A few years back I bought a two-CD best-of collection by Fairport Convention. The first CD has gotten some mileage on it. I've hardly listened to the second CD at all.
Part of the reason is that most of the first disc has Sandy Denny on lead vocals, with a few featuring her predecessor Judy Dyble. After Denny left the band continued until, well, the present day from what I understand, but as something of a sausage party.
Soon after Denny left they lost their guitarist Richard Thompson. And before any of this happened their drummer Martin Lamble died in a tragic van crash, not yet having reached the age of 20.
I can respect the remaining members and a few new recruits for trying to keep it all going, but the later stuff just doesn't feel like it's for me.
2 comments:
fairport convention was one of those bands that, for me, kind existed in the background (songs like 'who knows where the time goes', 'walk awhile', & 'come all ye' were songs that got into your head even if you really never listened to a single album. sandy denny & richard thompson pretty much were the band, in my mind, & a version of fairport without them would seem like a version of the stones without mick & kief...
i wasn't much of a folkie, admittedly. the great exception, of course, being the incredible string band, who i saw perform in the early '70's at the santa monica civic center. the 4 of them sat on the stage, surrounded by a number of familiar & exotic instruments. after each song, each of them would replace whatever instrument they had just played for another one, followed by the next song, & they did this for the whole show. i guess that why they were named that:
Incredible String Band
(Jer emailed me this to send to you)
Jerry still can't comment? I have no idea why that is, and I've reviewed my blog settings a bunch of times.
How did I get into Fairport? I'm not sure. It was some years back. Sandy Denny's voice was always beautiful and contained wisdom as well. She left us far too soon, natch. The songs you cite probably are their most memorable. I knew some Richard Thompson fans in college, and they turned out to be right about him. He and Sandy were the heart of the band. Of course with Mick and Keith if they left the Stones they'd just wind up starting the Stones with all different backing musicians, which is basically what they have now.
I like the Incredible String Band, and I admire their bringing folk to a wider--and freakier--audience. They no doubt could have had instant success playing high-volume psychedelic rock. Mike Heron had both the chops and charisma to be a rock star. They definitely forged their own path.
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