TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Agreeing to record A Sailor's Life, thus helping facilitate the birth of folk-rock, or splitting up Fotheringay, which opened the door for the Nine line up and allowed the band to continue and even flourish at a time when it looked like it might be curtains? Asking for a friend.

Of the two, definitely the former as his motives for the latter move had nothing to do with any desire to extend Fairport's career at that point and everything to do with wanting to promote Sandy as a solo artist.

Definitely the former

The former.  Quite frankly I wish he'd kept his oar out of the whole Fotheringay affair - he left behind a bit of a mess.

His greatest achievement was probably discovering the band in the first place.  Oh, and Nick Drake.  And producing Pink Floyd's Arnold Layne.  And....   ;)

Jules

Wrote an excellent autobiography - White Bicycles I think?

Can highly recommend White Bicycles - any book that starts with the following intriguing first sentence warrants further investigation :

"The Sixties began in the summer of 1956, ended in October of 1973 and peaked just before dawn on 1 July, 1967 during a set by Tomorrow at the UFO Club in London."

His worst move was not getting behind the reissue of ISB : U. Finally emerging In 2002, it was the last ISB album to appear in  digital form.

His best was discovering the band at all. If he really did, that is.

Facilitating the birth of ENGLISH folk-rock, because I always think of The Byrds as the originators of the world version of folk-rock.
This is my opinion and not meant to start any arguments!

I'm thinking they could have released it without Joe's blessing.



It's one I happen to agree with.

Jules

They did, but it would have happened much sooner if he'd approved of it. It wasn't just Joe. For some time WB wouldn't even admit they had it.

How?  The opinion of one ex-label man halting the reissue of a CD?  I very much doubt it.

Jules

I only know what people tell me, Jules. At the time this was given to me  as one reason for the hold up.

Getting Shoot Out The Lights out there was one of his best moves. What a good record.

It may never have lasted anyway, but ending Fotheringay was (for me) a low point. If they'd carried on, I might actually have rated them on a par with Fairport, if not slightly higher *ducks for cover*

Well, within a couple of years three of them they were reunited, along with the best fiddler and rythmn section in the business.

Don't duck too far, I'm with you to take the flack!  :)

What do you guys think of Fotheringay 2 ? I enjoy it as much as a Fairport album. I don't mind that it's been dressed up a bit.

Fotheringay 2's very enjoyable - as good a version of their proposed 2nd album as we're ever likely to get.

I agree Dan.

I love it, but then I love the "dressed up" Gold Dust too, so I'm clearly not a purist! My favourite Fairport line-up (not that, having been born in 1980, I saw any of them really) is the Four Play one, so obviously I'm a big Swarb fan. Fotheringay had *so* much promise though.

Ditto...and luckily for me (13 years older) they were the first lot I saw (half a dozen times from '81 to '85ish).