With the release of the original Heyday cassette in 1976, Fairport Convention was probably one of the earliest groups to take advantage of the “BBC Sessions” format. Since then, it has become reasonably commonplace for bands to release such artefacts, sometimes to show off more unusual material or to provide examples of their work in a more immediate “live in the studio” context. The 40th anniversary of Fairport Convention’s formation must have seemed a good enough reason to compile all their available sessions in this impressive collection, and a lot of the band’s fans will be delighted in the package for that convenience factor alone.
On the other hand, there are a few issues that might prove off- putting for Fairport completists, who presumably are the market this set is aimed at. The main one would be the very fact that the vast majority of tracks have already been released in various places — Heyday itself, various Free Reed sets, the Ashley Hutchings Guv’nor series, bonus tracks on the original CDs, etc. Whether a major fan would pay for a box such as this rather than make their own compilation would surely be a major consideration, legalities aside. I imagine that would boil down to the individual’s desire to have the remaining songs that are unavailable elsewhere, or indeed to how serious a completist they consider themselves to be!
Speaking of legalities, it’s interesting to note in this era of major record companies suing consumers for illegally copying music, that the final CD of this set only exists due to listeners taping tracks “off air,” because the BBC didn’t keep the original tapes. If the fans hadn’t decided to preserve the music in this way, it would have been tragically lost and one of the few remaining majors wouldn’t have been able to use these tracks now, either. Yet if someone should put them on a P2P network, they run the risk of legal action. The irony is almost painful.
Another issue with this set is its claim to include all known Fairport BBC sessions. This is clearly untrue; a 1973 session from the Nine line-up, including a great version of Dylan’s “Days Of ’49” is noticeably absent, as is the novelty item “Orphan Billy’s Lonely Christmas” from 1968. It can’t have been an issue of sound quality, because the sound throughout the set ranges from great to mediocre. Space wouldn’t have been a problem either; most of the CDs run for only an hour or so. Maybe a deeper look into the archive is all that was needed.
For me however, the biggest disappointment with the set is the 1970 Full House recordings. These are obviously not BBC sessions at all, but rather appear to be the LP tracks in degraded form. This may not be deliberate on the compiler’s part and may simply be the result of mislabeled tapes, but listening with any degree of concentration reveals that every nuance, note and vocal is the same as the album, which is exactly the opposite of a) what the box is all about and b) how every other song on the set is performed; i.e., conspicuously different to the original recordings. If I’m right, then it’s certainly disappointing and I can’t think of any real justification for the practice.
None of the above qualifications should be seen as a lack of appreciation for the overall compilation, though. After all, we’re talking about almost an alternative history of the most important English folk-rock group here. A number of the tracks have been nearly impossible to find over the years, while others are presented in higher quality than before. It’s also fascinating to hear what are pretty much “live” versions of many songs that were otherwise only available in more polished studio format. This helps give the listener an idea of how Fairport may have sounded in concert in their formative years — and it must be said it is still a pretty accomplished sound!
The first three CDs are helpfully compiled in chronological order, so the well-documented development from West Coast music to UK folk rock is accurately charted. In all cases, the degree of eclecticism, experimentation and musical skill in players still so young is quite remarkable.
Disc one is essentially a recompiled version of Heyday. Therefore, the surprise factor will not be present to many listeners who would already have that set in one of its previous incarnations, but the arrangements of songs such as Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and “Bird On A Wire,” plus other tracks like “I Don’t Know Where I Stand,” “Reno Nevada,” et. al., not only obviously earn their place here but still sound original and fresh to this day.
Some of the extra tracks are quite revelatory, too, particularly those recorded for David Symonds’ show in June 1968. Joni Mitchell was a favourite writer for Fairport to plunder in those days, and their versions of “Marcie” and “Night In The City” have appeared on an Ashley Hutchings compilation already, but here they sound more like BBC tapes rather than off-air recordings. The announcer has also been left in, which means that, even though it’s still annoying to have people talk over the beginning of songs, we can now hear the actual song intro underneath that for the first time. A version of “Jack O’Diamonds” was also part of that session and it too features strong vocals and excellent playing.
“Fotheringay,” “Nottamun Town” and Ian Matthews’ “Book Song” are just a few of the tracks which give an indication of the band’s live sound at the time, and the very early version of “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” is fascinating to hear as it is based more on Sandy Denny’s solo version than the band rearrangement they would record later in 1969.
Disc two carries on with some more Heyday tracks before moving into the Liege & Lief period. The CD begins with Muddy Waters’ “You’re Gonna Need My Help” which was included on the original Heyday cassette, although it never made it to the official LP or CD. It’s a rare example of Fairport playing the blues; needless to say, it is an effective interpretation with some great slide playing by Richard Thompson. I think I’ve heard it in somewhat better sound quality on bootlegs (a strange sort of “cut” effect in the sound is evident here) but it’s still great to hear. A second version of the song “Fotheringay” is also included; this time it’s Sandy Denny solo, with her own overdubbed backing vocals. The more sparse sound suits the song well.
Between Dave Swarbrick’s guesting with the band on Unhalfbricking and joining full-time on Liege & Lief, Fairport played a BBC session with Family/Blind Faith bassist Ric Grech accompanying on violin. All the songs are included here, including a fun and loose “Si Tu Dois Partir” and a driving “Cajun Woman,” along with Denny’s “Autopsy” which features some great bass work from Ashley Hutchings.
“Reynardine,” “Tam Lin” and the “Lark In The Morning” medley have all gone down in musical history as part of the hugely influential Liege & Lief LP, but the versions here are the way BBC listeners would have heard the tracks as they were broadcast before the launch of the album. Again, the lack of sophisticated recording and overdubbing means these songs sound closer to their contemporary live sound, and they show a band which is musically tight and unafraid to give its all while sailing into uncharted waters.
“Tam Lin” in particular practically defines what folk-rock should be about; this is the version with the extended instrumental outro and some scorching guitar from Richard Thompson. Dave Mattacks sounds like he is still getting used to the idea of playing this style of music in some places, as he has freely admitted was indeed the case. Obviously, this situation didn’t last long. In common with “Reynardine,” it has some slightly altered lyrics from the LP version. The instrumental medley is notable for not including Sandy Denny on tambourine — it is, however, her vocals on this earlier pre-Full House recording of “Sir Patrick Spens.“
BBC sessions were often used for a bit of fun, to perform songs that would never make an official recording, or even a live performance. “The Lady Is A Tramp” is one such example, featuring an early and tentative Richard Thompson lead vocal and some swapping of instruments by other members that saw Simon Nicol take over the drum stool, and DM move to keyboards. It was recorded for a competition of the “guess who this band is” variety and is merely a bit of fun to show their lighter side.
Disc two ends and disc three begins with the Full House recordings, which I’ve already made my comments about.
Track 5 on disc three is when we return to the true BBC recordings, though still in the 1970 timeframe. This version of “The Journeyman’s Grace” is notable for Richard Thompson’s presence, because he had left by the time Fairport officially recorded the song for Angel Delight. His musical dueling with Swarb helps lift the song to a higher level than the later LP version, as good as that is. This is followed by a lovely version of “Now be Thankful,” which unlike the single is fleshed-out by an instrumental section.
A jump forward of three years then occurs, which takes us into the Fairport Nine line-up including Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue, and into the wonderful world of stereo! Their John Peel session from February 1973 begins with an excellent version of the finger-twisting instrumental “Tokyo,” proving this particular combination of musicians was just as adept as any previous line-up at making the complicated sound easy. The rarely heard Pegg/Swarbrick song “Matthew, Mark, Luke & John” follows. This is longer than the version found on Rosie, with an extended Donahue lead guitar solo, and in common with the other songs from this session, shows why this era of Fairport is often referred to in terms of a resurgence.
“Possibly Parsons Green” sounds live, raw and energetic with some great vocals from Trevor Lucas, while the soon-to-be classic “Rosie” is as charming as ever with heartfelt singing from its author Dave Swarbrick.
The disc concludes with a set from July 1974, recorded after Sandy Denny’s return to Fairport. In common with the previous session, the sound quality is very good indeed with clear instrument separation. “John The Gun” is the first song, and it’s a very strong rendition with Denny’s vocals and the powerful arrangement heightening the dramatic intent of the song. A frantic “Fiddlesticks” ensues, followed by an early version of “Rising For The Moon,” a song that would not be committed to LP until the following year. The arrangement is different in places but it is still a confident rendition, and it’s interesting to hear how it developed over time.
The final song on the CD is another Bob Dylan song, “Down In The Flood.” In common with “John The Gun,” this appeared on their live album at the time, but these are the only known studio versions by Fairport. Sandy’s vocals are double-tracked to good effect on “Down In The Flood,” with maybe one slightly confusing bit where her phrasing is very different for each track. Nonetheless, it’s another great addition to the “Fairport sings Dylan” songbook.
Finally, we come to disc four. This varies from the previous three in a number of ways, not the least being the attendant drop in sound quality due to the source material coming from listeners’ home reel- to-reel or cassette recordings, but we should certainly thank the anonymous tapers for their effort in preserving the music. The CD also has a longer running time of 76 minutes, and a shorter timeframe to work in, namely 1967 to 1971.
The ’67 sessions must be the first the band did, and surprisingly, are the first on the box set to feature original vocalist Judy Dyble. Even at this early stage, the band’s distinctiveness was apparent, with elements of folk, psych and West Coast thrown into the mix. “Lay Down Your Weary Tune” (Dylan again) shows how well Dyble’s vocals worked with Ian Matthews’, even if they were together for only a short time. “One Sure Thing” already shows Thompson’s guitar prowess, and the overall sound provokes the announcer to state the truism of the time, that Fairport were “Britain’s answer to Jefferson Airplane.”
The dreamy, evocative and typically 1960s-sounding “Violets Of Dawn” is a real pleasure to hear, especially because the band never committed it to vinyl. However, I have definitely heard better versions of this recording, especially ones that weren’t beset by the slight cut/jumping sounds that appear at various times here. This also happens, with more regularity, on “Meet On The Ledge,” which surely could have been taken from the original Heyday cassette. It’s annoyances like these that prevent the whole set from fulfilling its potential.
It appears that another mislabeling took place; the version of “Time Will Show The Wiser” is note for note the same as the French TV appearance that has appeared on a couple of videos, but is marked as a BBC session here. “If I Had A Ribbon Bow” sounds exactly the same as the single to my ears, too.
Another curio follows this section, in the form of a jokey performance of “Light My Fire” with lyrics that seem to be a promo for a couple of announcers — Kenny is mentioned, presumably legendary UK DJ Kenny Everett. I recall this only features a few Fairport members (Martin Lamble on drums, from memory) with a few other non-related musicians, so it’s not an FC session as such but is presumably included for its novelty aspect.
The Full House line-up then reappears with a number of rarities. “The Hangman’s Reel” was never recorded by the group at all (Swarb’s violin is a bit low in the mix here), while “Open The Door Richard” was not recorded officially until 1989’s Red & Gold album with a substantially different formation. It is fascinating to hear this “other side” to this line-up’s repertoire. Equally, it is intriguing to hear their take on the Liege & Lief tracks from the previous year — Swarbrick’s vocals are obviously rougher than Denny’s on “The Deserter” and “Tam Lin,” but the songs adapt just as well to either treatment. The latter is also significantly rearranged, making it more individual for these particular musicians.
The final session for the disc, and the box, features the four-piece Angel Delight line-up. By this stage, Swarb had become the main lead instrumentalist, but the other members were also quick to adapt to the changing circumstances. Indeed, “Sir William Gower” is the first track here to feature Simon Nicol on lead vocals, a role he would make his own in future decades. I’m sure a session exists of “Sickness And Diseases” with Thompson on lead guitar, but that is not included on Live At The BBC. However, the later version that is included sounds vastly superior to the “legitimate” LP recording as far as I’m concerned, largely because it rocks so hard!
The closing track is “Angel Delight” itself. What struck me when listening to it was how good it is to hear a different contemporary recording of a well-known song. Obviously, a studio recording is just one way for a song to sound, and to hear different interpretations from the same time in a context such as this helps the listener to approach the song in a slightly different light. That is certainly an advantage that can apply to much of this box set altogether.
I must admit a lot of these songs came my way several years ago in the form of traded cassettes. Each time a package arrived, there would be a sense of anticipation as to what delights would be uncovered. Time passes, cassettes die out and a genuine box set is now released to cater to that demand. I can understand a lot of people having that same sense of discovery with Live At The BBC and, especially if they don’t already own a goodly proportion of the tracks elsewhere, the cost could be easily justified. It is by no means perfect or even complete, and the issue of true BBC sessions is disconcerting, but there is still a lot to be enjoyed here on purely face value, as great music.
More details on the box set can be found here.
(BBC / Island / Universal, 2007)
