Audio CD review:
Fairport Convention - Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years (1967-1975)

Fairport Convention - Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years (1967-1975)

Band: Fairport Convention Title: Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years (1967-1975) Rating: Release Date: 1999-07-27 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Chelsea Morning - Fairport Convention, Mitchell, Joni 2: Fotheringay - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy 3: Mr. Lacey - Fairport Convention, Hutchings, Ashley 4: Book Song - Fairport Convention, Matthews, Ian 5: I'll Keep It with Mine - Fairport Convention, Dylan, Bob 6: Tale in Hard Time - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 7: Meet on the Ledge - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 8: Genesis Hall - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 9: A Sailor's Life - Fairport Convention, Traditional 10: Who Knows Where the Time Goes? - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy 11: Percy's Song - Fairport Convention, Dylan, Bob 12: Come All Ye - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy 13: Matty Groves - Fairport Convention, Traditional 14: Tam Lin - Fairport Convention, Traditional 15: Crazy Man Michael - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 16: Farewell, Farewell - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 17: Now Be Thankful - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 18: Bonny Bunch of Roses - Fairport Convention, Traditional 19: Walk Awhile - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 20: Sloth - Fairport Convention, Mattacks, Dave 21: Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 22: Journeyman's Grace - Fairport Convention, Thompson, Richard [ 23: John Lee - Fairport Convention, Swarbrick, Dave 24: Rosie - Fairport Convention, Swarbrick, Dave 25: The Plainsman - Fairport Convention, Lucas, Trevor 26: The Hexhamshire Lass - Fairport Convention, Davenport, Bob 27: Polly on the Shore - Fairport Convention, Pegg, Dave 28: Bring 'Em Down - Fairport Convention, Lucas, Trevor 29: Rising for the Moon - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy 30: White Dress - Fairport Convention, McTell, Ralph 31: Stranger to Himself - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy 32: One More Chance - Fairport Convention, Denny, Sandy

Disappointed I think that the only original member of the band remaining is Simon Nicol. I guess that in my mind, Fairport Convention still contains the line up of the Liege and Leif album. I miss Dave Swarbrick's fiddle (though the guy who replaced him for this performance was pretty close), and I think Dave Mattacks on drums is a great loss. Alas, though I knew that many things had changed, I was disapponted at the way familiar songs has been rearranged, plus to some extent, the material chosen for this CD. I'll be more selective next time. CD TITLE / REVIEWS CONFUSED THERE iS A TWO DISC AND A SINGLE DISC VERSION OF THIS PRODUCT. . . THIS SITE IS FOR THE TWO DISCER buT MANY OF THE rEVieWS ARE FOR THE SINGLE dISC. . . . . . . . . . OH WELL. . . . . . . . . . . I JUST GOT THE TWO DIsC VERSION. . . . . IT IS WONDERFUL. . . . . a LOVELY ROMP THRu THE CONVENTION'S HEYDAY AND THEIR MUSICAL SPECTRUM. . . . . . . . WITH GEMS ANd WORTHY LISTENS APLENTY & A SPARSE COlLECTION OF NEITHER . READ the DESCRIPTION -- all reviews so far are for the wrong CD! This is NOT "Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years" which ia two-disc anthology of studio recordings from the 1960's and 1970's. As the description says, this is a single-disc live recording from 2002. FYI. . Review from a new Fairport listener Although there are a few great moments here and there, most of this stuff comes across as uninspired and twee. Having just listened to this collection for the first time I have to conclude that I'm not a Fairport fan. The collection gets progressively duller as it goes. Fairport strikes me as a blend of Tull, The Birds and Planxty, all of whom were far more inspired IMHO. If you're a fan, my apologies, if not you may want to seek other sources of entertainment, for example:The Planxty Collection. Even if you don't love this anthology... . . you may still become a Fairport fan. I saw a mid-70s incarnation of F. C. (not heavily represented in this set) and became a convert. I've spent a good deal of the time since digging back (and tunneling sideways) while following the band through uncounted (by me, anyway) line-ups. About half of the tracks here are not the ones I would have chosen for an introduction to the band but I suppose you have to start somewhere. You can see a complete list of all Fairport Convention discography, or go back to the Fairport Convention tabs