On the occasion of Fairport Convention's twentieth anniversary all those years ago -- 1987 to be precise -- a video called It All Comes Round Again was released. It was an excellent work, being a combination of historical document and record of that year's Cropredy festival. Fast-forward to the band's fortieth birthday last year, and the resulting DVD Fairport @ Forty could have taken the same route. Instead, there is comparatively little by way of history; the main focus is on the musical performances of the current line-up at Cropredy 2007.
Since the title refers to Fairport 'at' forty as opposed to 'how they got there', this is entirely fair. There are still interview segments with founding members such as Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson, so a definite taste is given of the band's story to date. A greater taste would have been provided with performances by the reformed Liege & Lief and Full House line-ups, classics both, which reconvened over the weekend. Unfortunately they are nowhere to be found, mainly due to clearance and permission issues, which is regrettable. However, any disappointment at what is missing is soon overtaken by the sheer enjoyment of what is there.
In fact, enjoyment is a recurring motif throughout the DVD. Band and audience members alike are clearly having a wonderful time, and this feeling is transferred to the viewer quite well by means of some excellent production. It's a professional presentation -- well edited with the use of creative angles and cutaways, and a knack of catching band members' expressions (happy or intense) at just the right moment. A camera on a fairly unobtrusive crane provides some of the closer or more sweeping shots. The sound quality, in stereo only, is also well recorded and mixed.
Given the constraints mentioned previously, the track listing focuses heavily, though not exclusively, on material from the last couple of line-ups -- the Woodworm Years' and the Chris Leslie years. However, bearing in mind the line-up of Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders, Maartin Allcock and Dave Mattacks lasted for 11 years, and the current one -- minus Allcock and Mattacks, plus Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway -- is 10 years old now itself, that's more than half of the band's overall existence right there!
There are even a few tracks that feature a combination of both line-ups, including twin drummers Mattacks and Conway. These include the Allcock original 'A Surfeit Of Lampreys' and a moving version of the Ralph McTell song 'Red & Gold', originally recorded as the title track to a Fairport album in 1989. It's interesting to note the different musical textures this combination can bring, such as the twin fiddles of Sanders and Leslie on the 'Gladys' Leap' medley, or Leslie's mandolin on 'Red & Gold'. The difference Allcock's lead guitar work makes is also immediately evident, compared to the subtler role the instrument takes in today's Fairport.
The twin drummers also feature on the one inclusion by an early Fairport line-up; in fact the earliest recorded line-up of Richard Thompson, Iain Matthews, Judy Dyble, Simon Nicol and Ashley Hutchings, performing 'Time Will Show The Wiser'. This was the first track on the first album, and while the version here is good and it's great to see the original Fairport in action again, I don't think even the dual drumming has the power of the late Martin Lamble on the initial recording. This is still a fine performance though and the closest this DVD gets to showing the diversity of Fairport reformations over the weekend.
The songs performed by the current line-up are largely taken from their own decade-long recording history, as is entirely fair. These include some real folk-rock in the form of 'Hawkwood's Army' and the instrumental medley 'Canny Capers', where many members swap instruments between the first two tunes, and of course a goodly proportion of Chris Leslie originals. These mainly focus on his more up-tempo material such as the crowd favourite 'John Gaudie' and more recent numbers such as 'I'm Already There' and 'South Dakota To Manchester'.
The latter is also one of a number of tracks to have a special "back projection film" made to show on a large screen behind the band on the night, and also included as an extra on this DVD. For 'South Dakota', the story of Lakota Indians' journey to the UK as part of a Wild West show is told by various stills in a clever and endearing way; similarly, footage of old VW camper vans is used for the film of 'Keep On Turning The Wheel'. That film has some elements of humour, which are overtaken somewhat by the classic story of 'Matty Groves' being told by animated Lego figures! It would have been a real shame if that piece had not been kept for posterity.
One of the few older songs also performed is 'The Widow Of Westmorland', which has another quick change from acoustic to electric guitar by Simon Nicol mid-song. Other highlights of the film include the ringing of the newly completed 'Fairport Festival Bell' in nearby Cropredy Church, and the gold record presentation for the Liege & Lief album the previous year. Not that this really makes up for the lack of footage from the reformed line-up in 2007, but it does add to the historical perspective at least.
A few guests appear at various times, though not always in clear sight. For example, Vo Fletcher from the Ric Sanders Group guests on guitar for the Irish dancing piece 'Just Dandy', but is always in darkness so the viewer never gets to see his face. Also, Steve Ashley joins the band for their version of his lovely closing number 'Best Wishes' but only about half of the song is shown (not an issue with the other Fairport tracks on the disc). However, trumpeter Edmund Whitcombe adds some extra musical majesty to 'Red & Gold', a song shown in its entirety.
One other guest practically puts to rest a statement made by Richard Thompson in his interview segment, along the lines of 'folk rock is very cultish; there are not many other similar bands and even those are generally offshoots of Fairport'. I'm not sure if that's been true for a long time, and when Beth Gibbins from Tiny Tin Lady -- a young group with no direct linkage to Fairport -- joins Simon Nicol on 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes', there's a palpable sense of the band's adaptability in the performance. Simon often compares Fairport to a knife with various new blades and handles, and it is that understanding of the band's progression that will see it continue well into the future.
Also, younger bands and performers such as Seth Lakeman and Kerfuffle performed at Cropredy 2007, with excerpts included here. Again, no direct Fairport linkage but some fine folk rock, so I must respectfully disagree with RT's assessment of the situation, while agreeing with his description of the band as a 'tight family'.
Actually, it's interesting to note the various ways the band is described throughout the DVD. Maartin Allcock compares Fairport to the Hotel California where you can check out but never leave, Chris Leslie uses a relay team analogy, and Simon Nicol equates the band to a lasagna with differing ingredients! However you wish to describe it, the uniqueness of Fairport Convention and the special atmosphere of the festival it puts together are made abundantly clear by *Fairport@Forty*. The music is great, the history is important but not dwelt on to the detriment of the present and future, and the very fact that the 40 year milestone has been reached is a lesson in the importance of 'music for its own sake' rather than for no more than temporary profit (an issue alluded to in a couple of the interviews).
Looking forward to Fairport at 45!
The DVD is available from the Fairport Convention Web site
