I've said it before...
John Kelley | Portsmouth, Ohio USA | 03/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...and I'll say it again.FAIRPORT RULES!The god-fathers of British folk-rock follow up
their wonderful THE WOOD AND THE WIRE
with a killer release celebrating their 35th
year of brilliance.Chris Leslie doesn't quite dominate XXXV
like he did W&W,but his LIGHT OF DAY is
almost worth buying the whole disc for. Six
minutes of spooky fun,that ends with an
awesome violin jam that's been compared to
Charlie Daniels' DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA.Chris also contributes THE HAPPY MAN(a combo
of 3 Morris dance tunes),the folk-rock rave up
TALKING ABOUT MY LOVE,and the ultimate version
of the Richard Thompson/Dave Swarbrick classic
NOW BE THANKFUL.Simon Nichol reworks THE DESERTER,(from OLD,
NEW,BORROWED,BLUE) Gerry Conway's drums
give the haunting anti-war ballad a new edge.Violinist Ric Sanders gives us the fiddle jam
EVERYTHING BUT THE SKIRL,plus a remake
of PORTMERION(from EXPLETIVE DELIGHTED),
with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on flute!Not be missed! "
Still going strong but....
Mark Cloud | Murrieta, CA USA | 04/25/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Mainly I would like to respond (again!) to those who will never forgive Fairport Convention for continuing on without Denny, Thompson, and Swarbirck. To invalidate the fine music this band has created over the last 20 years is, to me, frustratingly narrow-minded. I'm really sorry you're personal heroes aren't in the band anymore. Really, I am. But get over it! I love Liege and Leaf, too; but you know what? It's starting to sound horribly dated. The fact is, records (OK, CDs) like "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue", "Jewel on the Crown", "Red and Gold", and "Wood and the Wire" show at LEAST as much depth and musicanship as L&L and FAR more than the dismally recorded "Full House." (Note: the live "House Full" shows how good that particular line up really was.)That said, I must admit XXXV is not up to the Band's usual standards. It's OK..certainly worth having if you are a fan. Still, it sounds like they may have rushed this one a bit. Many of the the performances sound, to me, like the band wasn't quite rehearsed enough to perform them with confidence. "The Banks of the Sweet Primroses" is a good example. The arrangement is pretty much identical to the 1970 version and done with much less energy. What was the point? And "The Deserter" is an excellent song...but do we need another---identical---version? There are moments: "Madeline" and "Neil Gow's Apprentice" rank with Fairport's best, I think. "My Love is in America" is also a fine track. There are others; this is by no means a bad record. I doubt it will win them any new fans, though.And yes, Chris Leslie is no Richard Thompson. But then, Richard Thompson is no Chris Leslie. Metallica is no Bruce Springsteen. And Bruce Sprinsteen is no Tina Turner. What exactly do mindless comparisons indicate about ANY of these artists? Besides, if Chris Leslie sounded just like RT, the detractors would only complain he is merely a pale imitation.If you like Fairport Convention, I think you'll enjoy this record. If you're new to the band, start with something else. "Red and Gold" would be my recommendation."
Lovely mixture of old and new
Jez Worth | Canada | 08/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I think this is a splendid album, a great buy both for old fans and new. Some of the new cuts of old songs may be comparatively laid-back, indeed, but in many ways they are the richer for it and certainly offer loads to savour. Chris Leslie's lead vocal on the classic "Banks of Sweet Primroses" is a beauty. His songwriting is equally impressive: "My Love is in America" has become a favourite of mine, a real "Desert Island Disc". Why would anyone want to bother comparing him to Thompson and Swarbrick? Different animals. The arrangements are especially fine and the performances are as excellent as ever, and often better. Lovely rich harmonies. Plenty of little epiphanies await the listener in phrasing, grace notes, dynamics - the sort of thing one expects from such a great and mature band. It's beautifully recorded, too - you can't ask for much more. And whatever the detractors say, this line-up really gels.Stick it on on a summer evening, sing along, beat time on your sunburnt knee and float away from all the over-produced crap that makes the big money. This is real music, kids."
