Fairport Convention, Jewel in the Crown

UK Woodworm Records WRCD 023 (January 1995) . USA Green Linnet GLCD 3103 (May 1995)

Dopo quasi cinque anni i fairport ritornano in scena con un album di notevole intensità; alcune composizioni, come "A Surfeit Of Lampreys" di Maartin Allcock e "The Islands" del grande Ralph Mc tell, sono superbe in quanto a energia e originalità compositiva. Di grande suggestione è inoltre "She's Like The Swallow". Il tema che anima questo disco è l'anticolonialismo, i testi sono in questo senso coerenti con la confezione di MikeToole che presenta in copertina una mappa dell'epoca coloniale. Le fotografie sono dell'inossidabile John Woodward.

Tracks:

Jewel In The Crown (Julie Matthews) 3'30" - Slipjigs And Reels (Steve Tilston) 4'52" - A Surfeit Of Lampreys (Maartin Allcock) 3'18" - Kind Fortune (Trad. Arr. Fairport Convention) 2'38" - Diamonds And Gold (Ben Bennion / Maartin Allcock) 4'13" - The Naked Highwayman (Steve Tilston) 4'32" - The Islands (Ralph McTell / Maartin Allcock) 4'34" - The Youngest Daughter (Trad. Arr. Maartin Allcock) 2'03" - London Danny (Jez Lowe) 3'49" - Summer In December (Ric Sanders) 4'55" - Travelling By Steam (Huw Williams) / Travel By Steam (Trad. Arr. Ric Sanders) 3'45" - She's Like The Swallow (Trad. Arr. Maartin Allcock) 3'15" - Red Tide (Rob Beattie) 4'36" - Home Is Where The Heart Is (Clive Gregson) 4'40" - Closing Time (Leonard Cohen) 5'39"

Musicians:

Simon Nicol: Vocals, Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, 12-String Electric Guitar - Dave Pegg:  Bass Guitar, Mandolin, Acoustic Bass, Fretless Bass, Backing Vocals - Ric Sanders: Violin - Maartin Allcock: Electric Guitar, Bouzar, Accordion, Tambourine, Bodhran, Lap Steel Guitar, Pub Piano, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Talking Drum, Triangle, Mandola, Acoustic Guitar, Fretless Bass, Keyboard Strings - Dave Mattacks: Drums, Tambourine, Organ, Sea Drum, Log Drum, Glockenspiel, Crotales, Electric Piano, Maraccas

with  Tracey Bullard Bell and last call (Track 15)

Friday night customers in "The George", Barford St. Michael, Oxfordshire (Track 15) - Recorded: Spring / Summer 1995 at Woodworm Studios, Barford St. Michael, Oxon - Produced by: Fairport Convention - Executive Producer: Dave Pegg - Engineered by: Mark Tucker & Tim Matyear

Mixed by:

* Mark Tucker assisted by Fairport Convention (Tracks 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14)

* Gus Dudgeon and Mark Tucker (Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15)

Mastered by: Nick Watson at SRT, Cambridge - Package Design by: Mick Toole - Typesetting by: LPS - Photography by: John Woodward