Fairport Convention: The Album by Album Thread.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Chemically altered, Sep 23, 2018.

  1. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    Fairport Convention: Album by Album Thread. Starting with the eponymous debut please rank the Fairport albums and the line ups.
     
  2. The Lone Cadaver

    The Lone Cadaver Bass & Keys Cadaver

    Location:
    Bronx
    Favorites in order:
    Rising for the Moon
    XXXV
    Liege and Lief
    The Five Seasons
    Jewel in the Crown
    What We Did on Our Holidays
    Unhalfbricking
    Rosie
    Red and Gold
    The Wood and the Wire
     
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  3. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Nice to see The Five Seasons getting some love. Much better than its reputation!

    I shall give this some thought and post again tomorrow. As far as the debut is concerned, it's a good album but low-level for Fairport. Shows how good they became!

    The Nicol-Pegg-Swarbrick-Rowland line-up is my favourite. Bonny Bunch Of Roses and Tippler's Tales are glorious albums.
     
    pdenny likes this.
  4. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Full House
    Liege and Lief
    Unhalfbricking

    I don't listen to the others.
     
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  6. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    Oops! I got excited by the new Thompson 13 Rivers album and forgot! :oops: But perhaps it's time a for a reboot! :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2018
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  7. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Happens. Please!

    Here is a great celebration for their great LP.

    Clinton Heylin talks Fairport Convention-"What We Did On ur Holidays"
    50 years celebration:


     
  8. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    There is a book coming out this month on this very matter

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Clinton Heylin's Fairport and family book, What We Did Instead Of Holidays, is an interesting read. There's plenty to argue about in there, and he certainly has his prejudices. He doesn't seem to have much time for Dave Swarbrick, for example, and it stops before the 1985 revival of the band, but it's still probably the best Fairport book I've read
     
    uzn007 likes this.
  10. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Looks interesting.

    Couldn't find much about the author other than he works for the Irish Daily Mirror. Given he's not, as far as I'm aware, one of the usual Fairport suspects, it'll be good to have a fresh take on the music.
     
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  11. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    There is a whole series of these books by differing authors. Some get good reviews, some less so.

    I buy any book on Fairport and am looking forward to reading about the later albums much more than those from the first 10 years.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2020
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  12. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    Right on. I could describe the whole Liege and Leif era in my sleep.
     
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  13. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    [​IMG]
    I thought this thread was a bust as a similar one was already posted. So, FC's first album. A nice starting point with Dyble and Matthews. What's your take?
     
  14. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Likewise.

    I really enjoy the post '85 line-ups although they don't get too much praise from a lot of fans.
     
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  15. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Agreed. I would love a post '85 box set collecting any rare tracks to present day (That was one of the great aspects of the Free Reeds Fairport Unconventional box set was the recordings included from this era plus info)......or a Woodworm Records box set, collecting material from all sessions including the fabulous Beryl Marriott sessions and the various solo Fairport outings (love Simon's two albums)
     
    carlwm likes this.
  16. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA

    I like it! A bit incoherent but who cares. Some nice jazzy touches
    and probably their most "pop" LP, but it's a keeper. Obviously
    someone got their hands on Dylan's "Basement Tapes" songs.
     
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  17. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    It's an interesting hodge-podge of ideas and a remarkable achievement given the age of the band but it's not one I revisit too often in its original format. My go to edition is the 2003 re-issue which adds Suzanne, Ribbon Bow, Reno Nevada and Morning Glory.
     
  18. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Really love their first with Dyble and Matthews...have you all been following my Iain Matthews thread?
    https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/iain-matthews-appreciation-thread-solo-album-by-album.684924/

    Glad I found this one...and that I posted that bit with Clinton Heylin...it seemed to revive the thread. Although I will not deign to take credit for the revival, so glad it has been discovered by one and all!

    I am guessing you will get a lot of followers here now, Chemically Altered!
     
    Tony Wilkinson likes this.
  19. newelectricmuse

    newelectricmuse charm, strangeness and quark

    Location:
    London
    It's a really good debut, considering their age and inexperience. Some listeners who know them through Liege and Lief might be surprised by some of the stuff on here! The bonus tracks are essential. Richard Thompson is already showing himself to be a distinctive guitarist.
     
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  20. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

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  21. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
    For the uninitiated (if any exist!) the personal on the groups' s/t debut were:

    Richard Thomson-guitar, vocals
    Iain Matthews-vocals
    Judy Dyble-vocals, autoharp
    Ashley Hutchings-bass
    Simon Nicol-guitar
    Martin Lamble-drums
     
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  22. newelectricmuse

    newelectricmuse charm, strangeness and quark

    Location:
    London
    I was lucky enough to win this box set in a Classic Rock Magazine competition. As I never win anything I hope you don't mind me taking the opportunity to crow about it here! :D
     
  23. manxman

    manxman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Isle of Man
    It's not a common opinion, but I think Fairport's first LP remains their best. Liege And Lief has been far more influential, but Fairport Convention has a freshness and sense of derring-do that they never recaptured. Judy Dyble, whilst a much quieter and less flamboyant personality than Sandy Denny, had a much weirder musical sensibility, and the touches she adds really make the album: the impossibly prim vocal on "Chelsea Morning", the trippy recorder solo on "Jack O' Diamonds" and the weird aut0harp strumming on "The Lobster", which suggests they could have become a doomy progressive rock band in the manner of King Crimson had the cards fallen slightly differently.
     
  24. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Why would you not listen to What We Did On Our Holidays if you like those three?
     
  25. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    One of my favourites too. I play it a lot more often than Liege and Lief. I'm not going to say it's better though. They're such different albums. Only two years apart and they sound almost like two totally different bands.
     
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