One for Gothic

captain clutterbuck

LOTSW Fanatic
I am sure you would have noticed but if not Tony , it flashed up on my Spotify account today that the Fairports have released a live version of Full House 53 years after the original release . The cover has a now and then picture so the four surviving members played the gig , sadly we of course lost the Swarb , but the very capable Chris Leslie and current Fairport member took his place . When I was checking the line up an article popped up about what inspired the album title originally.

https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2023...folk-band-fairport-convention-on-sale-for-6m/
 
Excellent find. I had an idea that the "Fairport" name was related to SN but but didn't know it was where he lived.
 
Captain, which came first, the song or the cottage?

untitled copy.jpg
© 2023 Google Earth Pro

p.s. in case you missed it, the name on the door is "The Ledge", in the "Fairport" font, and the cottage is adjacent to Woodworm studios near Banbury :D
 
Wow thanks for posting Tony great find. I added the album to my Spotify library original was one I added when I first subscribed because the original Vinyl along with the CD copy and the rest of my vast collection are in a storage facility from a time I had a builder totally upgrade my house and now I don't really have the room to store them all. I was smitten with the Fairports from days at school when Full House was played and subsequently worn out of the record deck we had in the Sixth Form Centre [what a perk to keep you at School ! ] :)
 
I was introduced to Fairport the long way round. I used to go to a folk club in London called "Peanuts" and heard very many tallented folk singers/musicians. One pair always stood out, a chap they called Dave on fiddle and a chap they called Martin on vocals and guitar/banjolele.
This was early sixties and I think you can guess where this all progressed :)
In around early 1968 I was visiting a folk club in Hampstead and on the bill was a new group that everyone was raving about, yep our "Fairport", it wasn't until they appeared that I suddenly realised that their fiddler was my "Dave" from Peanuts.
And here we are today, I have virtually every album released, and have watched them live whenever I was able until about 20 years ago.
p.s. Martin, as you may have guessed is our own Martin Carthy.
 
Like you I have pretty much all the albums on Vinyl and CD and now because I have them in store on Spotify . I went to local folk clubs when I was still in school but 18 and when I heard Full House I was hooked bought up what I could and rest is History . I was so shocked and upset when Swarb and Sandy Denny passed away but time of course didn't stand still the band grieved but kept going and 50 plus years later the surviving members of the classic line up got together and produced a live version of Full House shows that they have such staying power and longevity, unlike modern days bands who jump in make cash and disappear as quickly as they hit the scene.
 
The other thing to remember is that they are all musicians. On stage they would frequently swap instruments, depending on the music being played. The music on stage was as good as, or sometimes even better than the studio. For me it was the spectacle of watching swarb dancing around the stage, Davy Pegg bouncing up and down with his bass and Davy Mattacks beating hell out of the drums, but looking miserable all the time (his usual state.)
Longevity, as you say, they certainly have that. It was a very sad time when Sandy and Swarb passed, but their music will always be there.

Did you ever hear Sandys album "Fotheringey"? That was a thing of beauty, I've lost my vinyl copy, must try and source the CD.
 
I have not listened to Fotheringay but have listened to some of her solo stuff . Her voice is simply exquisite and haunting and thankfully available still as you mentioned , taken far too young.
 
Fairport did the song "Fotheringay" with our Sandy singing and I got myself into a loop last night! I simply couldn't stop listening to it.

 
I got myself a bit confused between the song [thank you for posting the video] and the band Fotheringay which Sandy was an integral part of . I thought you meant the latter thank you for clarifying . Like a lot of her songs it is captivating and haunting easy to see why you looped it. The big worry to me is the release date 1969!!! The years keep flying by too rapidly.
 
I had originally (in the previous post) been talking about the group, including Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue (Sandy married the former and had a Daughter with). I seem to remember that both these lads joined Fairport as well for a while, producing one of my favourite albums "Fairport 'LIVE' Convention", though nothing could compare with the trio Swarb - Thompson - Nichol. The apothiosis of perfect folk music!!!!
 
@gothic
Didn't really know much about Fairport Convention until I heard you mention it on here, I'm sure you've heard it before but there was an interview on Radio 4 Extra this evening with the songwriter. Bizarrely it was immediately followed by a story read by Kathy Staff about an old lady who was raped when she was young. Surreal when I've only really known her as Nora & Mrs Blewett!

 
Back
Top