege and Lief you know.

When Sandy left she called her new group Fotheringay and the eponymous debut is well worth listening too. Sandy's first solo, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is effectively a second Fotheringay album and very good too.

Back to Fairport, Babbacombe Lee, Full House and Angel Delight are delightful albums with plenty of great folk rock. Dave Swarbrick really coming into his own.

Of course, many Fairport folk were in the Albion Band, which backed Shirley Collins on the definitive folk rock album New Roses. Fairport have always enjoyed great female vocals from Dyble, Denny and, the best of the lot, Shirley Collins.

And I have even mentioned Richard Thompson - there is so much great music from Fairport and its members, just try any of the above and you'll hear great music. Please don't ignore that debut album - it's terrific and stands up well against any of their subsequent efforts.

Happy listening, Rotf

Fotheringay - Fotheringay. Worth it just for Banks of the Nile.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fotheringay/dp/B0002QPT3K/sr=1-...8272?ie=UTF8&s=music

Cheaper on HMV!!!

http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?pGroupID=-1...&btnSubmitSearch.y=6

Thanks for the advice. I've now bagged (but not listened to) remastered copies of Unhalfbricking, R @ L Thompson Pour Down Like Silver and Sandy Denny 'Sandy' for the princely sum of £16 from HMV.

The production on my remastered Liege and Lief was, I thought, pretty good.

Cheers

I first heard FC when at school from a radio prog, but although I loved what I heard, I never followed it up. I've just ordered L&L & Unhalfbricking from Amazon (UHB remastered & extended, new, for £2.84). I know I'm going to enjoy these.

I've always preferred 'Hokey Pokey' to 'Pour down' and both of the them to 'Bright Lights'. Between them though, they have some of the great live tracks recorded by the RT band in Autumn 1975, esp. 'Calvary Cross' which has an amazing solo.

Sandy's first LP 'North Star Grassman' is a big fave.

The box set of 4 LPs which came out ages ago ('Who knows where the time goes') has an otherwise unreleased Fotheringay track 'Two Weeks last Summer' which is pretty stunning. It also has a pic of yours truly near the front row of the Lincoln Folk Festival, July 1971...

BTW - avoid a box set called Fairport Unconventional - it is four CDs of out-takes and with the exception of the excellent "Ribbon Bow" has nothing on it of any great merit. There's so much good stuff by the many members of FC around that I hate anybody to buy this thinking it was a definitive compilation.

Unhalfbricking and Liege and Lief are absolute genius.

I had your exact thoughts/revelation a few years back. "Why had nobody told me about this before" etc etc

Enjoy!

Jonathan

Despite my earlier comment I am getting a little obsessional with Sandy Denny having now got the other solo albums and the Fotheringay - there's so much outstanding stuff in here and her vocals are pristine and unique.

I might even visit her grave next time I go up the A3 - I'm getting a little worried about myself!

Sandy is great, but don't ignore the other vocal talents that worked with Fairport Convention, as they have their charm too.

Glad you discovered the great music that Sandy and the Fairport Convention created - some days you just can't help wondering who knows where the time goes.

After Sandy left Fairport (I must admit I never cared for Judy) I felt sure the band was dead, but Full House is only a fraction behind Liege And Lief (and its live brother House Full is excellent too).

I regret having just missed them live with Sandy but the Full House crew were a blast live - steadily getting drunker and drunker and ending up after nearly three hours playing rock and roll standards because that's all they were capable of.

When Simon talks of Sandy the strength of emotion is still there after all this time - he recalled being "summoned" to Sandy's flat to audition her for Fairport. She played him Who Knows... and quite apart from being overwhelmed by the song at such close quarters, he was left in no doubt that it was she who was auditioning Fairport.

These days they come round these parts once a year and usually give outstanding value. Simon Nichol's voice has bloomed (he does a wonderful Who Knows Where... and a very creditable Leonard Cohen impersonation on Closing Time) and Chris Leslie's a decent songwriter and excellent picker. By their own admission they actually listen to what each other's doing these days so they're very tight (especially their close harmonies) and can still rock when the mood takes them.

Their last studio album (that I've heard anyway) Over The Next Hill is a good listen by most standards and even better if you can make yourself forget what they'd been at their best - one of the best bands on the planet.

A quick Fairport Pop Quiz:

One of the more stable line-ups in recent years was:

Simon Nichol
Dave Mattacks
Dave Pegg
Maartin Allcock
Ric Sanders

And you can throw current drummer Gerry Conway in too.

All but one played at one time or other with another famous band. Who was the band and who's the odd one out?

Dave Pegg's the only one who was in Steve Gibbon's original band the Uglys, which makes him different from the leader of Blodwyn Pig because he was never in the Uglys as far as I know, but he was in another band.

ROTF,

Have you tracked down a copy of White Bicycles by Joe Boyd yet? It sounds like the definitive book for your musical tastes.

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
Dave Pegg's the only one who was in Steve Gibbon's original band the Uglys, which makes him different from the leader of Blodwyn Pig because he was never in the Uglys as far as I know, but he was in another band.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:
A quick Fairport Pop Quiz:

One of the more stable line-ups in recent years was:

Simon Nichol
Dave Mattacks
Dave Pegg
Maartin Allcock
Ric Sanders

And you can throw current drummer Gerry Conway in too.

All but one played at one time or other with another famous band. Who was the band and who's the odd one out?

The answer, for the throngs just too excited to wait, is that all bar Simon have at one time played with Jethro Tull. Which is a bit of an odd one despite Tull's sort-of-folky period.

quote:

Dave Pegg's the only one who was in Steve Gibbon's original band the Uglys, which makes him different from the leader of Blodwyn Pig because he was never in the Uglys as far as I know, but he was in another band.

The leader of Bloodwyn Pig was Mick Abrahams who founded another group with a flute player who used to stand on one leg.

quote:

Originally posted by nicnaim:
ROTF,

Have you tracked down a copy of White Bicycles by Joe Boyd yet? It sounds like the definitive book for your musical tastes.

Regards

Nic

Nic - yes I have thanks, but not read it yet.

Good win BTW in Belgium; IMO your best two players on the night were Titus Bramble and Kieron Dyer (now where did they come from?).

Agreed they both played well, good to see Dyer injury free for a while, and great to see Titus gaff free for a whole game.

Do you think I will be able to sit back and relax during the home leg for a change?

Great to see Sir Bobby recently on the touchline, and again in the stands at Liverpool. Looked ominous at one stage, but great to see him bounce back again.

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

Good win BTW in Belgium; IMO your best two players on the night were Titus Bramble and Kieron Dyer (now where did they come from?).