Yes I must also stand up for Fairport Convention. I think Dave is confusing them with somebody else. Their electric folk albums Liege and Lief and Full House are terrific. I've seen them a couple of times. Well done byased with the quiz.
I've just been wandering down Memory Lane and listening to some of this old stuff on YouTube. I had mates who had albums by Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, which I liked parts of, but also got bored with their self-conscious "Aren't we clever?" music. To me it was the sort of stuff you were told you ought to like; I felt the same about modern jazz, which actually was the stuff Mike d'Abo used to play on the piano for us. Yes, very skilful, but no, not my thing. Okay in small quantities, when it was a mate playing it. Dave Brubeck? Was that the guy who was famous? Hated him. Someone had an LP. Time for a quick exit.
Steeleye Span were definitely more finger-in-the-ear than Fairport, but also a bit livelier. The Folk scene in Manchester was much more singalong, with a mix of drinking songs, sea shanties and protest stuff from Lancashire and Ireland. Occasionally, someone would come along playing American blues, or Irish tiddly-tiddly and we would walk out and go to the pub - if we weren't already in one! - until they'd finished. A constant favourite was 'She moves through the fair', which I see Fairport did; I look forward to their version later. I've just saved a whole album - 'What we did on our holidays' - and I see it's on that. Enjoying it, so far.
Back at the MSG Folk Club, there was a big, fat whisky-drinking Scot (Alex Campbell?) who used to perform to a hushed and reverential audience. Best of the best. Packed house when he was playing, his contempt for politicians, "those cheats who would take us to war again," nudged me toward the Left.
I had a mate in Manchester who had a Vietnam protest record entitled "Kill a Commie for Christ" which we must have worn out, a roomful of Bolshie potholers!
