Now I can confess that I’ve never been to Cropredy (the Fairport’s annual festival for musical friends and family) but I’ve always had a soft spot for the compilation The History Of Fairport Convention. The History at that time covered a mere five years, seven different versions band, six albums (but not the debut album) and had a rock family tree cover by legend Pete Frame.

For anyone that didn’t get the folk rock scene this is a good insight into the post sixties. I’m afraid I was sucking on breast milk of Birmingham’s rock giants Zep, Sabbath and Priest at the time so I’m coming to this genre a new.

Fairport’s second album was the debut of the bands’ best-known singer Sandy Denny. Her contribution on Companion was recoded before she joined and both are excellent. And the original singer, Judy Dyble, went onto join Jackie McAuley (ex-Them and much later, Poor Mouth) to form a band called Trader Horn. So impressed with the two tracks on the CD, I went and got Trader Horn’s reissued album on CD. The sleeve notes of that album tell us Trader Horn was the name of John Peel’s nanny! Back in Birmingham in the early seventies, you would be hard pressed to find anyone with the crystal diction of Dyble (comp. Ozzy Osborne); in fact, I still can’t. Don’t be put off though, this is like an early version of Tunng (without the electronics). See below links for the latest on Ms. Dyble. Also see Royston and Heather Wood.

‘All Around My Hat’ is of course the song Steeleye Span/Maddy Prior will forever be associated with and the ‘chart’ pinnacle of the folk rock genre but included here are four trad. song arrangements. These songs feature Dave Mattocks who had been with Fairport since the tragic death of Martin Lamble in the very early day of the band. My North London contact tells me that the band originally practiced in the flat above the GP practice of Simon Nicol’s Dad, Fortis Green and the converted house was named Fairport. The local heroes at the time were the Davies brothers of The Kinks but this was a time when bands such as Fairport could share a stage with Pink Floyd (where they were discovered and played a John Peel ‘Top Gear’ session before the release of their first album, Fairport Convention.

On any double album of 37 tracks, there are a few stinkers like the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra (thankfully cut short), ‘Rave On’ and the last one, ‘The Electric Guitar Is King’. There’s a fair few Dylanesque/Buckley/Parsons type tunes that folk rockers would be drawn to at the time and the odd ‘mix’ of others like, ‘Alligator Man’, ‘Rubber Band’, ‘Dangerous Dave’ and the previously unreleased ‘The Albion Band Is Here Again’. On balance, much more good than not and some that’ll be very hard to find elsewhere like Shirley Collins and Shelagh McDonald’s contributions.

A further 34 years after The History Of Fairport Convention, who knows how many versions of Fairport Convention there have been? The cover of this new compilation is Frame’s rock tree version of 2002 (with a note that he’s had enough of them!), but well done to Castle Music for sticking with the cover concept. Like all Frame’s rock genealogy, it’s a work of passion and plots all the obvious links of Steeleye Span, The Albion Band(s) (inc. Martin Carthy), Richard Thompson and all the other less obvious bands/groups/projects not included on the album such as Michael Garrick, Giles, Giles & Fripp (pre-King Crimson Bournemouth band with Dyble on vocals!), Soft Machine, Jethro Tull and many, many more.

Lots of opportunity then for a second edition. I’d buy it.

P.S. I won’t be able to buy any more CD’s from the shop I bought this from as it’s yet another shop record shop closing down; folks, support them or lose them.

Reviewed: V/A - The Fairport Companion - Loose Chippings from the Fairport Convention Family Tree (Castle Music) Cat. No. CMDDD1337 Release date: 10th April 2006
Track Listings - Disc: 1
1. Rocky Road To Dublin/Drops Of Brandy - Ian Campbell Folk Group
2. Washington At Valley Forge - Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra
3. Can’t Recall Her Name - The Uglys
4. Been On The Road So Long - Sandy Denny
5. Milk And Honey - Sandy Denny
6. Soldiers Three - Pembroke Unique Ensemble
7. It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry - Al Jones
8. Morning Way - Trader Horne
9. Velvet To Atone - Trader Horne
10. Blackleg Miner - Steeleye Span
11. Lowlands Of Holland - Steeleye Span
12. Twa Corbies 2 - Steeleye Span
13. One Night As I Lay On My Bed - Steeleye Span
14. Pretty Little Tune - Stefan Grossman
15. Song For A Friend - Marc Ellington
16. Days Used To Be Much Warmer - Marc Ellington
17. Alligator Man - Marc Ellington
18. Baby Go Slow - Shelagh McDonald
19. Odyssey - Shelagh McDonald
20. Poor Murdered Woman - Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band
Disc: 2
1. Murder Of Maria Marten - Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band
2. Rave On - Steeleye Span
3. Dangerous Dave - Spirogyra
4. Rubber Band - Lal & Mike Waterson
5. Morris Dance Tunes - Albion Country Band
6. Franklin Avenue - Ian Matthews
7. Knowing The Game - Ian Matthews
8. Mistress’s Heath/Lumps Of Plumb Pudding/Sherbourne Jig/Spaniards Cry - Etchingham Steam Band
9. Targets - Harvey Andrews & Graham Cooper
10. Here We Come A-Wassailing - Albion Dance Band
11. Shepherd Of The Downs - Royston Wood & Heather Wood
12. Foolish Incredibly Foolish - Royston Wood & Heather Wood
13. Sailors Life/One More Day - Albion Band
14. It Suits Me Well - Dave Swarbrick
15. Boadicea - Dave Swarbrick
16. Albion Band Is Here Again - Albion Band
17. Electric Guitar Is King - Ashley Hutchings & Friends

Links:
www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.ukwww.fairportconvention.com
UK Spring Tour and US pre-Cropredy tour
” I am happy to say that after 35 years I am recording once again and details can be found on my website” www.judydyble.com