i was there, i was expecting the Farnell/Hill line up so imagine my surprise when DM came out to set his kit up! along with Trevor and JD, a nice surprise.
Lou Reed was ok too, I'd seen him before close up  not long before  at Manchester poly
much more than this i might need to go under a spot of mesmerism as it was over 50 years ago and i used to like a drink in those daze

I've got vague memories of asking the same question either here or on Fairporters a few years back, and not getting anything very useful in return.  But it has certainly always fascinated me since I first heard about it, so I hope somebody who was there comes out of the woodwork.

Squeeze and Jools Holland drummer Gilson Lavis. Loved his playing. Think he had been ill

One I've got is the reissue... https://www.discogs.com/release/11350468-Ashley-Hutchings-Five - it literally has the band names (some of which I've never even heard of) and the title...nothing else.  I actually threw it in the bin (I did rescue it a bit later).  Pathetic.

Is it the one with a black and white photo of AH with beret and a bandana around his neck, with typeface in red, and a red back, and inside a photo of Rise Up lineup on top and the Kellie While lineup inside? Definitely lo res. I think the assumption probably was that it is niche, and people would be familiar (or know where to go for full details) of the lineups on the recordings and the timeline. But yeah, I agree with you. That being said, sometimes in the wrong hands having details can be disastrous- I give you some highlights of Steeleye's Live At The Bottom Line in 1974 written by Gregg Bendian. After a column and a half in a rambling commentary about Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Dylan, before morphing into Little Richard and Chuck Berry, before finally going into British folk music. I give you this chestnut, verbatim-

"Steeleye Span's transformation as a band vividly reflects that time when the love of musical folklore merged with blues and rock energy. Central to this transformation is bassist/songwriter/bandleader Ashley Hutchings, a central key figure in the development of British folk rock (nothing wrong so far, but read on-)
Hutchings, who was working on the skiffle and folk scene founded Fairport Convention with Richard Thompson in 1967. They were soon joined by vocal duo of singer Maddy Pryor and guitarist/singer Tim Hart, along with Judy Dyble, Martin Lamble and Iain Matthews. Hart and Pryor help form a strong core... (at which point he kind of melds the two bands together simultaneously.

Later he spells Maddy's last name correctly, then goes through the changes (no mention of the Woods, or Martin Carthy, Rick Kemp, nor what Peter Knight brought to the group) he finally pushes on to the Bottom Line gig for their sixth release and literally this is as written- " The quintet becomes a sextet for the first time, adding full time drummer , Nigel Pegrun. Mr Pegrum also contributed"... (spot the typo) I can't bare to say anymore!

Which is a shame because it is a good quality recording of the era, from a venue I knew very well in the 90's into the early 00's. So I guess my comment is that when I reasonably know what artists and lineups are involved, as in the case of 5, I am ok with not having much in the way of details for a single CD release. But the flip side of that is getting commentary that is poorly written, clearly not fact checked, and clearly not accurate which I somehow find more infuriating.



 

Ok, so I pick up my copy of "5" (which Discogs tells me this about: This "5" release is a new collection of previously unreleased tracks by Ashley Hutchings and his bands. As its title indicates, it is the continuation of the previous 4 volume series of The Guv'nor albums.)

I get the album, and it has a list of track titles and bands.  Absolutely nothing else (except a badly reproduced partial photograph of some of the RULTS lineup).  What's the actual point of an 'archival' CD if you have absolutely no idea what on earth you are listening to?

I've never hated Talking Elephant more than I do at this moment.