So how did YOU get into Fairport?

[sandman]

In 1969  Isaw them in concert London cant remember exactly where, but I remember thinking brilliant ,saw them again in 1970  playing at the isle of wight festival coming on stage before tiny Tim.Continued  to see them whenever was possible, took my partner to see them in 1976 and we have travelled many miles to see them since.

[Sofus Antabus]

I got into Fairport in April this year I guess, my dad has always had lots of folk LP's and cassettes lying around, and while I've been listening mostly to American folk/country-rock like The Band, Dylan, Neil Young, CSN&Y and The Dead, as well as Jethro Tull (which seemed to be the way into FC for many), I was aware of Fairport, and was kind of interested in checking it out. So, one day I found an OLD, worn, cassette copy of Liege & Lief in a drawer and put it on.
I immediately fell for Richards guitar work, Swarb's fiddle playing, and last but not least, Sandy's ethereal voice. After that I've bought Liege & Lief, Full House, Unhalfbricking and What We Did On Our Holidays, all of them superb albums, although Liege & Lief and Full House (the British equivalent to The Band's "Brown album"?) remain my favourites. They're on my top 10 list along with Tulls Heavy Horses and Songs From The Wood and The Bands best albums.
Right now I'm drooling at the first three Planxty albums (after finding "The Planxty Collection" on LP, impossible to get hold of in Norway though), but what Fairport albums would anyone recommend for me to buy after those four I already have?

[Steve J W]

Back in the early seventies a school friend played me some Fotheringay and Fairport's "History Of". I didn't listen closely enough and just thought they were a folk group. I was (and still am) very into Tull and at that time there was no connection between the groups - I judged how good a group was by the length of the guitar solos...what a prat 

My friend went to Saint Andrews university and invited me up to see the "Nine" band. I was just completely knocked out - especially when they played "Sloth". These guys could really play - but didn't take themselves too sseriously- especially when Swarb broke a string and sang a very dirty song while it was replaced 

The rest, as they say, is history.

[johnthegonne]

Jack O Diamonds you have my deepest respect. Fairport live in Hyde Park in '68. Fantastic. What did they play? Cocker Freeman, you and I both must have danced down the isles together  at some London theatre. Theatre Royal Drury Lane was a favourite Fairport tour stop. Great gigs. I'd have loved to have been at the famous Rainbow gig. What happened to the cardboard cutouts?

[Folk Wonder]

Dad's cosuin is Chris Leslie. Before he joined I hadn't heard of Fairport but now I'm a huge fan!

Anthony

[Jack O Diamonds]

In 1969  Isaw them in concert London cant remember exactly where, but I remember thinking brilliant ,saw them again in 1970  playing at the isle of wight festival coming on stage before tiny Tim.Continued  to see them whenever was possible, took my partner to see them in 1976 and we have travelled many miles to see them since.

Naaah... definitely not 1970... Fairport did appear in 1969 (the "Dylan" IOW Fest) but I'm pretty sure T Tim only appeared - nay tip toed through the tulips - in 1970...

[PaulT]

was it swarb and simon carried martin carthy off stage while he was still playing ?

Indeed it was.

And DV - there was some upset later in the evening.  Once the recording had been completed, Fairport & Steeleye continued playing while the cameras etc were being stowed away.  When, eventually, the time came for the generators to be switched off, there was a fair amount of jeering, booing and slow handclapping... I remember some local presshound describing it as a "riot", but I don't think it was anything of the sort.  Mind you, a small amount of jeering etc was still going on when I left to get the last train back to Crosby.

PT

PS - I bet Pontin's guests have never had such good live entertainment!

 

[robkb]

I'd been aware of FC for some time, as a friend of mine apparently bought his bass guitar from Ashley Hutchings and kept going on about Fairport and the Albion Band and other folk stuff. I was into early music, especially Phil Pickett, and my friend told me that Pickett also played occasionally with the Albion Band - however, I still didn't take the hint that here was something I might enjoy, and carried on with the early music. But the folk stuff was in the air, so to speak, and it was only a matter of time...

Then my brother-in-law asked me to get him the History of FC cd for his birthday a couple of years ago. So I bought it, played it, and kept it! Had to go and get my brother-in-law another copy, as nothing would part me from it. Even worse, the second copy cost me nearly twice as much as the first as the sale I bought it in had finished! Since then I've been gradually discovering the fantastic 30-odd year back catalogue, and this year I'm going to Cropredy for the first time (with my brother-in-law) and can't wait!

Cheers,
Rob 

[Jack O Diamonds]

Jack O Diamonds you have my deepest respect. Fairport live in Hyde Park in '68. Fantastic. What did they play? Cocker Freeman, you and I both must have danced down the isles together  at some London theatre. Theatre Royal Drury Lane was a favourite Fairport tour stop. Great gigs. I'd have loved to have been at the famous Rainbow gig. What happened to the cardboard cutouts?

No respect, please... I'm just bleedin' old! The set? Gawd knows... it would have had Reno Nevada, Morning Glory, I Don't Know Where I Stand, East West (great Thommo soloing..and 'im only a bairn!), Some Sweet Day... curiously little that ever really appeared on an LP... other than "Heyday" which is a pretty good reflection of that set. Gone, Gone, Gone... Great band!

I saw FC at another 1968 gig at Parliament Hill Fields in London... FC playing with the fantastic (at that time anyway) Jefferson Airplane... Skinheads tried to break it up! Ah the good old days!

[johnthegonne]

Jefferson Airplane as well!!!! You !!!!!

I went to Knebworth one year especially to see JA. I was a huge Grace Slick fan in the '70's. 10 minutes into their set they announced tht Grace wasn't with them. Seems she has a bust up in Germany and flew home. Unless Fairport get her as a guest, I'll never get the chance.

[GarethWR]

I'm another who arrived, at least in part, due to the Tull connection...

As a child I'd always enjoyed folk music - it got used a lot in "movement" classes at primary school, as well as in various children's programmes. When I started really developing my own taste in music from about the age of 14 I got into prog and symphonic rock, mainly by way of Mike Oldfield (about whose music I became near-obsessive), and it was no coincidence that he used a lot of folky influences.

It was about this time that the Tull compilation "Original Masters" was released on CD, and since I was aware that Tull had connections to concept albums and prog rock, I bought it (I was also intrigued by the image of Ian Anderson in full one-legged flute-playing mode on the front - I probably still thought that his name was Jethro Tull back then). I found the music interesting, although I was not blown away, but I investigated further and discovered the full-on folky Tull albums like Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses, and also learned the names of the current lineup - including, of course, one Dave Pegg.

Some time later I was browsing through the handful of LP racks in my local library when I came across Gladys' Leap. I'd heard vaguely of Fairport Convention, knew that they were of a similar vintage to Oldfield, Floyd, Yes et al, and I just liked their name, because I knew that if I mentioned it at school, people would just stare blankly at me. I looked at the back cover, and as well as the promisingly folky-sounding track names, there was a picture of Dave Pegg. I paid my 50p, borrowed the LP for a week, saw the band live for the first time at the Barbican Centre in 1988-ish, and about 15 years later, here we are...

[Jack O Diamonds]

Jefferson Airplane as well!!!! You !!!!!

I went to Knebworth one year especially to see JA. I was a huge Grace Slick fan in the '70's. 10 minutes into their set they announced tht Grace wasn't with them. Seems she has a bust up in Germany and flew home. Unless Fairport get her as a guest, I'll never get the chance.

Ol' Grace was always kinda temperamental... one of the reasons she was so good! Absolutely loathe the J Starship latter day manifestations but I always associate very early Fairport with Joni Mitchell's first album and Jefferson Airplane... Surrealistic Pillow...  Cooooool Maaaaan

[Shane (Skirky)]

....don't get him started on decimalisation.....
SK

[Jack O Diamonds]

....don't get him started on decimalisation.....
SK

He He He... I never allowed them to innoculate me for decimalisation... Hey... Skirkatola... you Cropredy bound?

[James SftBH]

Hey... Skirkatola... you Cropredy bound?

Mr Kirk has been in bed for a while now, but I can confirm that he will be at Croppers (on Saturday only), cos he's coming in my motor. There'll be me, Skirky, Mrs Skirky(.)(.) and a coupla dogs. We all look forward to meeting you Sir Jack.

[Shane (Skirky)]

A vile calumny - I've been in (ano)the(r) pub. He's essentially correct though. Cats and bags at the ready!
Cheers
Skirky

[johnthegonne]

Jefferson Airplane as well!!!! You !!!!!

I went to Knebworth one year especially to see JA. I was a huge Grace Slick fan in the '70's. 10 minutes into their set they announced tht Grace wasn't with them. Seems she has a bust up in Germany and flew home. Unless Fairport get her as a guest, I'll never get the chance.

Ol' Grace was always kinda temperamental... one of the reasons she was so good! Absolutely loathe the J Starship latter day manifestations but I always associate very early Fairport with Joni Mitchell's first album and Jefferson Airplane... Surrealistic Pillow...  Cooooool Maaaaan

I know what you mean about Starship. However, I still play Blows against the Empire a bit. That intro to Earth Mother sounds awfully familiar. Baron Von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun , great title. There was one album with a fantastic starfield inner sleeve. I spent many pre-decimal times (pounds shillings pence) exploring the options on that one.
Anyone want to start a new thread, best Fairport album cover? My choice, Rising for the Moon

[Barry]

Your wish is my command.  New thread started.

[Mix (Mic)]

I got into Fairport, first when I was still at school, (with no money to buy records)

then after my husband died (1997) I had to sort out his 4000 + CDs and just couldn't part with the FC albumns.

It still took a long time before I could really listen to music at all........ But finally I did and it was MOTL that captured me and brought me back to music (on In Real Time..studio version).

So I guess I've been into Fairport for years really, but as an obsession    more recently.

Mic 

[Andy]

In the beginning was a sampler album called "Bumpers" with "Walk Awhile" on it, as well as "Hazy Jane" from Nick Drake, Just the odd few great tracks, indeed.  Was this the best compilation ever?

Traffic: Every Mother's Son
Bronco: Love
Spooky Tooth: I Am the Walrus
Quintessence: Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga
Mott the Hoople: Thunderbuck Ram
Jethro Tull: Nothing to Say
Jimmy Cliff: Going Back West
Blodwyn Pig: Send Your Son to Die
Dave Mason: Little Woman
John & Beverley Martyn: Go Out and Get It
King Crimson: Cadence & Cascade
If: Reaching Out on All Sides
Free: Oh I Wept
Nick Drake: Hazey Jane
Fairport Convention: Walk Awhile
Cat Stevens: Maybe You're Right
Renaissance: Island
Fotheringay: The Sea [Sandy Denny]
Clouds: Take Me to Your Leader 

I really cannot remember where I saw FC in 1971, but can remember seeing them at the Anvil in 2002 - they wuz grate! That's the concert out on a DVD, which I of course bought.

I went back and bought a load of their albums and found that I enjoyed a lot of what was there.

Saw them again a few months back, also at the Anvil, when it was obvious that all kinds of things were just not right. Wendy and I left, vastly disappointed by a poor show. Then I read of Peggys divorce etc and things fell into place.

However, we decided to 'do' Cropredy this year, and, ignoring plumbing disasters that meant we didn't actually get there until Saturday at 2-ish, had a great time.

LIke others here, I have an extensive selection of old rubbish music, garnered from stints in the states as well as in Blighty. Stackridge Lemon were a favourite of mine, not a few echos of whom I head this weekend.

I'm also the proud posessor of the Trousers album "Mad Nelly Rides Again", which, transitioned to CD, I now give out to friends and family. I have mention of Trousers on my website (www.reboot.demon.co.uk) and get an amazing amount of mail about them. I, too, have a copy of "Blows Against The Empire" thanks to a misspent youth....

Incidentally I also picked up Chris Leslie's solo album "Dancing Days". It seems (according to an uncle) that he may be a distant relative, for which I'll just be grateful.