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FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Cropredy 2002
Talking Elephant TECD054
The story of Fairport Convention, part the nth: in which the band arrive at their 35th anniversary and celebrate with a particularly spectacular Cropredy reunion, pulling all the stops to make this the most complete gathering of surviving band members ever.
Pretty much a major fan-fest, then, commemorated by this 2-CD live recording (Friday gig, Saturday gig) and a set list which raids almost every Fairport album in existence. Myriad FC combos take the stage, from classic line-ups to a Fairport which never released a record on a Dylan number never before performed by the band. Perennial stonkers (Nottamun Town, Tam Lin, Sloth …) mix with surprises (It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry from the earliest live sets with Sandy Denny, the rarely-heard Doctor Of Physick …). Sprightly morris tunes jibe with purest folk-rock, blistering Thompson guitar massages the ears and many old pals (Ralph McTell, Marc Ellington, Roger Hill, Eddi Reader, annA rydeR, Neil Wayne, Andrew Cronshaw …) swell the ranks during two nights of original and special moments previously unwitnessed in Fairport history. The whole ensemble gathers for Cropredy's much-loved annual finale, the peerless Thompson anthem Meet On The Ledge, and the demands of both sweet nostalgia and living legend are fulfilled in spades.
The inclusion of intros, the audible presence of a 17,000-strong crowd on a massive high and excellent liner notes make this the next best thing to being there for absentees and a must-have memento for attenders. Not a bad addition, either, to the library of anyone remotely interested in the history of folk rock.
Mel McClellan - July 2003
See also:
More from Fairport Convention in our reviews archive.
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This was my first Cropredy, and what an introduction, I've been every year since! The set lists were superb, the atmosphere was amazing, and despite the damp weather, the sheer class of talent on show was breathtaking. It was also great to see Swarb and Richard Thompson playing together. A superb celebration of one of the best festivals around. So glad its going to keep going into 2005 and beyond..
James Turner, Sheffield
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Folk & Acoustic
