XXXV [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Fairport Convention
Artist: Ian Anderson
Engineer: Mark Tucker
Producer: Mark Tucker; Dave Pegg
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Fairport Convention includes: Simon Nicol (vocals, guitar); Chris Leslie (vocals, violin, banjo, mandolin); Dave Peggy (vocals, bass); Ric Sanders (violin, electric piano); Gerry Conway (drums, percussion). Additional personnel includes: Anna Ryder (vocals, penny whistle, accordion, piano); Ian Anderson (flute). Recorded at Woodworm Studios, Oxfordshire, England in 2001. Fairport Convention: Simon Nicol (vocals, guitars); Chris Leslie (vocals, tenor banjo, mandolin, electric mandolin, violin); Dave Pegg (vocals, bass guitar); Ric Sanders (violin, baritone violin, electric piano); Gerry Conway (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Anna Ryder (vocals, pennywhistle, accordion, French horn, piano); Anna (vocals, accordion); Chris While, Julie Matthews (vocals); Mark Tucker (electric guitar, E-bow); Ian Anderson (flute); Kate Luxmoore (clarinet, bass clarinet); Chas McDevitt (trumpet); Chris Knibbs (trombone); The Cropredy Crowd. The legendary Fairport Convention reunited for an anniversary concert in 2002, and XXXV captures the magic of their performance at the Anvil Theater in Basingstoke, England. The quintessential British folk-rock band of the 1960s, Fairport Convention distinguished itself by basing its sound on traditional British folk, but transforming it with a modern sensibility and the superb musicianship of the band's members. That alchemy is still in evidence decades later in these charged performances that include some of the band's best-loved tunes. XXXV, despite the title, is not a retrospective compilation; nor is it entirely an album of re-recordings of classic Fairport material by the turn-of-the-century lineup of fiddler Ric Sanders, mandolinist Chris Leslie, drummer Gerry Conway and stalwarts Simon Nicol on vocals and guitar and Dave Pegg on vocals and bass. The set combines reworked versions of Fairport gems like the Richard Thompson/Dave Swarbrick classic "Now Be Thankful" mixed with new material largely from the pens of Sanders and Leslie. While the current band contains no powerhouse soloists on the level of Thompson or Swarbrick, the interplay between the musicians is, as always, sterling. The fiddle medley "Everything But the Skirl" features Sanders and Leslie going all out in an old-fashioned cutting competition, with Pegg, Nicol, and Conway providing dead-on support. This track and the old-fashioned Morris tune "The Happy Man" prove that there's still much viability in this venerable British folk-rock institution.

Q (1/02, p.100) - 3 out of 5 stars - "English folk-rock [band] hit[s] 35th anniversary album....a little of everything....a satisfying snapshot of where [this] folk-rock band has been and...where it's going..."

The definitive British folk-rock band, Fairport Convention took the traditional music of England and injected it with electricity and rock energy, sparking a whole musical movement in the U.K. in the late 1960s and early '70s. The late-'60s incarnation of the band was bursting with talent, including singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Richard Thompson, both of whom went on to lauded solo careers. Even after Denny and Thompson's departures, though, Fairport never slowed down. Through numerous personnel changes, they soldiered on for decades with their singular brand of folk-rock, becoming the Grand Old Men of the genre.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25