Search - Various Artists :: All Through The Year: A Calendar In Music & Song

Forgettable compilation with one fantastic Fairport track

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 06/26/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This 1992 album, like 1991's "Circle Dance", was a compilation put out by Richard Thompson's British fan newsletter "Hokey Pokey" to raise money for disabled children's charities. The theme is songs that suggest the various times of the year. I find this to be a pretty forgettable album except for an outstanding live version of "Late November", a song from Sandy Denny's solo career, performed by Fairport Convention at the 1991 Cropredy Festival. RT plays a great solo on the track. The rest of the album is British folk music, and only a couple of the tracks stay with me after the CD ends. I'll admit that I like the rock side of British folk-rock much more than the folk side, so if you're a folk lover you may enjoy this far more than I do. One track I do enjoy is John Tams' "Cider with Rosie". RT's other contribution to the album is a bizarre "Silent Night" sung in Hawaiian ("Po La'i E"), performed by RT and friends. If you don't already have "Circle Dance", I recommend buying that album before you try this one.(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)"