Fairport Convention - Live at Rockpalast (Live at Rockpalast 23 March 1976) (2022)

Mainstays of British folk Fairport Convention performing live in 1976. 2022 sees Fairport Convention celebrate their 55th anniversary. Famous for the many who have joined and left only to re-join, remarkably everyone who was ever involved remains part of the band’s extended family, returning to the fold for an annual reunion festival at Cropredy in Oxfordshire.

Starting out as a London ‘underground’ band, their early sound was defined by West Coast American rock and singer/songwriters. Helmed by bassist Ashley Hutchings and featuring singular guitar hero Richard Thompson, the band added folk club singer and songwriter Sandy Denny and signed to Island Records in 1968. Over an astonishingly productive two years, during which fi¬ddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, the band’s creative gaze shifted from San Francisco to 18th century England. When Hutchings and Denny left at the end of 1969, bassist Dave Pegg joined and Swarbrick became the de facto leader – adding singing and songwriting to his skills. By the time of the band’s fi¬nal Island album, Gottle O’Geer (1976), their name had momentarily changed to ‘Fairport’ and the band consisted of Swarbrick and Pegg with various guests. The music was delightfully quirky and eclectic, and mostly composed by Swarbrick with former Grease Band drummer Bruce Rowland. Augmented by Breton guitarist Dan Ar Bras, ex-Wizzard pianist Bob Brady and young ¬fiddler Roger Burridge, a touring version of Fairport took the Gottle O’Geer show on the road. This line-up lasted only seven months but, happily, one of its fi¬rst gigs was for German television’s Rockpalast – presented here for the ¬first time on DVD & CD, ¬nessed by mastering maestro Eroc. Seven of the ten pieces performed (two in a medley) are from Gottle O’Geer with the others being a Dan Ar Bras hornpipe arrangement for solo guitar and two full-band Scottish and Irish traditional tune sets: ‘Sir B. McKenzie…’ and ‘Dirty Linen’. This March 1976 Rockpalast concert is a compact, sparkling glimpse of Fairport Convention creating a new sound from the mid-70s doldrums and delivering 45 minutes of magic. Dave Pegg remains the keeper of the Fairport fame to this day and this previously unreleased performance remains one of his personal favourites.

Tracklist
1 - Fairport Convention - Friendship Song (Come and Get It) (3:23)
2 - Fairport Convention - The Limey's Lament (5:24)
3 - Fairport Convention - Sir B. Mckenzie (6:22)
4 - Fairport Convention - The Boys of Blue Hill (2:02)
5 - Fairport Convention - When First into This Country (2:36)
6 - Fairport Convention - Our Band (2:23)
7 - Fairport Convention - Lay Me Down Easy (6:06)
8 - Fairport Convention - Cropredy Capers/The Frog up the Pump (7:52)
9 - Fairport Convention - Dirty Linen (4:10)