25th Anniversary Concert

• Artist: Fairport Convention
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 10, 1994
• Type: Live
• Genre: Folk

Review

Recorded live to DAT at a performance that had fiddler Chris Leslie filling in for Ric Sanders, who had injured himself in an accident involving a plate glass window (Sanders was able to provide keyboards, however), 25th Anniversary Concert was a festive outing with numerous guests (including Fairport founders Richard Thompson and Ashley Hutchings). The two-disc set ranges from the sublime (a ferocious, Boiled in Lead-style take of "Matty Groves") to the slightly surreal ("John Barleycorn" with the lyrics screwed up). The sound is unfortunately too bright and metallic, and the mix, taken from the soundboard, is sometimes atrocious, but trimming the highs helps with the former, while the latter, in the spirit of live shows, can simply be ignored. Not the best example of Fairport, but highly entertaining. [The CD was reissued in 2007.] ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Insult to Injury		Fairport Convention
I Wandered by a Brookside [Live]	Alfred Williams, Barbara Berry	Fairport Convention
Con Casey's Jig/Tripping Up the Stairs		Fairport Convention
It'll Take More Than the Blues		Fairport Convention
Close to the Wind	Stuart Marson	Fairport Convention
Girl from the North Country [Live]	Bob Dylan	Fairport Convention
Claudy Banks (Lyrics)	Traditional	Fairport Convention
John Barleycorn	Traditional	Fairport Convention
Deserter	John Richards, Traditional	Fairport Convention
Million Dollar Bash	Bob Dylan	Fairport Convention
Tam Lin	Traditional	Fairport Convention
Crazy Man Michael (Lyrics)	Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson	Fairport Convention
Sloth (Lyrics)	Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks	Fairport Convention
Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman [Live]	Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson	Fairport Convention
Bridge over the River Ash	Traditional	Fairport Convention
Journeyman's Grace [Live]	Dave Swarbrick, Richard Thompson	Fairport Convention
Hexhamshire Lass	Bob Davenport, Traditional	Fairport Convention
Rosie [Live]	Dave Swarbrick	Fairport Convention
Me With You	Dave Swarbrick	Fairport Convention
Polly on the Shore	Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, Traditional	Fairport Convention
Adieu Adieu	Traditional	Fairport Convention
Hiring Fair	Ralph McTell, Dave Mattacks	Fairport Convention
Red and Gold	Ralph McTell	Fairport Convention
Matty Groves (Lyrics)	Traditional	Fairport Convention
The Rutland Reel/Sack the Juggler	Ric Sanders	Fairport Convention
Si Tu Dois Partir	Bob Dylan	Fairport Convention