Let us now praise Fairport Convention's "Liege & Lief"

the song 'sloth' from 'full house' fits nicely at the end of one side of a C90 containing 'holidays'. 'sloth' is probably my favorite song by them ever.

one of the bands that's made my life better.

Well, to be pedantic about it, Richard Thompson stole the tune from a version of "Willie O'Winsbury" sung by Andy Irvine on the first Sweeney's Men album - the problem being that Irvine sang the WRONG melody. So the melody isn't actually "Willie O'Winsbury" at all.

it's what english folk song does best - dark, black songs rather than celtic fiddle-de-dee stuff

If you think that "English" folk music does "dark and black songs best" then I suggest you haven't heard anything like as much Scottish and Irish folk music as you should have to be making such judgements. And anyway given that the folk music of the British Isles is all intermingled and given that that song you hear on a Fairport album, or a Martin Carthy album, or a Nic Jones album, is just as likely to be Scottish or Irish as English then generalisations are not a good idea.

Talking of which, does any London ilm-er know whereabouts in Wimbledon the striking cover was photographed (Sandy Denny's parents house)? I'd love to see the location 40 years on.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/bobbysixer/unhalfbricking.jpg

Arthur Road, Wimbledon - apparently. But I couldn't find any recent photos - fans are so lazy these days.

Let us praise it, indeed. I just soak up this kind of old-style British stuff like a sponge.

Come on, who is awake who knows this album? Speak now.

get the "new " fotheringay joint that just came out
great sandy stuff on it!

^yeah totally looking forward to getting the fotheringay thing when my emusic downloads reset

Playing the rec right now thanks to your revival, Bimble!

One of the great rock holy grails is a recording of (parts of) Fairport jamming with (parts of) Zeppelin at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1970.

"September 4, 1970 - Today, after playing to 20,000 fans at the L.A. Forum, Led Zeppelin appear with Fairport Convention at the Troubadour in L.A. to a crowd of only a few hundred. The bands share instruments. Richard Thompson, guitarist for Fairport Convention plays Page's Les Paul, but FC's drummer, Dave Mattacks is hesitant to let Bonham play his drums because of Bonham's reputation as a very powerful drummer. Bonham sits down at the kit and steps on the bass pedal. Mattack watches in horror as his bass drum flies forward a half a foot. After the jam session which lasted almost three hours, the drum heads need a good changing and the toms need a good tuning. After the jam session, Bonham retires to Barney's Beanery, an after-hours bar, where he engages in a drinking contest with Janis Joplin."

Denny Thompson, wasn't he in Pentangle?

― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, March 12, 2018 2:53 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

TS: Denny Lethargy VS. Denny Vertigo

Which is the best box set to get for a beginner like myself? No Best Of crap, just album collections. Do some have important bonus tracks that others don't.

Just go for the Five Classic Albums CD box set for ~$15. A good place to begin. Covers the first five albums, which is the Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny years (except Rising for the Moon), no bonus tracks but I wouldn't go down that rabbit hole until you're more devoted.

Is there notable bonus tracks on any releases?

Heyday has a lot of bonus tracks on the reissue

Liege & Lief reissues have included great outtakes like Sir Patrick Spens (w/ Sandy on vocals), Quiet Joys of Brotherhood and Ballad of Easy Rider.

some, sure. b-sides and outtakes, the liege and lief outtakes "sir patrick spens" and "quiet joys of brotherhood" are nice. the meat is still on the original records.

"heyday" is a bbc sessions record - there's now a box of that material, and honestly i'd recommend it strongly. fairport convention were one of the greatest bbc session bands; plenty of tunes, particularly from the "what we did on our holidays" era, not represented elsewhere.

yeah, most of their first ten albums have been re-released on CD at least twice with bonus tracks and sometimes entire extra discs. there are a lot of good bonus tracks!

Do wish there was more stuff avaialble from them live from the Thompson years. NOt sure how Live the BBC sessions are, assume they are far more one-take than an official studio set would be.
BUt hearing things like the Bouton Rouge set and the stories about Thompson jamming with Hendrix and his endless invention and ability to improvise just means would be so great to have concrete evidence.

I think I'll go for the individual releases. Don't want to buy stuff twice or search for digital files if I really like the albums.

And thanks for the tip on Heyday.

https://routepublishing.wordpress.com/tag/what-we-did-instead-of-holidays/

new Clinton Heylin book on the extended fairports family. & the offshoots of at least the original line up.
Not sure if Trader Horne are covered since not seeing any mention but some of their stuff at least is good.

The original one-disc xp Heyday is really cool, despite scruffy sound quality, which can often also be found on my studio LPs and CDs of Fairport and 70s Richard & Linda.
Haven't heard Tree With Roots yet, though it's waiting patiently on Spotify: seems like a handy round-up of all(?) prev. released Dylan covers, from FC, Fotheringay, and Denny solo LPs. Track list[ etc:
https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2018/06/a-tree-with-roots-fairport-convention-and-the-songs-of-bob-dylan/

I am v. excited to read that Heylin book but what is up with that awful title?

I drove out to Farley House the other day, where Fairport reconvened after the death of Jeannie Franklyn to record Liege & Lief. Not a huge amount to report I guess, apart from the atmosphere, which is lonely and wild (if you can have a wildness this close to civilisation. Thoreau might be the person to ask). It's in the arse end of nowhere (relatively speaking for Hampshire) surrounded by flint and chalk farmland, looking out towards some low hills and the distant docks at Southampton and the Isle of Wight beyond. Farley Mount - the high point in the surrounding landscape, topped by a dazzling white monument to 'Beware Chalk Pit' the trusty horse of the 3rd Earl of Bolingbroke - is not too far off, but not visible from the house. There is a pretty amazing church nearby - St John's at Farley Chamberlayne - one of several in the area that seem to serve no real purpose and no real community. It's totally naked in the surrounding countryside, a sanctuary from the wind and the loneliness. There was a guy sitting on a low bench as I approached; I asked if the church was open and he pulled out some earbuds from under his hood, and was clearly crying. Despite the gloom, the inside of the church is like a basin of light. I didn't tarry: I felt like I'd intruded and left quite quickly.

Some nice photos of the band at the house here: https://jennyartichoke.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/fairport-convention-farley-chamberlayne/

https://i.imgur.com/pVtg40X.jpg

Lovely post

^^^

^^^

<3

also hampshire has all the best village names

Not while there’s Dorset, it doesn’t.

(Lovely post, Chinaski.)

okay at the risk of complete thread derail, these are my top thirty hampshire place names:

Cowplain
Crampmoor
Crow
Crux Easton
Deadwater
Dummer
Enham Alamein
Farleigh Wallop
Fox Amport
Freefolk
Frogmore
Funtley
Golden Pot
Gore End
Little Ann
Martyr Worthy
Mislingford
Mockbeggar
Nately Scures
Oliver's Battery
Picket Twenty
Quidhampton
Ragged Appleshaw
Red Rice
Sheet
Tiptoe
Tickley
Up Nately
Viables
Worlds End

bollocks i forgot Firgo

Compton Pauncefoot still the top of the charts though.

(Ah no it turns out that’s in Somerset. So is Queen Camel.)

Hehehe. When I write my noir novel, my nom de plume will be Farley Chamberlayne. Or Compton Pauncefoot. Or Purbeck Incline.