Once upon a time in a land long ago there were but a handful of live Fairport Convention albums, now thanks to archive raids and unearthed radio/TV sessions, festival performances and other sundry sources there are plenty. The quality varies somewhat from release to release. In fact the band themselves have issued a steady stream to add to the growing mountain. ‘Roadworks’ however is quality and coming on the back of an excellent succession of concerts over the Spring, it captures perfectly the enduring spirit and appeal of the Fairport.
There is a certainty about Fairport in 2026 which tells you they’re not in the nostalgia business for its own sake nor are they one of those bands who concnetrate so much on their present they forget their own past. Balance is the name of the game, history is worn well and celebrated, newer creations are equally curated with care and attention to make sure they fit in. There must be at least three different generations now who view the band from various times in the past few decades and so have their own ideas of what constitutes a decent selection of numbers.
With all that in mind ‘Roadworks’ comes up trumps, it isn’t scared of leaving out the obvious, those tracks which already have 2,000 versions – tongue in cheek there but you get the idea- thus ‘Matty Groves’ is excluded but both ‘Sloth’ and ‘The Hiring Fair’ are included. It’s great to see two tracks and the best ones at that from ‘Babbacombe Lee,’ ‘The Cell Song’ with it’s bittersweet vocal and sympathetic keyboard/fiddle counterpoints gives Chris Leslie the perfect backing to deliver John Lee’s melancholy thoughts awaiting his trip to the gallows.
Simon Nicol lends the group presence and experience, ‘Claudy Banks’ being the perfect example, a song he learned from his session work when helping Shirley Collins back in the 1970s. It swings along at a cracking pace and Nicol’s voice is appropriately English to deliver the story of reunited lovers in a bucolic atmosphere. But before you get the idea that Fairport can’t get hefty and heavy, ‘The Hexhamshire Lass’ has Dave Mattacks attacking his drums with gusto, likewise Dave Pegg’s bass lines remain increasingly funky through out. Both gentlemen give Convention a firm anchorage. They’ve played together in so many different situations nothing can shake the foundation.
There are tunes but it’d be fair to say the selections are instrumentals rather than heads down and motor jigs. Ric Sanders’ ‘The Rosehip’ makes a real change as it meanders river like on a very gentle most Albion journey. Good to see ‘Rising For The Moon’ still done as a road song and justification of Fairport’s chosen modus operandi. And you can never tire of hearing ‘Fotheringay’ Sandy Denny’s hymnal to Mary Queen of Scots. Her memory lives on thanks to her friends.
The cover’s rather neat, a fold out with notes from the band as well as credits and photos, even an inner sleeve with more of the same, Mr. Nicol seemingly plays a Fender Strat of “mongrel origins.” Plays it well though. Then, do we take Fairport’s musicianship too much for granted? I leave you to ponder that, I’m off to listen to ‘Roadworks’ again, the mixture of friendship, ability and fantastic music should be recommendation enough. Longevity spurs them ever on. Simply splendid.
Simon Jones.
www.fairportconvention.com
