Search - Fairport Convention :: Encore Encore Farewell Tour

Farewell, Farewell?

Mark Cloud | Murrieta, CA USA | 06/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released as "Farewell, Farewell," in 1979, this was Fairport Convention's "final" record release before reforming in 1985. The line up of Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Dave Swarbrick, and Bruce Rowland was (and is) sadly underrated by most Fairport fans; the fact is, with the release of "Farewell, Farewell" and the previous studio outings "The Bonny Bunch of Roses" and "Tippler's Tales," they produced some of the finest work in the band's long history. OK, it includes yet ANOTHER live version of Matty Groves; but this one was notable for two reasons: it was Simon's first (and excellent) reading of it, and it featured Dave Swarbrick's astounding performance of Orange Blossom Special. Other highlights include Walk Awhile, John Lee, Journeyman's Grace and Meet on the Ledge.The extra tracks on "Encore, Encore" are a joy. Rubber Band is a rare studio recording that takes an amusing and satircal look at Fairport's rather checkered history; while the live Hens March/Four Poster Bed achieves a dynamic only hinted at on the studio version. The new CD version closes with Fatback Caper and Dirty Linen, both excellent. If you are convinced Fairport doesn't exist without Sandy Denny or Richard Thompson, well, you won't like anything they do (whether you've heard it or not) anyway. I hope they keep "Liege and Leaf" in print for you forever. If you are a bit more open minded, you really shouldn't be without this record."

A little-known but fantastic Fairport live album

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 03/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"By 1979, Fairport Convention realized that it was never going to sell enough albums to be profitable, so the members decided to break up (a resolve that lasted six years). Having made that decision, they played a lively, lighthearted farewell tour, which is captured on this live album, originally titled "Farewell, Farewell". In addition to Fairport standards "Meet on the Ledge", "Walk Awhile", and the inevitable "Matty Groves", there are fantastic renditions of lesser-known songs like "John Lee" and "The Journeyman's Grace". And there's the funny rendition of "Bridge over the River Ash", which as Simon Nicol says, "does for the string quartet about what the Amadeus Quartet does for international high-board diving." The CD includes a studio single, "Rubber Band", that wasn't on the original album. The "Encore, Encore" version includes three extra instrumentals. There are some overdubs (when Nicol takes a guitar solo on "Journeyman's Grace", his rhythm part keeps playing) and this may explain the great vocal harmonies. This was the first Fairport album I ever owned, and 20 albums later, it's still second only to "What We Did on Our Holidays" in my heart.(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)"