**Fairport Convention** was (is?) an eclectic, electric folk group that at one point included **Sandy Denny** , **Ashley Hutchings** & **Richard Thompson**.Needless to say one of their hallmarks (at least in that first glorious decade from '68 to about the mid 70's) was incredible musicianship. They gleefully plundered the British Folk Music canon, updating the sound without sacrificing the am...
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First Leonard Cohen takes Toronto, then he takes... MONTREAL (AFP) - Singer Leonard Cohen on Friday kicks off his first world tour in 15 years with a Toronto gig, marking the return of the poet who converted to Buddhism during his absence from the limelight.An apostle of love in praise of the wandering spirit, Cohen has serenaded generations of music lovers with his haunting voice in songs such...
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So here's "*an article on The Inquirer*":http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/22/stephen-hawking-argues-nasa (an intentionally tabloidy tech blog):Stephen Hawking says NASA should budget for interstellar travelRising for the moonBy Sylvie Barak: Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 5:30 PMCREATOR OF THE DALEKS, Stephen Hawking, has called on the world to dedicate a meagre 0.25 per cent of all...
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"":http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NILF/mikewebersweberwClick to go to "*my regular blog*":http://electronictiger.com/roare/index.htm, to see another list from "*unspun*":http://unspun.amazon.com to vote on or add items or comments to - "*The Best Folk Albums*":http://electronictiger.com/roare/2007/08/greatest-folk-album-ever-help-compile.html, this time.Vote early, vote often.And ...
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Fiddler looks for quick payday via eBayBy Lionel PerronWed Jul 2, 8:57 PM ETFull story here...A Canadian fiddler who is no stranger to controversy has put half his future music earnings up for sale on eBay, the auction website.Ashley MacIsaac, who says he declared personal bankruptcy in 2000, is seeking a minimum bid of C$1.5 million (744,000 pounds) from an investor who would in turn get half ...
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Fairport Convention, live at Maidstone, 1970 - Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol - the Full House lineup (Daves over guitars).
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Okay, so Billy Joel did a little ditty called We Didn't Start the Fire (click here for a clip), and a lot of people promptly jumped on him and accused him of ripping off alterna-rock ghods REM and their It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) (click here for a sample).Well, ya know, an interesting thing - i happen to know that REM (or at least Stipe) are big Fairport Conventio...
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...through cropredy in oxfordshire the cherwell takes its course and the willows on its banks still gently weep but still in peaceful dream by this most placid stream the poppies wake me from my rightful sleep and the dreams that i have are red and gold and the little stream becomes a flood from all my brothers killing one another till waking i realise it's all my own dear blood for red and go...
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Back in the early 70s everybody had to do a "rock opera" album.And Fairport Cenvention eas, or wanted to be, Somebody.Dave Swarbrick found a book his father had had, about convicted killer John "Babbacombe" Lee - "The Man They Could Not Hang". And that was the genesis of Fairport's (slightly more commercial) equivalent of Zappa's *Lumpy Gravy*.Under British law at the time of Lee's conviction,...
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A sample from a track off the "*House Full*":http://electronictiger.com/reviews/house_full.htm album, recorded at the L.A. Troubador in 1971.While many prefer the earlier, "*Liege & Lief*":http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000657UB/mikewebersweberw, featuring Sandy Denny and original bass player Ashley Hutchings, for me the peak of Fairport's musicianship comes with the next album, "*Ful...
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NineOctober 73Brilliancy Medley/Cherokee ShuffleTo Althea from PrisonLineup: The Three Daves (Peggie, DM and Swarb), Donahue, Lucas (I trust you're beginning to appreciate the fluidity here.)Most of Fairport's instrumental tracks are worth a listen. The oddball/standout here is To Althea From Prison: "Music by Swarb, lyrics from the works of Richard Lovelace while in prison - The Gate House, ...
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RobP posted a comment to ne of my MOG p[osts, and in it, he incidentally asked me what one Fairport Convention album to buy to get a good feel for the band.Didn't take me long to come up with the answer:Well, probably the best place to start with Fairport is to get a good feel for the early years - and there just happens to be a collection called "*History of Fairport Convention*":http://www.am...
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Okay, i've posted this one twice before, but since today s The Day Itself...Basically, *Fairport Convention* had just wound up their farewell tour in 1979 and figures that was that.*Simon Nicol* and *Dave Swarbrick* were staying in neighbouring houses - i know Swarb and his wife were guesting, not sure if Simon was at his own house or a friend's, but, in either case, it was right next door.Swar...
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(As usual, the link to the Good Stuff is at the bottom, after the setup...)Back in '79, when Fairport Convention broke up (only to reform in '85), after the end of the tour, Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick were staying in neighbouring houses for a while. Swarb (who was already having hearing problems, i understand, was planning to retire and to move up to a farm he'd bought in Scotland - and th...
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