Fairport Convention - A Chronicle Of Sorts 1967-1969

Fairport Convention Chronicle - Original Notes

A major find for Fairport fanatics, this collects 23 unreleased performances from the late ’60s in acceptable-to-excellent fidelity, mostly from the BBC (with a few tracks from TV clips, and one 1968 studio outtake). Running 77 minutes, it’s divided roughly equally between the Judy Dyble and the Sandy Denny eras. Only one of these songs (“Reno, Nevada”) shows up on the official comp of early Fairport BBC cuts, Heyday. And even then, this is a much different version than the Heyday take of “Reno, Nevada,” running seven minutes and featuring some dazzling psychedelic guitar riffs. Otherwise, there’s a wealth of material that’s not officially available in either live or studio versions, including covers of several early Joni Mitchell songs, Bob Dylan’s “Dear Landlord,” Tim Buckley’s “Morning Glory,” Eric Anderson’s “Violets of Dawn,” and a send-up of “Light My Fire.” Plus, it has good live run-throughs of songs from their early albums like “Chelsea Morning,” “Fotheringay,” “Autopsy,” “Si Tu Doi Partis,” and others. It’s just as effective as Heyday in demonstrating the band’s interpretive skills and eclecticism in their early folk-rock days, though the sound quality isn’t as stellar.

Tracks 1-4 recorded by the BBC on 24 November 1967 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 10 December 1967 (This was the band’s first appearance on Radio)
Tracks 5-7 recorded by the BBC on 6 February 1968 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 3 March 1968
Tracks 8-10 are from the French TV Show ” Bouton Rouge” broadcast live on 27 April 1968
Track 11 recorded by the BBC on 18 June 1968 and broadcast in the ” David Symonds Show” on 27 June 1968
Track 12 recorded by the BBC on 18 June 1968 and broadcast in the ” David Symonds Show” on 26 June 1968
Track 13 recorded by the BBC on 28 May1968 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 2 June 1968
Track 14 recorded by the BBC on 26 August 1968 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 1 September 1968 with a repeat on 29 September 1968
Track 15 recorded by the BBC on 26 August 1968 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 1 September 1968
Track 16 recorded by the BBC on 27 December 1968 and broadcast in the ” David Symonds Show” on 9 January 1969 with a repeat on 23 January 1969
Track 17 was recorded in March 1969 at Sound Techniques and Olympic Studios, London and is an outtake from the ” Unhalfbricking” sessions. Engineered by John Wood. Produced by Joe Boyd
Tracks 18-20 were recorded by the BBC on 18 March 1969 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 6 April 1969 (Tracks 18 & 19 had Rick Grech guesting on Violin) with a repeat on 4 May 1968
Track 21 was recorded by the BBC on 23 September 1969 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 27 September 1969
Track 22 was recorded by the BBC on 9 December 1968 and broadcast in ” Top Gear” on 22 December 1968 with two guest musicians (unnamed) provided by the Bryan Morrison Agency
Track 23 was recorded on 10 August 1967 at Sound Techniques, London at the same session that produced the band’s first 7″ single (If I Had A Ribbon Bow) (Track 604020). Engineered by John Wood. Produced by Joe Boyd

Download