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

Fairport Convention in its early years was to British folk-rock what the Byrds were to the genre's American bookend. Boasting in their heyday a frontline of Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, and Iain Matthews, the group's impact has, if anything, grown in the years since the classic lineup split up. Fairport's stature is largely attributable to the ongoing popularity of Brit-folk touchstones Liege and Lief and Unhalfbricking, as well as Thompson's continued high-caliber solo work. Meet on the Ledge offers 32 tracks on two CDs, ranging from the band's somewhat awkward pre-Denny 1967 recordings and on into the mid-'70s, nearly a half-decade after Thompson had moved on. Instructive liner notes and a smattering of rare and previously unreleased tracks make this anthology an exceptional starting point for those who haven't immersed themselves in Fairport Convention and the movement they cultivated. --Steven Stolder Amazon.com essential recording

Disappointed

I guess that in my mind, Fairport Convention still contains the line up of the Liege and Leif album. I think that the only original member of the band remaining is Simon Nicol. 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. May 31, 2008

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 May 29, 2008

READ the DESCRIPTION -- all reviews so far are for the wrong CD!

As the description says, this is a single-disc live recording from 2002.

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.

FYI.
May 2, 2008

Review from a new Fairport listener

Having just listened to this collection for the first time I have to conclude that I'm not a Fairport fan. Although there are a few great moments here and there, most of this stuff comes across as uninspired and twee. 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 April 11, 2008

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. January 19, 2008

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