Steeleye in the Lowther Pavilion in Lytham. Good solid set, mixture from throughout the band’s catalogue. Only knew Maddy P and Julian L, but rest of the band fitted in well. (Liam apparently recovering from an op so new drummer sitting in). Missed Thomas the Rhymer but enjoyed Cold Haily Windy Night and an excellent Tam Lin, so overall a very enjoyable evening.

Yes that"s true.

Another major factor is the way the phenomenon  dubbed 'the loudness wars'   is also prevalent  on vinyl  records  , having been  waged on new and reissued CDs  for some years. LPs are commonly  mastered from a digital source. This needn"t be so bad   but extreme compression is used, and the overall  volume is jacked up. This foregrounsds some information, and the initial effect on the listener is impressive. But after a few minutes it"s dreadful- fatiguing  and depressing. There's no real nuance or contrast. EVERYTHING  sounds  TOO LOUD.
This sound is designed for  earbuds , blue tooth , etc. -  short term listening.  For people who want to  sit and enjoy the richness and detail of an album on at least a half decent system, it's  audio death.

Fairport in the magnificent Guildhall in Derry last night. As good as ever. I was only disappointed after reading on here and expecting it that there was no Sloth or Flowers of the Forest...but hey, there was more than enough there for me. (Oh, and no support - I was looking forward to Jen.)

No harm on Peggy, but from the hundreds of instrumental sets at their disposal, I don't understand why they keep doing Bankruptured for so long...It's beyond time for a change. But hey, minor quibbles, a great night. WKWTTG got a standing ovation of it own...

I took a friend with no real knowledge but an open mind and he gave them 8 out of 10, which if you knew him really translates as an 11. Proper order

Not to mention that a lot of the "remastered" reissues aren't from first generation recordings and suffer as a result. Several of the remastered reissues are reportedly quite dire, with dropouts and inconsistent volumes of instrumentation, as I've discovered very recently.

Interesting.

Actually i read a good thing on a fbk page today and fleetingly considered  forwarding it to you but  it was long and i wasn't sure it'd be.of interest. It could have been titled  'why so many vinyl re issues sound ****' but it wasn't.   And the problem isn't confined to reissues.

Online today, in fact.  £60 or so.  Depends how much value you put on the time you spent queueing I guess.  

Fwiw, I actually bought my first vinyl in years the other day (because the band I wanted to hear/own don't have product in any other form - Fflaps, a Cymraeg band)

I got my Strawbs LP, but  this year that was the only thing i succeeded in purchasing on the day.  Online tomorrow, then.

Did anyone else- gasp -  buy a record?  I still find it fun.

Yes, the  list is long - Mr Bowie, Mr Page,  and many others , some of whom were never convicted of anything,  but  one wonders.
I loved John Martyn, in particular, many years before  his awful  behaviour became common knowledge.  I can still listen to  his music,  but there's a distance there which wasn't there before.  I tell myself human beings are complex and imperfect, and there are a handful of things about myself  and what that self has done, of which  i am not proud.

Nice piece on FB from Sid Griffin.  Poor doggie...

Back to Moya Brennan/ Máire ní Bhraonáin... it's brought it home to me how in a small country like Ireland "national treasures" can really be treated as such. RTE News channel broadcast the entire live feed of Moya's funeral from start to finish. And though I haven't a religious bone in my body I found it quite beautiful. No showbiz, no sparkle, just a simple ceremony in a small local chapel.
Yes there were a few big names (U2), but the vast majority were just the local community and friends and family. The music was beautiful but low key, the local choir and musicians singing beautiful renditions of Moya's songs. Daniel and Majella O'D! sang a religious duet and the emotion in Daniel's face was palpable. Similarly with Mairéad ní Mhaonaigh (Altan) - they were singing not to an audience but for a true friend and one of their own community.
The priest found the perfect balance between religion and celebration, while floating effortlessly and seamlessly between English and Irish languages (as indeed did Moya and Clannad).
The image of the seldom-seen Enya there, not as a star but simply as a woman mourning her big sister taken too soon, taking comfort in the embrace of her own community, was heartwarming.
So, sorry for the long ramble but it touched me and made this exiled English folkie quietly proud of the corner of Ireland I've made my home for the last 44 years .