Fairport Convention - Gottle O’ Geer / The Bonny Bunch Of Roses / Tippler’s Tales

The ho-hum mid-70s, before refashioning as folk-rock icons

When a group has nurtured the careers of such talismanic characters as Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, it’s inevitable that, when they leave, what remains is less a vacuum, more an abyss.�

With Dave Swarbrick centrestage and the new wave rumbling, 1976 was never going to be Fairport’s year. Yet Gottle O’ Geer, despite its ramshackle feel, has a flavour of the times: a boozy, DIY sense of immediacy. Drawing mainly from Swarbrick’s huge repertoire of traditional songs and arrangements, Gottle O’ Geer lacks the variety and spontaneity that had been Fairport’s trademark.

On the face of it, The Bonny Bunch Of Roses seemed a consolidation with foundermember Simon Nicol, while Swarbrick, Dave Pegg and Bruce Rowland served to make up the numbers. Again, a lack of variety in the vocals made it seem woeful. Comprising of mostly traditional songs, Fairport seemed to be marking time. Tippler’s Tales (1978), though, is quietly impressive. The line-up is the same, but this time infused with carefree abandon. Jack Orion provides scope for the group to stretch out, with Swarbrick demonstrating an inventive zeal and creativity that might have had jazz fans scratching their heads. Best of all is the bleak, declamatory and totally unrepentant version of John Barleycorn. Traffic’s version sounds positive by contrast.

Island / Mercury / Mercury | 9845876 / 9843051 / 98430

Reviewed by Hugh Gregory
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