14-03-2020, 18:30
FAIRPORT CONVENTION ~ Shuffle and Go
![[Image: R-14719293-1580261205-6686.png.jpg]](https://img.discogs.com/p6vCIGkheq4maasll4Hs4Qh_kp8=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-14719293-1580261205-6686.png.jpg)
Considering that the first incarnation of Fairport Convention launched itself upon the world in 1967, it is quite remarkable that they are still going strong, 30 albums later (or 29, not exactly sure about this number!) albeit with only two of the earliest members remaining, namely Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg. I say strong because they have somehow managed to reinvent themselves and don’t sound at all stodgy (in fact less so than on some of their earlier albums IMHO). What they have produced is a fine album indeed, in all respects. I’m not a big fan of strictly traditional folk which I find can sound stilted and unexciting - prefer a sound that is a bit more updated, and that is what this is; possibly a few too many ukuleles, and the odd hokey number, LOL, but on the whole – this band makes good, solid music and their experience really makes itself felt, without question.
This later lineup has been going for a while now – 20+ years, and very obviously manifests those elusive elements of ease and grace that can only be acquired over time and with plenty of practice – these imperceptible qualities can’t be taught, bought or quantified, and yet they add such an important layer – je ne sais quoi. I may not choose to seek the album out, specifically, but I can’t think of anything that would stop me from picking it up if it wandered across my line of vision.
– a Spotify listen as no clips on YouTube … https://open.spotify.com/album/7MNoT4a5Y9kpBboXGnzDtx
Three standouts for me – the opener “Don’t Reveal My Name”, then “Moon Dust and Solitude” – a song about how Michael Collins might have felt, alone up there in his capsule during the moon landing, and the gorgeous instrumental at the end “Precious Time”.
Considering that the first incarnation of Fairport Convention launched itself upon the world in 1967, it is quite remarkable that they are still going strong, 30 albums later (or 29, not exactly sure about this number!) albeit with only two of the earliest members remaining, namely Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg. I say strong because they have somehow managed to reinvent themselves and don’t sound at all stodgy (in fact less so than on some of their earlier albums IMHO). What they have produced is a fine album indeed, in all respects. I’m not a big fan of strictly traditional folk which I find can sound stilted and unexciting - prefer a sound that is a bit more updated, and that is what this is; possibly a few too many ukuleles, and the odd hokey number, LOL, but on the whole – this band makes good, solid music and their experience really makes itself felt, without question.
This later lineup has been going for a while now – 20+ years, and very obviously manifests those elusive elements of ease and grace that can only be acquired over time and with plenty of practice – these imperceptible qualities can’t be taught, bought or quantified, and yet they add such an important layer – je ne sais quoi. I may not choose to seek the album out, specifically, but I can’t think of anything that would stop me from picking it up if it wandered across my line of vision.
– a Spotify listen as no clips on YouTube … https://open.spotify.com/album/7MNoT4a5Y9kpBboXGnzDtxThree standouts for me – the opener “Don’t Reveal My Name”, then “Moon Dust and Solitude” – a song about how Michael Collins might have felt, alone up there in his capsule during the moon landing, and the gorgeous instrumental at the end “Precious Time”.
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson