TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

As I'm listening to Dream Attic for the first time in years, I'm reminded that on the recordings for that album his band included a violinist (Joel Zifkin). I can't think of many other albums or tours where he has included a fiddler in his line-up.  I remember when the BBC left the TV Centre they recorded a concert of him with Swarb (though I don't think that has ever been released), but can anyone else remember him working with a fiddler?

Henry The Human Fly and Morris On for starters.

On Electric he had Stuart Duncan on fiddle and on Sweet Warrior Sara Watkins played on a couple of tracks with two violins and a viola on She Sang Angels to Rest.

Seem to remember Aly Bain played on the Jimmy Shand song on Rumor & Sigh.

I'll let someone else check all his other albums.

Aly Bain on Amnesia and Hand of Kindness.

And then, just for fun, there's this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNIJ0fcCRCY

Oh that is fun!  I do remember seeing Aly Bain's name on Hand of Kindness, now you mention it, though I wouldn't have said his contribution is very noticeable - I shall have to listen again.

On Shirley Collins' No Roses album, Richard plays alongside Barry Dransfield on Murder of Maria Marten.

Jules

I think Electric is one of the gaps in my RT collection.  I was thinking more of times when he has consistently used a fiddler on a tour or an album, rather than odd appearances.  He seems to have done that more with squeezeboxes - John Kirkpatrick in particular.

A couple of reflections - one, working with Swarb might have put him off forever… Notably, Aly Bain was his go-to guy for at least a couple of albums.
Otherwise, a fiddle player does one thing of two things - either also sings, or demands a solo in every song. If you’re in a band where there are flourishes and counterpoints around every corner then clearly there’s room. If that’s what your vibe as a singer and guitarist is, then why bother?

Some additions, after perusing the collection-

Chris Leslie on Time To Ring Some Changes from Hard Cash, also a few cuts on Sweet Talker

Aly Bain also on Rumor And Sigh, Hokey Pokey

Tom McConville on Mirror Blue,

Sid Page on You? Me? Us?

Peter Knight on Industry

Sam Watkins on Sweet Warrior

Stuart Duncan on Electric

David Mansfield on Ship To Shore

Nic Jones & Aly on Pour Down Like Silver

Chuck Fleming on Daring Adventures

I do think about this quite often. Swarb adored Richard, but Richard definitely seemed to hold Swarb at arm's length. I think Swarb was just too much for him. So often he'd work with Peggy, DM, and Simon, but noticeably no Swarb. Using another fiddler with those guys would have looked to much like an obvious snub, and I think that may have been a big reason for him not doing so very often. Turning to John Kirkpatrick's box was a canny way of sidestepping the issue.

Jules

Let's not forget that after Swarb huffed off out of the 2009 Barbican show, RT went and played solo with him very soon afterwards...

These probably belongs here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeLDg-KWWQk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thyAzIzh4r0

Fwiw I too have often thought about RT 'not working with' Swarb.  But actually, if you think about it, where would he fit in on something like Hand of Kindness?  And then it becomes FC.  Also personalities...two very very different approaches to life?

I don't think I've seen him on any tour with a fiddle player in his backing band so it's an instrument he seems to prefer having in the studio rather than on the road, the exception being the Dream Attic live recordings when he had Joel Zifkin in his band.

And since Pete Zorn's sad passing he's pretty much stuck with the trio line-up of guitar, bass and drums.

Having played both recently I wondered about the longer explanation of how Fairport ‘not’ Convention got together for Smiddyburn/Flittin’. Probably from a Cropredy reunion thing but still curious

Fab! Thanks for pointing me in the direction of these David. Beautiful stuff. Swarb's glance at Richard at 2.59 in Sloth... :)

How bizarre; I was also listening to Dream Attic the other day for the first time in years! I really enjoyed it, and it might be the last RT album that I really like every track, maybe because its got a nice full sound.

That could be a good explanation of why Swarb didn't turn up too often on RT's work but on the other hand RT's work on Siddyburn is fantastic. He obviously took the project very seriously and put in the graft to work out the amazing guitar parts which help make this a wonderful album musically.

I might be wrong (please correct me if so) but I'm sure I remember reading somewhere, that when Beryl Marriott recorded "Weave the Mirror", there was some surprise that Swarb wasn't involved but she explained that she used Chris instead because it was "her" album and it had to reflect her own style. Something along those lines anyway. That certainly didn't appear to cause any lasting upset with Swarb, as he wrote a tune called "Mrs Marriott" in her honour, which is on the much later "Straws in the Wind" album with Martin Carthy.

Maybe, to some extent, it was a similar situation with Richard?

They played a brilliant  set together at  a festival near Leicester ….cant remember the name, sorry.

I was there… I’m pretty sure it was at Conkers off the A40, many years ago now.

I sometimes see a video of this gig on fbook.

My general impression has been that Swarb was a star or co-star in his projects, and did not tend to serve as anyone’s sideman.

An example of this would be his withdrawal from the 2009 Witchseason Weekend. His statement referenced his preference not to be an accompanist for a string of guest singers.

Hmmmm.  Think it was a bit more personal than that.  Basically he told Joe Boyd (never a big Swarb fan) to **** off.

I think this is very much the crux of the matter. If you’re helming a project you need people that are going to turn up on time, take advice on board and subdue their ego long enough to make the whole thing turn out to the best of the leader’s vision. With the best will in the world, I don’t think anyone would suggest Swarb as the first person to fit that profile. (See, for example, RT playing lead guitar for Clive Gregson on the OGWT or Danny Thompson’s many, many contributions to other folks’ work or, for that matter, Aly Bain’s ensemble playing on the Celtic Connections series).

The late-period RT/Swarb BBC TV session has been previously referenced as possibly being a generous TV-related payday for an old comrade who had found himself on his uppers.