If the name Dave Pegg means anything to you, it’s probably in the context of his role as bass player for Fairport Convention and/or Jethro Tull; the latter from the early 1980s to mid-’90s, the former continually since late 1969. Collectors would also be aware that both bands have had a number of box sets and rarities compilations down through the years, so surely the chances of finding anything new or interesting for a box of Pegg’s own would have to be fairly minimal?
It would be easy to assume he hasn’t done much else outside the axis of those two bands, and there must be a finite number of worthy rarities available, so a set such as this would have to be a) repeating a lot of known tracks or b) scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel. Well, you know what? — wrong on all counts! Although the box is on Fairport’s label, it has been compiled by the people behind Free Reed Records, who many times over have proven their ability to source rare and interesting material and put it together in a cohesive manner and provide fascinating career overviews. How could this be any exception?
The compilers have taken the usual approach of themed CDs, here using the game of cribbage as a motif — hence the “peg” theme throughout the packaging — though I still can’t claim to quite understand how this game works! For example, CD 1 is titled Level Pegging, named after the tune that begins the disc, originally taken from the 1983 entirely solo LP The Cocktail Cowboy Goes It Alone (all the tracks from that album are spread throughout the box).
In fact, the first three tracks on disc one foreshadow the diversity of the overall set. ‘Level Pegging’ is a jig played on the bass, ‘Donegan’s Gone’ by Dave Pegg and PJ Wright shows Peggy’s acoustic guitar skills, while Fairport’s version of ‘Life’s A Long Song’ (originally recorded by Tull) is folk-rock, combining his two major bands in the one place. He also sings on the second track; usually his vocals are limited to an occasional song on a Fairport CD, or are part of the general backing, but unsurprisingly Pegg lead vocals are more common on this compilation of his work over the years.
After the opening few tracks, the first disc takes a historical turn. Before joining Fairport, Pegg was in a number of bands in his native Birmingham and this set features a number of rare, if not previously unreleased, recordings by some of these bands. The Crawdaddies, Dave And The Emeralds, The Exception and the Dave Peace Quintet may not have achieved major success, but it is still fascinating to hear the tracks, part of Pegg’s own musical history, in the context of the times. Musically, they are typical “beat” groups of the time and the sound quality is pretty lo-fi, but that just adds to the historical sense one gets when listening to such rarities.
The one particularly successful group to feature Peggy pre-Fairport was The Uglys, whose version of ‘End Of The Season’ is included here, scratches and all. I imagine this came from his own collection, as there must be cleaner versions out there (there are certainly programs to eliminate clicks and scratches from old vinyl), but it’s still a good version. And it’s interesting to note the longstanding musical relationship with Steve Gibbons (in the Dylan Project today) extends way back to this 1966 recording. It’s also intriguing to hear the sudden shift of musical focus from beat group to acoustic folk on The Leesiders’ ‘Belle Of Belfast City’ just one year later.
The rest of the disc is mainly folk and folk-rock, with a few previously unreleased tracks such as the rare 1976 Fairport Gottle O’Geer line-up with a live version of ‘Cropredy Capers’, and the GP’s take on ‘Together Again’ that could be described as professionally loose! ‘Woodworm Swing’ has always been a good showcase for Peggy’s bass work and this version, taken from the limited edition Scrum Halfbricking CD, is no exception.
Interestingly, the Ian Campbell Folk Group provide one of the rockier tracks in the second half of the CD, with ‘Private Harold Harris’, also recorded by The Move. This is taken from their 1968 LP The Circle Game, and is a perfect example of the sense of discovery and unexpected pleasures that pervades A Box Of Pegg’s. For musical contrast, the more recent ‘Linseed Memories’ by Pegg and Wright has both artists exhibiting their skill on the ukulele.
CD 2 Two For His Heels is a collection of sessions Peggy has played on over the years. Although the breadth of artists is impressive enough, it still only represents a small percentage of his session work overall. Nonetheless, a simple roll call of artists included here gives a good indication of the type of artist who finds Dave Pegg the session bassist of choice. Earlier sessions include Nick Drake (‘Hazey Jayne 1’) and ex-Incredible String Band member Mike Heron with the very ’70s-sounding ‘Lady Wonder’. Other well-known acts are featured, such as John Martyn (the US single mix of ‘Dancing’) and of course a wide range of folk acts such as long-time friend Ralph McTell (‘Pykey Boy’ on which Dave plays bass, bouzouki and mandolin), Steve Ashley (the quirky ‘Family Love’) and Bob Fox (a laid-back folk rock version of ‘Rambling Rover’).
The Cocktail Cowboy songs on disc 2 sort of fit the theme, in that they are covers of other songwriters’ work, viz the charming and otherwise unrecorded Steve Ashley song ‘The Journeyman’, and Glenn Cardier’s typically eccentric ‘All The Dance Numbers’.
Fairport and related members naturally feature strongly, ranging from the ’70s (Sandy Denny’s ‘Full Moon’) right up to Cropredy 2005 where Richard Thompson joined the current line-up to perform ‘Let It Blow’, the recording of which is not available elsewhere. In between, Peggy lends his talent to tracks by Chris Leslie (a sparse arrangement of the Morris tune ‘Lumps Of Plum Pudding’), Dan Ar Bras’ rather prog-rock piece ‘Les Forces Du Mal’ and others from Beryl Marriott, annA rydeR, Steve Tilston, et al.
One enjoyable aspect of the box is discovering tracks by artists one might only have heard of before, or that might have sounded interesting but you never got around to seeking them out, to find out they are of the high quality you’d always suspected. In my case, Marc Ellington was one such discovery — his ‘Song For A Friend’ is an example of great songwriting with excellent vocals, adding up to a track that still sounds worthwhile 35 years or so after its recording.
One other Cropredy 2005 recording is included, with US singer Beth Neilsen Chapman providing a fine version of Sandy Denny’s ‘Solo’, ably assisted by Richard Thompson on sterling lead guitar.
CD 3 is titled Twelve For A Double Pair, alluding to its theme of focussing on the two main bands for which Mr. Pegg has played. Of course, Fairport and Tull are heavily featured on the other discs, too, but here the chance is taken to compile some rare recordings that include both bands, sometimes on the same track.
The first song sets the scene — Dave Pegg on all instruments (including guitar, bass, drums, synth and vocals) from his solo album, performing the then-unreleased Jethro Tull song ‘Jack Frost & The Hooded Crow’. Then the collection of rarities unravels; some have appeared before — officially or otherwise — and some haven’t been heard before at all. Three tracks feature Tull members guesting with Fairport, including ‘Serenade For A Cuckoo’ and ‘Hunting Girl’ from Cropredy 1987, with Ian Anderson and Martin Barre guesting with the then-current FC line-up. The latter track is a storming version and shows all the musicians’ ability to navigate tricky time signatures, though of course Peggy already had some experience in the area. From Cropredy 2001, and most likely from the soundtrack of the DVD thereof, comes Anderson guesting on the Fairport standard ‘John Barleycorn’, swapping verses with Simon Nicol.
The instrumental ‘Peggy’s Pub’ was originally recorded by Fairport in 1973 but here, Jethro Tull performs it in 1980, not long after Pegg joined that band. As with ‘Jams O’Donnells Jigs’ on CD 4, it is given a more ‘JT’ arrangement, and it’s a pleasant surprise to hear such rarities at last. One new Fairport find is the previously unheard ‘Pick Me Up’, a rarely performed country-rock piece from ’75 with a, shall we say, loose arrangement and vocals from Pegg, Dave Swarbrick and Trevor Lucas.
Also included is a live recording of the unrecorded 1972 FC line up of Swarbrick, Pegg, Roger Hill and Tom Farnell on a version of ‘Flatback Caper’. It’s not a classic configuration and the drumming seems a bit heavy handed, but for rarity value alone it deserves its place here. Also of interest is a remix of ‘Closing Time’ from the 1995 album Jewel In The Crown, with backing vocals more upfront.
The third disc contains a few “bonus tracks” — presumably, material that was worth including but couldn’t find a place elsewhere! I can only agree about the worthiness of their inclusion, especially with the quality of recordings such as Dan Ar Bras’ delightful version of ‘Rising For The Moon’ sung partly in French, and the massed bands and orchestra of Excalibur — Le Concert Mythique, from which is taken the powerful ‘Morganne’ with vocals by Jacquie McShee.
Disc 4, One For His Nob is a long overdue recognition of the songs Peggy has either written or co-written over his career, as well as traditional songs he has arranged. Such tracks have generally been spread thinly among the discography but when put together in one place, it becomes clear he has contributed more than one might realise to Fairport’s repertoire in particular.
Originals include ‘Matthew Mark Luke & John’ (a demo from the rare Manor Tapes in 1972 with David Rea on lead vocals and a very different arrangement from the official version), ‘Hungarian Rhapsody’, ‘Song For Sandy’ and ‘Jams O’Donnells Jigs’. The last named is included twice; the Fairport version from 1986 and a rare live performance from Jethro Tull in 1981. Co-writes include ‘Angel Delight’ (live in 1982), and three songs from the Babbacombe Lee project. For this, rather than use the studio versions, the compilers have included live recordings — two more from the Swarb/ Pegg/Hill/Farnell line-up recorded live in 1972 (‘The Time Is Near’ and ‘The Verdict’, both with mediocre sound quality) and the ethereal ‘Dream Song’ with Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks.
Traditional rearrangements include some well-known Fairport songs such as ‘Polly On The Shore’ (2007 version) and ‘Eynsham Poacher’ (live in Australia, 1977). These two in particular show Pegg’s deftness in arranging music, with clever use of key changes, time signatures, etc. The Cocktail Cowboy album also provides a number of fine instrumentals such as ‘Carolan’s Draught’ and ‘The Swirling Pit’. The final track brings the whole set full circle with a live performance of ‘Level Pegging’ by Fairport; the solo studio version of which began disc one.
Early copies of A Box Of Pegg’s included a live bonus disc of Peggy and PJ Wright at one of their recent performances, with a few videos taken from the same gig. The mix of tunes and standard of musicianship is thoroughly enjoyable, but since the edition was limited and probably finished by now, I won’t whet anyone’s appetite any further!
Being a Free Reed-related compilation, the packaging is excellent, with the usual large book (over 100 pages) telling the story of each track, accompanied by many rare photos. Pegg is a meticulous diary and scrapbook keeper, no doubt making the job of finding information and dating items that much easier! Obviously, plenty of thought has also gone into the running order and themes of the set.
So what have we learned by the end? Mainly that Dave Pegg is a highly skilled musician — not just on the bass, on which he is equally proficient at melody as well as rhythm, but also on guitar, mandolin and a few others. Also that, although his contribution to folk rock is obviously highly important, his experience is not just limited to that genre, with traditional acoustic folk and straight ahead rock playing equally central roles in his musical life. A box such as this is a timely and welcome reminder of his achievements, and is certainly a pleasure to listen to and explore.
(Matty Grooves, 2007)
