Angel Delight [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
Audio CD (2 Aug 2004)
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
Angel Delight was Fairport's follow-up to their master-piece "Full House".
Guitarist and songwiter Richard Thompson had left the band before the recordings for the album, but some songs had been written and rehearsed before he left. Thompson is co-writer on two songs and though his personal vocals are missed, his absence is actually surprisingly not very obvious.
Before the recordings of "Full House" the band had moved in together in an old inn called "The Angel Inn" ( hence the title of the album ), and they lived there together during the recordings of this album too. Actually Richard Thompson still lived there after he had left Fairport Convention to pursue a solo-career; so obviously he still played a part in the band's musical direction.
Guitarist Simon Nicol reveals in the sleeve-notes that he was not too familiar with the electric guitar at this point; but he obviously had been very much inspired by Thompson's style and his playing on the album is great.
As with "Full House" the songs is a mixture of traditional songs and new originals written by the band.
The opener "Lord Marlborough" is one the traditionals. This old folk song features great lead vocals by Dave Swarbrick; catchy melody in a very unusual/difficult rhythm, which makes the song even more fascinating.
Simon Nicol takes over the lead vocals on the next traditional "Sir William Gower". The distorted guitar makes you think of Steeleye Span at their most electric/rocking period. Another good track!
The first of the album's two instrumentals is the the violin-dominated "Bridge Over the River Ash" - almost like a classical piece.
Dave Swarbrick takes over again the lead vocals on his and Simon Nicol's "Wizzard of the Worldly Game". Classic Fairport Convention at their best; fine solo by Nicol!
"The Journeyman's Grace" written by Thompson and Swarbrick is a song much in the same vein as "Walk Awhile" from "Full House"
The title track is a catchy and optimistic tune with autobiograpical lyrics. Great drum-breaks by Mattacks.
The traditional ballad "Banks of the Sweet Primroses" was from the the first time I heard the album my favourite track; and it still is. A gorgeous melody.
The instrumental medley is as always a pleasure; showing what great instrumentalist they all were.
The last traditional song "The Bonny Black Hare" is probably my least favourite track, which by no means makes it a bad track.
Swarbrick and Thompson's "Sickness and Diseases" is the most hard-rocking track on the album. Great closer of the original album.
The single bonus-track is a BBC recording of "The Journeyman's Grace"; not that much different from the album version, but still interesting as it features great guitar-playing from Thompson.
Conclusion: Classic Fairport, and a must-buy for any fan of the band.
This album was released by a Fairport reduced to just four members after the decision of Richard Thompson to leave the band. We now know that the concept of Fairport is greater than the sum of its parts, but the prospects in 1971 seemed bleak - how could the music survive the departure of its guitar virtuoso? Well this album was remarkably good at the time and it still manages to sound fresh and lively, with the vocal harmonies and throbbing instrumentals giving it a sound distinct from other Fairport albums. It has a definite traditional feel with an interesting combination of light and dark tones.
There are four traditional songs and two sets of traditional tunes given the Fairport treatment. The title track is autobiographical - a light-hearted description of life in the former 'Angel Inn' where the band lived in 1970/1. Also in a humorous vein, the "Bridge over the River Ash" medley takes the form of a 'string quartet' and was a feature of the live act for several years, with the title being renamed to reflect the local river. Other tracks that became regulars at concerts are the Swarbrick/Thompson song "The Journeyman's Grace" and the traditional tale of rural bawdiness "The Bonny Black Hare". Revived more recently was "Banks of the Sweet Primroses", which reappeared in a new recording on the "XXXV" album a few years back.
The repackaging consists of a card slip-case and an insert booklet with track details and notes by Simon Nicol. The remastering seems to have sharpened up the sound on several tracks but it is disappointing that there is only one bonus track. This is a BBC recording of "The Journeyman's Grace" which features Richard Thompson and so provides an interesting contrast to the studio version. Perhaps there were there no other songs available from that BBC session, but could no other goodies be found? The result is a CD that contains just 42 minutes of music, which does not represent good value compared with others in the series of Fairport remasters. The bonus track was released on the 'Fairport Unconventional' boxed set in 2002 so if you have that and the previous CD release of 'Angel Delight' then save your money for something else. Otherwise this is one you should have - there's some excellent music here including some Fairport classics.
An album that I bought on vinyl when it first came out, but which I had not listened to for many years. Listening to it again brought back to mind those days when the title track, Angel Delight was featured on Top Of The Pops and Fairport were in their heyday with some great tunes
1. Lord Marlborough 3:24 £0.59
2. Sir William Gower 4:53 £0.59
3. Bridge Over The River Ash 2:12 £0.69
4. Wizard Of The Worldly Game 4:04 £0.59
5. The Journeyman's Grace 4:31 £0.69
6. Angel Delight 4:06 £0.69
7. Banks Of The Sweet Primroses 4:12 £0.69
8. Instrumental Medley: The Cuckoo's Nest 3:25 £0.69
9. The Bonny Black Hare 3:04 £0.69
10. Sickness & Diseases 3:46 £0.69
11. The Journeyman's Grave 3:53 £0.69
Angel Delight was Fairport's follow-up to their master-piece "Full House".
Guitarist and songwiter Richard Thompson had left the band before the recordings for the album, but some songs had been written and rehearsed before he left. Thompson is co-writer on two songs and though his personal vocals are missed, his absence is actually surprisingly not very obvious.
Before the recordings of "Full House" the band had moved in together in an old inn called "The Angel Inn" ( hence the title of the album ), and they lived there together during the recordings of this album too. Actually Richard Thompson still lived there after he had left Fairport Convention to pursue a solo-career; so obviously he still played a part in the band's musical direction.
This album was released by a Fairport reduced to just four members after the decision of Richard Thompson to leave the band. We now know that the concept of Fairport is greater than the sum of its parts, but the prospects in 1971 seemed bleak - how could the music survive the departure of its guitar virtuoso? Well this album was remarkably good at the time and it still manages to sound fresh and lively, with the vocal harmonies and throbbing instrumentals giving it a sound distinct from other Fairport albums. It has a definite traditional feel with an interesting combination of light and dark tones.
There are four traditional songs and two sets of traditional tunes given the Fairport treatment. The title track is autobiographical - a light-hearted description of life in the former 'Angel Inn' where the band lived in 1970/1. Also in a humorous vein, the "Bridge over the River Ash" medley takes the form of a 'string quartet' and was a feature of the live act for several years, with the title being renamed to reflect the local river. Other tracks that became regulars at concerts are the Swarbrick/Thompson song "The Journeyman's Grace" and the traditional tale of rural bawdiness "The Bonny Black Hare". Revived more recently was "Banks of the Sweet Primroses", which reappeared in a new recording on the "XXXV" album a few years back.