It can't be an easy task to compile a comprehensive
Fairport Convention retrospective. In its four decades, all the while remaining consistently popular among its core audience, the British
folk-rock band has seen numerous membership shifts and label changes, spinning a labyrinthine web that only the hardiest of compilers would attempt to traverse. Several have tried, and a few have come close, notably the early Fairport Chronicles and the more recent Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years (1967-1975) and The Lasting Spirit: The Collection. But none of these has managed to provide a proper overview, and neither does this two-CD set from the U.K. In fact, sadly, The Classic Collection is anything but. Its title is a misnomer, its packaging and liner notes evasive (the photos largely depict band lineups not represented on the discs), and all of this is most unfortunate because The Classic Collection is actually a very good
Fairport Convention album. Although its back cover promises both studio and live recordings dating from 1974 to 2002, the 30 tracks spread out over two CDs are heavily weighted toward live recordings made in the 1990s and later. The song-by-song personnel are kept mysterious, and while the late, great vocalist
Sandy Denny is featured on a 1974 performance of her signature song, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," that's an anomaly -- most of the female vocals on these tracks are not credited at all. In fact, other than the sketchy details offered in the liners, the package makes no mention of specific dates, locations, or personnel. Besides
Denny,
Fairport's other most famous alumnus,
Richard Thompson, is in short supply. He's in fine form on the traditional "Nottamun Town" (the melody of which
Bob Dylan nicked for his "Masters of War"), taped at the 2002
Cropredy Festival in England (which
Fairport play annually), but most lead vocals come courtesy of other, less distinctive
Fairport members. All of this is not to say The Classic Collection is a bomb. It's actually quite listenable, at times rather enjoyable, stocked with impeccable musicianship, memorable performances, and ace songcraft. The recent performances, of both new and older material, prove
Fairport to be a hardy breed (save perhaps for their misjudgment in covering the always execrable "From a Distance"). This is basically a worthy hodgepodge, but surely it would have benefited from packaging that doesn't clearly try to sell it as a definitive anthology of original-period recordings. The quest for a true classic
Fairport collection continues. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
