I know that Robyn Hitchcock has always been a big Martin Carthy booster, and I think you can hear the Steeleye influence in some of his more celtic-y sounding stuff ... not super overt, but it's there.
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 March 2011 18:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Sure they weren't influenced by them... but I got into Steeleye Span in the first case because they reminded me of Popol Vuh
― Tom D (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 March 2011 18:08 (thirteen years ago) link
... and the Velvets!
I know this will draw ire from many, but I think this is the album where Fairport started becoming much less interesting, and it's largely because it's here that they abandoned original songwriting (both their own and others, which included both the obvious contemporary folkmasters (Bob Dylan) and less-obvious (a not-yet-famous Joni Mitchell, Gene Clark, Mimi and Richard Farina, etc.) in favor of traditional British folk. And while I do love traditional British folk music, when a band has great songwriters like Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny in it, it's a shame not to take advantage of their talents (Denny's astonishing voice makes it easy to overlook how great a songwriter she was). For me, any of the first three albums or the equally impressive Heydey collection > anything Fairport has done since (at least the 8 or so albums I've heard). Plus they never again had a lineup as strong as the Holidays/Unhalfbricking one.
― Lee626, Thursday, 17 March 2011 18:40 (thirteen years ago) link
fair enough, there are times where i like the pre-liege & lief stuff better, too -- though the post-Denny lineup has some amazing moments. The Full House/House Full stuff is particularly great.
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 March 2011 19:01 (thirteen years ago) link
didn't know richie unterberger posted on ilm
― buzza, Thursday, 17 March 2011 20:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Yes, I've read RU's reviews, comments, and book, but I've thought the same thing for the last 25 years, long before I'd ever heard of him.
(That said, few rock critic's taste are so closely aligned with mine. But I do disagree on about 10% of his opinions.)
― Lee626, Thursday, 17 March 2011 21:27 (thirteen years ago) link
weirdly, steeleye span came up at breakfast this morning at my house. wife said something about "that renn faire stuff you and your older brother like"... ;_;
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 March 2011 21:29 (thirteen years ago) link
What Lee626 said is what I think, too.
― Mark G, Friday, 18 March 2011 10:52 (thirteen years ago) link
after the accident that killed martin lamble they decided they would only go on if they could more or less be a different band, hence the full leap into traditional or traditionally-inspired material. so as much as i love holiday and unhalfbricking they just felt that they were through with that stuff for very personal reasons and i'm glad they came up with another model for making great music. also, no way denny or thompson were going to stay long-term in any band where they weren't running the show.
― buzza, Friday, 18 March 2011 16:24 (thirteen years ago) link
Steeleye's "Hark! The Village Wait" has become something of a white whale to me...which is odd because you'd think it'd be just the kind of album that you would find evenly dispensed the used bins. I've seen about a million copies of "Please To See The King" (all with different covers too), but "Hark!" has proven elusive. Also lots and lots of what look like dodgy later efforts. So what's the third one that I should also be on the look for?
― xtianDC, Friday, 18 March 2011 16:55 (thirteen years ago) link
Ten Man Mop is the other one to look for, it's got one of the key Steeleye tracks on it - 'When I Was on Horseback'
Below The Salt has its moments too, but the first three albums are definitely the ones you need.
― ka£ka (NickB), Friday, 18 March 2011 17:02 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q4BrtuM5mU
― ka£ka (NickB), Friday, 18 March 2011 17:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Don't know if Tom was talking about that particular song when he mentioned VU btw, but there is a comparison to be made right there.
― ka£ka (NickB), Friday, 18 March 2011 17:05 (thirteen years ago) link
the first three albums are definitely the ones you need
otm
― buzza, Friday, 18 March 2011 17:20 (thirteen years ago) link
That's exactly the song! That's the song that got me into them!
― Tom D (Tom D.), Friday, 18 March 2011 17:26 (thirteen years ago) link
would love to hear lou sing the "wasn't i gay" part
― buzza, Friday, 18 March 2011 17:29 (thirteen years ago) link
LOL
― Tom D (Tom D.), Friday, 18 March 2011 17:31 (thirteen years ago) link
Easiest way to get the classic Hutchings stuff is to get the Lark In The Morning 2cd on Sanctuary. Think it may contain a couple of bonus tracks.the r'n'r single?
The next 5 lps are available on a 3cd set tooA Parcel of Steeleye Span.
both of those sets go pretty cheap.
There was an edition of each of the first 3 with a bonus disc of live material a few years back. i never investigated since I had the Lark In The Morning set. Not sure what quality the live material had. Would like to cos I haven't found Hutchings era stuff torrented, earliest I've found is '73
― Stevolende, Friday, 18 March 2011 19:36 (thirteen years ago) link
i listened to this every week when i was in college.... not so much for about a decade thereafter... i thought it was a bit over the top... but am rediscovering it as we speak... and it's good....
btw the two key members of sweeney's men, discussed above, later joined planxty, who are at least as awesome as fairport IMO....
― by another name (amateurist), Saturday, 20 August 2011 05:36 (twelve years ago) link
It's Fairport night on BBC4 next Friday – docus on the band and RT, a (recent, sadly) live performance and some archive BBC footage from the 60s and 70s.
― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Sunday, 9 September 2012 16:44 (eleven years ago) link
Sky Arts just showed a film called London Rock earlier this week that had some footage of the Full House line-up at their communal home among some other stuff. hadn't seen it before.
Also had The Faces and a few other bands. Keep finding interesting stuff on that channel , wish I'd realised I'd had access much earlier.
There's another live set by that line-up shot in I think Maidstone in a show that also feature Matthews Southern Comfort who were also in that London Rock
― Stevolende, Sunday, 9 September 2012 21:07 (eleven years ago) link
Just saw that there's a huge Fairport box set out - Come All Ye: The First 10 Years, with a lot of live material, rarities, alt takes. Most of it is on Spotify, as are pretty much all their albums (many of which hadn't been added last time I checked).
― JoeStork, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 17:45 (six years ago) link
What a motherfucking album
― map, Monday, 12 March 2018 10:16 (six years ago) link
I wonder if the debut live L&L performance at the RAH is ever going to become releasable. Somebody did a home remastering of it a few years ago that was at least listenable.
but the recording was deemed unreleasable a few years ago. Shame to have a recording that historic and not be able to circulate it fully.
Are advances in recording technology going to make things like that more salvageable.
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 12:35 (six years ago) link
I have the "deluxe" edition with a bonus disc containing:2-1 Sir Patrick Spens (Sandy Denny Vocal Version)2-2 Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood {Take 4}2-3 The Ballad Of Easy Rider2-4 Tam Lin (BBC session)2-5 Medley: The Lark In The Morning; Rakish Paddy; Foxhunter's Jig; Toss The Feathers (BBC session)2-6 Sir Patrick Spens (BBC session)2-7 Reynardine (BBC session)2-8 Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood {Take 1}2-9 The Lady Is A Tramp (BBC session)2-10 Medley: The Lady Is A Tramp; In Other Words (Fly Me To The Moon)
It's a great addition to an all-time classic.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 12 March 2018 13:18 (six years ago) link
― Stevolende
it depends how low our standards as a species get!
― ziggy the ginhead (rushomancy), Monday, 12 March 2018 14:17 (six years ago) link
that bbc box of theirs is totally amazing btw
― ziggy the ginhead (rushomancy), Monday, 12 March 2018 14:18 (six years ago) link
don't know if i've ever heard the royal albert hall L&L performance ... anyone know where it can be found?
― tylerw, Monday, 12 March 2018 15:14 (six years ago) link
Royal Festival Hall. To be annoying about it.
― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 12 March 2018 15:19 (six years ago) link
ah — i've heard a 1970 festival hall show w/o Denny ... is this one different?
― tylerw, Monday, 12 March 2018 15:21 (six years ago) link
Maybe not? Is the sound quality atrocious?
― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 12 March 2018 15:23 (six years ago) link
it's not great — i guess this is the one you're referring to (link is dead): http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.com/2009/01/fairport-convention.htmldon't think i've heard it, judging from the comments, the quality is terrible, but I'm pretty used to that.
― tylerw, Monday, 12 March 2018 15:26 (six years ago) link
That's like two or three months before L+L was released, so I would think that's the gig stevolende was referring to.
― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 12 March 2018 15:40 (six years ago) link
someone ysi plz
― tylerw, Monday, 12 March 2018 15:41 (six years ago) link
I want to see the English countryside next year, really really I want to go back once in my life...I promise, before I die...
― Bimble, Sunday, 22 April 2007 20:34 (ten years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
ah man
― imago, Monday, 12 March 2018 15:45 (six years ago) link
I was wondering to what extent the L&L line up was a live band. trying to think when the accident taht killed Martin lamble happened. looks like taht was June 69 and both Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings quit on the way back from a Scandinavian promo appearance before the end of teh year.Plus there had to be some recovery time and whatever time teh band spent getting their music together in teh country before it got recorded. Chronology I'm looking at here http://www.stocton.org/fc_chron.htm only has the band together for 2 months in taht lineup though some of teh new members are around for serveral months after that.So wonder if they had time to play together live much at all.
I think that the lineups either side of that L&L one are better documented live. Dyble era has the Bouton Rouge performance which really need s to be seen. Sandy & Ian matthews has 2 1968 sets Whittlesley Barn and Amsterdam.Then the post Denny/Hutchings line up have Maidstone and POP2 from paris as video plus there seem to be several 1970 audios.
Wish there was more around. the 2 early Sandy are quite nice.Bouton Rouge has some great guitar from Richard Thompson.
There are also a couple fo pretty good tv appearances from 1976
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:01 (six years ago) link
I wish they still had the TOTP appearance. Looked a laff..
― Mark G, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:03 (six years ago) link
xp Also would love to see taht TOTP performance where thy are consciouly miming and bringing attention to it with props and things.Seen stills from it but don't think the actual footage survives.
It's Si tu Doir Partir from what i recall.
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:03 (six years ago) link
I was wondering to what extent the L&L line up was a live band. really don't think they played very much at all in the L&L lineup — Sandy was pretty much gone by the time the album was released, I think, and by early 1970 Hutchings was out too.
― tylerw, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:05 (six years ago) link
I thought they both quit on the way back from a Scandinavian appearance. Thought it might have been a tv show in which case would love to see the footage. if not I thought it was a radio thing which would also be a good thing to have. Thought it wasa performance as in songs rather than just an interview anyway.Must get around to reading I Always Kept A Unicorn now.
the Ashley Hutchings biography the Guv'nor was a very good read but may be long long gone since it was on helter skelter books I think.
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:16 (six years ago) link
Also would love to see taht TOTP performance where thy are consciouly miming and bringing attention to it with props and things.Seen stills from it but don't think the actual footage survives.It's Si tu Doir Partir from what i recall.
Yeah..
A bit of a shame, as they managed to get copies of the songs they did in radio session by "asking nicely at the time", otherwise they'd all have got wiped after broadcast. Which is why that BBC CD exists.
― Mark G, Monday, 12 March 2018 16:41 (six years ago) link
Had a lovely evening tracking back and forth across various Denny Thompson bits and pieces. Ended up with the Albion Band who are patchy but damn, Gresford Disaster and Poor Old Horse.
L&L is unimpeachable.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Monday, 12 March 2018 21:52 (six years ago) link
Denny Thompson, wasn't he in Pentangle?
― Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 12 March 2018 21:53 (six years ago) link
Liked fighting with Jehn Martyn, so I'm told.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Monday, 12 March 2018 21:56 (six years ago) link
I do like the post fairports Ashley Hutchings stuff. Albion band was mainly him plus various others over the years. Including one time wife Shirley Collins on No Roses which is worth tracking down. As is the Battle of the Field which seems to have an inner glow that always reminds me of Kosmische stuff.& the 1st 3 Steeleye Span lps.
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 22:09 (six years ago) link
Albion band also went through a stage where it featured both Richard & Linda Thompson and covered The Left Banke prior to the recording of teh first lp. There are 2 or 3 live sets from taht very early period that circulate.
― Stevolende, Monday, 12 March 2018 22:12 (six years ago) link
I am hearing Bright Phoebus for the very first time rn0_0
― when worlds collide I'll see you again (Jon not Jon), Monday, 12 March 2018 22:32 (six years ago) link
according to this site:
http://home.myfairpoint.net/srabbot/fc/fcbase.htm
...the "liege and lief" band did maybe a dozen gigs before sandy denny left. i haven't heard (or seen) the danish tv broadcast - is it out there on video?
― ziggy the ginhead (rushomancy), Tuesday, 13 March 2018 02:02 (six years ago) link
"Tam Lin" is such a savage piece of music.
― timellison, Tuesday, 13 March 2018 03:03 (six years ago) link