It All Came Round Again

Subtitled ‘On Stage and On Air 1982-90’, this is an extensive and intriguing history of what was a decidedly tricky decade for Britain’s remarkable folk-rock veterans. After all, the glory years for Fairport Convention had been the late 60s and early 70s, the era when Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson were in the ever-changing line-up. In 1979 they officially split up, as punk pushed folk-rock from fashion, but they still had a loyal following and loved playing together, so started to hold annual reunions at Cropredy, the Oxfordshire village that was then home to bass player Dave Pegg and fiddler Dave Swarbrick. By 1982, the gatherings had moved to the site of what has now become one of the great summer festivals, and it’s recordings from the 80s Cropredy shows that dominate this fascinating box set, which includes lengthy essays on the band along with 11 CDs and a DVD. The 1982 festival was recorded by Dave Pegg on a Revox, for release as a mail-order cassette, and the sound quality is impressive on a set that demonstrates the band’s range. There are lively traditional dance tunes from Swarbrick, the half-spoken bluesy ‘Marijuana Australiana’ from Trevor Lucas, great guitar work from Jerry Donahue and backing vocals from Linda Thompson on that brooding Richard Thompson/Swarbrick classic ‘Sloth’. The following year Richard had joined the party, and the three CDs covering the 1983 Cropredy Festival include the traditional ‘Jack O’Rion’, Cathy Lesurf providing the vocals for Sandy Denny’s ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, songs by Dylan and Buddy Holly, and Richard’s guitar work dominating a near 20-minute treatment of ‘Sloth’. Then there’s that Fairport classic traditional story of class, sex and death ‘Matty Groves’ (making the first of seven appearances on the box set) and the band’s regular finale ‘Meet on the Ledge’ (featured five times). In 1984 the band were still not touring or recording, but the BBC’s Folk on 2 came to Cropredy to tape a session that included Denny’s ‘John the Gun’ and an urgent, powerful ‘Matty Groves’. Later Cropredy recordings include guest appearances on vocals from Ralph McTell and June Tabor, and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson on flute, at the 1987 festival, while the DVD includes a lively and historic BBC TV session, recorded outdoors before a small audience a week before Cropredy 1982. There are interviews with Simon Nicol and Martin Carthy, who explains why he turned down Fairport (he joined Steeleye Span instead), but then joins the band for a couple of songs including Trevor Lucas’ railroad ballad, ‘Iron Lion’. Highly recommended to all folk-rock fans and Cropredy devotees.