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Fairport unConventioNal

Fairport Convention: Fairport unConventioNal (Free Reed FRQCD 35)

Fairport unConventioNal
Fairport Convention

Free Reed FRQCD 35 (4 CD, UK, May 2002)

This 4 CD set with an extensive and informative book of 170 pages written by Nigel Schofield is a vast collection of Fairport rarities. It includes a current Fairport Family Tree by Pete Frame (“If you bastards change your line-up one more time, you can find yourself another f...ing genealogist”) and a booklet with Cropredy poster reprints.

There are some minor errors in attributing the track sources (which are corrected here) but all in all it is a most valuable collection of rare tracks, a lot of which have never been available before or only on bootlegs.

Tracks

CD 1: Fairport - A History

A chronological overview of the band’s career with key moments, live tracks and rare versions of the songs that tell their story.

  1. Meet on the Ledge [Richard Thompson] (0.34)
    Cropredy (Ouverture), 1990
  2. Wings (excerpt) [Ashley Hutchings, Ken Nicol] (0.34)
    Cropredy, 1997
  3. If I Had a Ribbon Bow [Prince / Singer] (2.27)
    single, 1967
  4. Lay Down Your Weary Tune [Bob Dylan] (3.36)
    1st BBC Radio Top Gear session, 24 November 1967
  5. Shattering Live Experence [Simon Nicol] (3.24)
    BBC Radio Symonds on Sunday session, 4 February 1969
  6. Nottamun Town (Roud 1044) (3.34)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, 28 May 1968
  7. Si Tu Dois Partir [Bob Dylan] (2.21)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, 18 March 1969
  8. Come All Ye [Sandy Denny / Ashley Hutchings] (5.00)
    alternative mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  9. Tam Lin (Roud 35; Child 39; G/D 2:330) (7.46)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, 23 September 1969
  10. Dirty Linen [trad. arr. Swarbrick] (4.00)
    Cropredy, 1988
  11. Staines Morris (Roud V18894) (3.39)
    Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1970
  12. Journeyman’s Grace [Richard Thompson / Dave Swarbrick] (3.54)
    BBC World Service session, 1970
  13. Angel Delight [comp. Fairport Convention] (4.38)
    Cropredy 1997
  14. The Time Is Near [Dave Pegg] (2.40)
    Live concert by Hill/Farnell line-up, 14 March 1972
  15. Polly on the Shore (Roud 811) (3.41)
    Live performance from promo video, 1973
  16. Rising for the Moon [Sandy Denny] (4.14)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, 16 July 1974
  17. Reynard the Fox (Roud 190) (2.51)
    TV performance, 1987
  18. Rubber Band [Mike Waterson] (3.08)
    single, 1980
  19. Naked Highwayman [Steve Tilston] (4.46)
    Bottom Line, New Year, 1998
  20. The Wood and the Wire [Chris Leslie / Stonier] (4.23)
    Cropredy, 1999
  21. The Crowd [annA rydeR] (2.45)
    edited version from XXXV, 2001
  22. One Sure Thing (excerpt) [Harry Brooks / Jim Glover] (2.51)
    Fairport’s first studio recording, 1967

CD 2: Rareport Convention

A collection of hard-to-find and unreleased material including private material, “lost” sessions, live recordings, radio & TV tracks

  1. Sir B McKenzie [trad. arr. Swarbrick] (1.17)
    Three Desperate Mortgages, live in Glasgow (1976)
  2. Suzanne [Leonard Cohen] (5.30)
    BBC Top Gear session, 26 August 1968
  3. Time Will Show the Wiser [Emitt Rhodes] (2.59)
    Bouton Rouge, French TV, 27 April 1968
  4. Mr Lacey [Ashley Hutchings] (3.05)
    Dutch TV, September 1969
  5. Reno, Nevada [Richard Fariña] (7.46)
    Bouton Rouge, French TV, 27 April 1968
  6. Percy’s Song [Bob Dylan] (5.32)
    BBC session, 18 March 1969
  7. Dear Landlord [Bob Dylan] (3.46)
    Unhalfbricking out-take, 1968
  8. I Don’t Believe You [Bob Dylan] (3.43)
    Nine out-take, 1973
  9. The Deserter (Roud 493; G/D 1:83) (3.51)
    BBC radio session with Swarb singing, 20 April 1970
  10. Farewell to a Poor Man’s Son [Dave Swarbrick] (4.52)
    BBC TV, lost “Babbacombe” Lee song, 1975
  11. Sad Song [Dave Swarbrick] (5.01)
    Rosie out-take from the Manor Sessions, 1972
  12. Autopsy [Sandy Denny] (4.24)
    out-take from the Unhalfbricking sessions, 1969
  13. Maverick Child [David Rea] (3.53)
    Rosie out-take, 1972
  14. Fiddlestix [trad. arr. Fairport] (2.47)
    Australian single, 1973
  15. It’s Now Or Never [Capurro, Capua, Schroeder, Gold] (4.19)
    with Steve Tilston, 2001
  16. The Lady Is a Tramp [Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart] (2.10)
    BBC Top Gear session, 23 September 1969
  17. General Taylor (Roud 216) (1.44)
    Live in Chicago, 1972
  18. The Accountancy Shanty [David Whetstone] (0.51)
    Live in Hull, 1989
  19. A Sailor’s Life (Roud 273; Laws K12; G/D 6:1245) (9.25)
    live at Royal Festival Hall, 24 March 1969

CD 3: A Fairport History

The Fairport songs which tell epic tales of British history ... anarchy, disaster, revolution, warfare and murder ... “a fine example to lesser nations”

  1. Sir Patrick Spens (Roud 41; Child 58; G/D 1:17) (3.44)
    out-take from the Liege and Lief sessions, 1969
  2. Wat Tyler [Ralph McTell, Simon Nicol] (6.25)
    Live in York, 16 February 1992
  3. Flowers of the Forest (Roud 3812) (4.00)
    live in London, 9 December 1977
  4. Fotheringay [Sandy Denny] (3.10)
    BBC Radio Symonds on Sunday session, 4 February 1969
  5. To Althea From Prison [Richard Lovelace, Dave Swarbrick] (5.03)
    Cropredy, 1984
  6. Red and Gold [Ralph McTell, arr. Fairport] (6.45)
    Cropredy, 1996
  7. Lord Marlborough (Roud 233) (3.23)
    El Pea version, 1971
  8. Adieu, Adieu (Roud 30101) (2.28)
    Anne Lorge Gilles TV Show, 1976
  9. Here’s to Tom Paine [Steve Tilston] (4.35)
    live at Weston-super-Mare, 11 February 1977
  10. The Bonny Bunch of Roses (Roud 664; Laws J5; G/D 1:155) (14.52)
    La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, 23 June 1977
  11. Breakfast in Mayfair [Simon Nicol] (3.58)
    BBC TV special “The Man They Could Not Hang” (“Babbacombe” Lee documentary), 1975
  12. Battle of the Somme [trad. arr. Fairport] (4.51)
    LA Troubador, 1970
  13. Summer Before the War [Huw Williams] (4.17)
    BBC in Concert, 1990
  14. Get Together [Chester Powers] (2.54)
    First Radio Session: BBC Top Gear, 1967
  15. Genesis Hall [Richard Thompson] (3.48)
    Cropredy, 1993
  16. Jewel in the Crown [Julie Matthews] (3.31)
    Apollo Theatre, Oxford, 1995

CD 4: Classic Convention

The core Fairport repertoire, in rare, non-standard and unreleased versions

  1. Walk Awhile [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (3.58)
    Bumpers version, 1970
  2. John Gaudie [Chris Leslie] (4.55)
    Live at the Bottom Line, 1998
  3. The Hexhamshire Lass (Roud 3182) (2.26)
    Capital Radio, with Dan Ar Bras, 1976
  4. Slip Jigs and Reels [Steve Tilston] (5.05)
    Apollo Theatre, Oxford, 1995
  5. Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (5.35]
    Broughton Castle, 1982
  6. Crazy Man Michael [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick]
    alternative mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  7. Rosie [Dave Swarbrick]
    Melbourne Assembly Hall, 1996
  8. Farewell, Farewell [Richard Thompson] (2.29)
    alternative mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  9. Now Be Thankful [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (3.06)
    BBC Sound of the 70s session, 12 November 1970
  10. Hiring Fair [Ralph McTell, Dave Mattacks] (6.45)
    Cropredy, 1989
  11. Stranger to Himself [Sandy Denny] (3.09)
    Live, 1975
  12. Sloth [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (18.04)
    Live, 1975
  13. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? [Sandy Denny] (4.13)
    BBC Radio session, 4 February 1969
  14. Matty Groves (Roud 52; Child 81) (7.36)
    specially compiled multi-version
  15. Meet on the Ledge [Richard Thompson] (2.38)
    BBC Night Ride session, 25 November 1968