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Fairport unConventioNal

Fairport unConventioNal (Free Reed FRQCD 35)

Fairport unConventioNal
Fairport Convention

Free Reed FRQCD 35 (4+1 CD, UK, May 2002)

This 4 CD set with an extensive and informative book of 170 pages written by Nigel Schofield is a vast collection of Fairport rarities. It includes a current Fairport Family Tree by Pete Frame (“If you bastards change your line-up one more time, you can find yourself another f...ing genealogist”) and a booklet with Cropredy poster reprints.

There are some minor errors in attributing the track sources (which are corrected here) but all in all it is a most valuable collection of rare tracks, a lot of which have never been available before or only on bootlegs.

Tracks

CD 1: Fairport - A History

A chronological overview of the band's career with key moments, live tracks and rare versions of the songs that tell their story.

  1. Meet on the Ledge [Richard Thompson] (0.34)
    Cropredy (Ouverture), 1990
  2. Wings (excerpt) [Ashley Hutchings, Ken Nicol] (0.34)
    Cropredy, 1997
  3. If I Had a Ribbon Bow [Prince / Singer] (2.27)
    single, 1967
  4. Lay Down Your Weary Tune [Bob Dylan] (3.36)
    1st BBC Radio Top Gear session, November 24, 1967
  5. Shattering Live Experence [Simon Nicol] (3.24)
    BBC Radio Symonds on Sunday session, February 4, 1969
  6. Nottamun Town [trad. arr. Fairport] (3.34)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, May 28, 1968
  7. Si Tu Dois Partir [Bob Dylan] (2.21)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, March 18, 1969
  8. Come All Ye [Sandy Denny / Ashley Hutchings] (5.00)
    alternate mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  9. Tam Lin [trad. arr. Swarbrick] (7.46)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, September 23, 1969
  10. Dirty Linen [trad. arr. Swarbrick] (4.00)
    Cropredy, 1988
  11. Staines Morris [trad. arr. Fairport] (3.39)
    Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1970
  12. Journeyman's Grace [Richard Thompson / Dave Swarbrick] (3.54)
    BBC World Service session, 1970
  13. Angel Delight [comp. Fairport Convention] (4.38)
    Cropredy 1997
  14. The Time Is Near [Dave Pegg] (2.40)
    Live concert by Hill/Farnell line-up, March 14, 1972
  15. Polly on the Shore [music Dave Dave Pegg, lyrics trad. arr. Swarbrick / Lucas] (3.41)
    Live performance from promo video, 1973
  16. Rising for the Moon [Sandy Denny] (4.14)
    BBC Radio Top Gear session, July 16, 1974
  17. Reynard the Fox [trad. arr. Fairport] (2.51)
    TV performance, 1987
  18. Rubber Band [Mike Waterson] (3.08)
    single, 1980
  19. Naked Highwayman [Steve Tilston] (4.46)
    Bottom Line, New Year, 1998
  20. The Wood and the Wire [Chris Leslie / Stonier] (4.23)
    Cropredy, 1999
  21. The Crowd [annA rydeR] (2.45)
    edited version from XXXV, 2001
  22. One Sure Thing (excerpt) [Harry Brooks / Jim Glover] (2.51)
    Fairport's first studio recording, 1967

CD 2: Rareport Convention

A collection of hard-to-find and unreleased material including private material, “lost” sessions, live recordings, radio & TV tracks

  1. Sir B McKenzie [trad. arr. Swarbrick] (1.17)
    Three Desperate Mortgages, live in Glasgow (1976)
  2. Suzanne [Leonard Cohen] (5.30)
    BBC Top Gear session, August 26, 1968
  3. Time Will Show the Wiser [Emitt Rhodes] (2.59)
    Bouton Rouge, French TV, April 27, 1968
  4. Mr Lacey [Ashley Hutchings] (3.05)
    Dutch TV, September 1969
  5. Reno, Nevada [Richard Fariña] (7.46)
    Bouton Rouge, French TV, April 27, 1968
  6. Percy's Song [Bob Dylan] (5.32)
    BBC session, March 18, 1969
  7. Dear Landlord [Bob Dylan] (3.46)
    Unhalfbricking out-take, 1968
  8. I Don't Believe You [Bob Dylan] (3.43)
    Nine out-take, 1973
  9. The Deserter [trad. arr. Fairport] (3.51)
    BBC radio session with Swarb singing, April 20, 1970
  10. Farewell to a Poor Man's Son [Dave Swarbrick] (4.52)
    BBC TV, lost “Babbacombe” Lee song, 1975
  11. Sad Song [Dave Swarbrick] (5.01)
    Rosie out-take from the Manor Sessions, 1972
  12. Autopsy [Sandy Denny] (4.24)
    out-take from the Unhalfbricking sessions, 1969
  13. Maverick Child [David Rea] (3.53)
    Rosie out-take, 1972
  14. Fiddlestix [trad. arr. Fairport] (2.47)
    Australian single, 1973
  15. It's Now Or Never [Capurro, Capua, Schroeder, Gold] (4.19)
    with Steve Tilston, 2001
  16. The Lady Is a Tramp [Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart] (2.10)
    BBC Top Gear session, September 23, 1969
  17. General Taylor [trad. arr. Fairport] (1.44)
    Live in Chicago, 1972
  18. The Accountancy Shanty [David Whetstone] (0.51)
    Live in Hull, 1989
  19. A Sailor's Life [trad. arr. Fairport] (9.25)
    live, 1969

CD 3: A Fairport History

The Fairport songs which tell epic tales of British history ... anarchy, disaster, revolution, warfare and murder ... “a fine example to lesser nations”

  1. Sir Patrick Spens [trad. arr. Fairport] (3.44)
    out-take from the Liege and Lief sessions, 1969
  2. Wat Tyler [Ralph McTell, Simon Nicol] (6.25)
    Live in York, February 16, 1992
  3. Flowers of the Forest [Jane Elliott, trad. arr.] (4.00)
    live in London, December 9, 1977
  4. Fotheringay [Sandy Denny] (3.10)
    BBC Radio Symonds on Sunday session, February 4, 1969
  5. To Althea From Prison [Richard Lovelace, Dave Swarbrick] (5.03)
    Cropredy, 1984
  6. Red and Gold [Ralph McTell, arr. Fairport] (6.45)
    Cropredy, 1996
  7. Lord Marlborough [trad. arr. Fairport] (3.23)
    El Pea version, 1971
  8. Adieu, Adieu [trad. arr. Fairport] (2.28)
    Anne Lorge Gilles TV Show, 1976
  9. Here's to Tom Paine [Steve Tilston] (4.35)
    live at Weston-super-Mare, February 11, 1977
  10. The Bonny Bunch of Roses [trad. arr. Fairport] (14.52)
    La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, June 23, 1977
  11. Breakfast in Mayfair [Simon Nicol] (3.58)
    BBC TV special “The Man They Could Not Hang” (“Babbacombe” Lee documentary), 1975
  12. Battle of the Somme [trad. arr. Fairport] (4.51)
    LA Troubador, 1970
  13. Summer Before the War [Huw Williams] (4.17)
    BBC in Concert, 1990
  14. Get Together [Chester Powers] (2.54)
    First Radio Session: BBC Top Gear, 1967
  15. Genesis Hall [Richard Thompson] (3.48)
    Cropredy, 1993
  16. Jewel in the Crown [Julie Matthews] (3.31)
    Apollo Theatre, Oxford, 1995

CD 4: Classic Convention

The core Fairport repertoire, in rare, non-standard and unreleased versions

  1. Walk Awhile [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (3.58)
    Bumpers version, 1970
  2. John Gaudie [Chris Leslie] (4.55)
    Live at the Bottom Line, 1998
  3. The Hexhamshire Lass [Trad. arr. Fairport] (2.26)
    Capital Radio, with Dan Ar Bras, 1976
  4. Slip Jigs and Reels [Steve Tilston] (5.05)
    Apollo Theatre, Oxford, 1995
  5. Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (5.35]
    Broughton Castle, 1982
  6. Crazy Man Michael [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick]
    alternate mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  7. Rosie [Dave Swarbrick]
    Melbourne Assembly Hall, 1996
  8. Farewell, Farewell [Richard Thompson] (2.29)
    alternate mix of the final Liege and Lief track, 1969
  9. Now Be Thankful [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (3.06)
    BBC Sound of the 70s session, November 12, 1970
  10. Hiring Fair [Ralph McTell, Dave Mattacks] (6.45)
    Cropredy, 1989
  11. Stranger to Himself [Sandy Denny] (3.09)
    Live, 1975
  12. Sloth [Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick] (18.04)
    Live, 1975
  13. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? [Sandy Denny] (4.13)
    BBC Radio session, February 4, 1969
  14. Matty Groves [trad. arr. Fairport] (7.36)
    specially compiled multi-version
  15. Meet on the Ledge [Richard Thompson] (2.38)
    BBC Night Ride session, November 25, 1968