Awful… 😥😥😥

Simon Nicol's post on FB today:

"This is getting serious now. Please share the hell out of Cropredy in any way you can. It really is the best and this year's bill is as good as any in the last forty plus years. And by the standards of others, we've worked really hard to make it affordable despite the problems outlined below.

"#useitorloseit

"'In the past five years alone, 172 festivals in the UK have disappeared. 96 events were lost due to COVID, 36 were lost throughout 2023, and now, 40 have already been lost since the start of the year.'"

Its clear that punters dont agree that its the best bill for 40 years or they would have sold more tickets. The only way they will sell more would be to change the line up but they probably wouldnt be able to without incurring more costs. I wont be there for the first time in 35 years but have been spared the tough decision because I'll be at a family wedding in France. If i had gone I would be sat in the van (at the Brasenose) for three quarters of the time.  I am not being unreasonable i just wouldnt want to watch most of the line up. I have a lot of bills this year and £500 to see a couple of bands is just not on and head would overrule heart I'm afraid. Clearly I'm not alone.

Further announcement from Simon on Facebook, saying  “this is getting serious now”…..

Bridge of Sighs is definitely the Robin Trower gateway drug. Every song is perfect. The deluxe edition has stellar contemporary live versions, as well.

Robin Trower Live was the second one I bought, and it adds several great pre-BOS songs to the mix (e.g., Daydream).

After that, it's really a hodgepodge. My personal favorites are In City Dreams and Victims of the Fury, but I'm sure there are some RT fans who prefer For Earth Below or Twice Removed From Yesterday. IMO, Long Misty Days and Caravan to Midnight have good moments but are not representative of his genius.

As for the Jack Bruce albums, I never embraced them. And Back it Up has a welcome dose of Dewar but doesn't have strong songs, again IMO.

Except for the glaring absence of Live, the Chrysalis box set covers all the bases. And you can't go wrong with any of the multitude of live releases from 1972 to 1980, which keep popping out of the Chrysalis vault. Such a powerful live trio. (Don't get me started on the 1980 Fort Worth concert for which I had tickets and was subsequently barred from attending...)

Yup this is true

I remember being shown that Sailors Life by some very zealous folks raving over it.  I really tried to enjoy it.  I really, really did.  I was thinking "what's wrong with me? Its June Tabor.....doing Sailors Life for godssake!"  

Then, one day I was struggling through my grapefruit during breakfast.....as I had done for many years.....and I suddenly realized: "Grapefruit is awful.  There's nothing wrong with me.  You people are nuts eating this stuff."  

I haven't listened to that version since!

There's a double album from 1997 which is both Bridge Of Sighs and Twice Removed From Yesterday. That's all you'll need.

He's on tour.  Probably needless to say, but I thought I'd say it anyway. The Sage, now the stupidly- named Glasshouse, still has tickets.

I suspect so...