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House Full: Fairport Convention Live at the LA Troubadour

Fairport Convention - House Full: Fairport Convention Live at the LA Troubadour Audio CD

A fair review of the Fairport Convention "House Full: Fairport Convention Live at the LA Troubadour" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Fairport Convention reviews here, or go back to the Fairport Convention tabs.

Band: Fairport Convention
Title: House Full: Fairport Convention Live at the LA Troubadour
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-10-15
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Sir Patrick Spens 2: Yellow Bird 3: Banks Of The Sweet Primroses 4: Lark In The Morning Medley 5: Sloth 6: Staines Morris 7: Matty Groves 8: MEDLEY: Jenny's Chickens/Mason's Apron 9: Battle Of The Somme 10: MEDLEY: Bonnie Kate/Sir B. Mckenzies

The Noblest Fairport of Them All

But this was the noblest Fairport of them all, in terms of sheer virtuosity and jaw-dropping chops -- and this album documents that to the hilt. Having seen close approximations of all of them at Cropredy, Fairport live in any of its incarnations seems to have been an awesome thing. This would be a 5-star album except that the sound is a bit thin and dry. . . and, even at that, it just misses.

((If the mobile truck had been there for some of the moments mentioned in the liner notes - like the night they pulled Linda Ronstadt on stage and did all of her songs, or the night that Swarb's old mates in Led Zeppelin showed up, it would be five stars anyway. . ))

It flat doesn't get any tighter and solider on stage, and with guitarists Richard Thompson & Simon Nicol and the Three Daves -- Swarbrick on his demon fiddle dancing with & around RT and SN's guitars and Pegg on bass & Mattacks on thundering drums providing a bottom and a beat that has to be experienced to be appreciated -- Fairport mounted a sonic attack that is almost frightening coming from a "folk" band.

Granted, absent Sandy Denny, neither Richard nor Swarb really fills that gap on vocals, but what this band has in its own right that the "Liege & Leaf" Fairport didn't exploit as fully is its sheer power and virtuosity.

"Matty Groves" is a classic Fairport raveup, "Sir Patrick Spens" is a nice reading of a "trad. arr. " ballad, "Mason's Apron" a nice instrumental. . . But "Sloth", at something like twelve minutes is simply incredible. (Though, again, at their Cropredy Festival i once timed a rendition at eighteen minutes plus. . . )

"House Full" is an important document of a transitional time in Fairport's history, as is its 1970 studio complement, "Full House"; both are necessary to your collection if you're buying more than one album -- but this is the one to buy if you can only afford one today.

Nearly the best live Fairport disc ever
The Full House lineup is increasingly almost as revered as the 1968-9 edition, both for their compositions and arrangements (for which see that particular album) and their live performances (for which see this disc). The best, in terms of musical diversity and live atmosphere, is of course "AT2/The Boot" - but you'll have a tough time finding a copy of that!
This is certainly the most historically valuable of all the live Fairport discs - given that so far all the Sandy-era shows in circulation have been unsatisfying documents from her declining years.

Humble opinions: I'm not entirely satisfied with this version of "Sloth" as the band seem to fall asleep for two minutes toward the end (there are better 1970 live takes on this song if you know where to look!)
Here, it's not the improvisations that excite but the compositions which are attacked with tremendous enthusiasm throughout. The energy level never lets up, from the first guitar and fiddle breaks of "Sir Patrick Spens" to the "Sir B Mackenzie" medley (differently constituted to the version we all know). The slower numbers, the medieval-sounding "Staines Morris" and the stately lament "Battle of the Somme" are no less powerful (although "Sweet Primroses" still sounds incomplete to me). Richard sings "Matty Groves" in his youthful "rustic" voice (which is. . . different, I suppose) but largely cedes solo space to Swarb, who's on-fire throughout. Speaking of which, the fiddle tunes medleys are definite highpoints - you'll never hear ballsier versions of "MacKenzie" or the Liege & Lief medley than on this disc. . . and then there's the album's metaphorical centerpiece, the stunningly fast and loud "Mason's Apron" medley, which suggests they could have become the Ten Years After of the folk-rock world!

This album features just a fraction of the repertoire played by the Full House line-up - but it's a pretty brilliant setlist (with one obvious exception) and in the absence of a more thorough official-bootleg type release, this will do.

Must Have
If you are even a casual fan of Fairport or Richard Thompson this is a must have item.

Fairport Rocks LA - and it's all here for us to enjoy
The jigs are performed at a breakneck speed, which is perphaps unnecessary, but they work well anyway with new bassist Dave Pegg laying down solid, rockin' lines. Here we find Fairpoint Convention supporting their latest release "Full House" - which solidified their move towards traditional British isles material while at the same time moving towards a harder-rocking sound. Gone are the haunting and beautiful vocals of Sandy Denny, replaced by the simpler, rustic vocals of Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick. The highlight may very well be "Sloth" off of the new album - this live rendition brings even more emotion and power to the tune than the studio version. Also,look to get a kick out of the final tune on the disc- "Yellow Bird" It'll make you laugh - not because it sucks - but rather because it immensely entertains. If you dig 'Liege & Lief' and 'Full House'- you must check this out.

This live album is mostly for long-time Fairport enthusiasts
I have the one previous to this; two additional songs have been added since then. This album has come out in a few different versions. The album captures the "Full House" lineup--the hardest-rocking of the many Fairport lineups--during a 1970 stand at the Troubador in Los Angeles. There are some good moments, but if you're looking for a live Fairport album, "Encore, Encore" and "The Cropredy Box" are far superior. The take on "Staines Morris" is a highlight. There is something here to enjoy for long-time Fairport fans, but for someone new to Fairport, this isn't a great place to start--go with "What We Did on Our Holidays" or "Full House" instead.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal).

You can see a complete list of all Fairport Convention discography, or go back to the Fairport Convention tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.