Fairport Convention's '70s output has seldom been given a fair crack of the whip. Forever overshadowed by the massive strides that the band took during the late '60s or the nostalgic reunions of more recent years, the string of albums that stretched from Full House to Tippler's Tales are frequently overlooked by all but the most conscientious chroniclers -- and that despite including two of the band's finest LPs, the Sandy Denny reunion Rising for the Moon and its immediate successor, The Bonny Bunch of Roses. That omission ...
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Fairport Convention's '70s output has seldom been given a fair crack of the whip. Forever overshadowed by the massive strides that the band took during the late '60s or the nostalgic reunions of more recent years, the string of albums that stretched from Full House to Tippler's Tales are frequently overlooked by all but the most conscientious chroniclers -- and that despite including two of the band's finest LPs, the Sandy Denny reunion Rising for the Moon and its immediate successor, The Bonny Bunch of Roses. That omission is more than compensated for with Fiddlestix, a compilation expressly designed to plug the chronological void that reaches from the conclusion of the self-explanatory History of Fairport Convention, released in 1972, to the opening (1985) of The Woodworm Years. It isn't perfect -- a single disc could never do the era true justice. But with between one and three tracks apiece from each of the albums, plus a roundup of rarities drawn from singles, sessions, and the band's own archive, it illustrates the journey with electrifying precision. Such slabs of jolly ribaldry as "The Hexhamshire Lass" and "The Widow of Westmoreland," the mad instrumental "Fiddlestix," and a live "Sir Patrick Spens" all confirm Fairport's position at the very forefront of British folk-rock. They are joined, however, by such gems as the lovely "White Dress," the dramatic "Days of '49," and an epic "It Suits Me Well," performances reminding listeners that Fairport Convention was so much more than a simple electric trad revival band. Fairport was also one of the finest rock bands of the 1970s -- and Fiddlestix makes certain that listeners remember that fact. ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi
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