The staff at the Fairport Convention office just sent along their November newsletter and I see there are some items naturally of interest to you, our dear readers, concerning this folk rock band. And now I think I will put on their Liege & Lief album as I feel like hearing some of the finest music ever recorded!
New Fairport studio album
The big news is that our eagerly-awaited brand new studio album will be released early in 2011. This will be the first new Fairport Convention album for four years and it will be titled Festival Bell. There will be fourteen songs and tunes on the album including compositions by our own Chris Leslie and Ric Sanders. Our friend Ralph McTell has written two cracking songs for us as well. We’ve also included a new version of the Sandy Denny classic Rising For The Moon.
We’ve finished recording the album and now John Gale, our ace sound engineer, is busy mixing the tracks. We hope to have the final mix by the time you receive this newsletter. Please watch the Fairport website and our social network pages for the very latest on Festival Bell.
Winter Tour 2011
Our forthcoming Winter Tour kicks off at the end of January and we are planning something really special for 2011. Not only will we be playing brand new songs from Festival Bell (and, of course, some classics from our established repertoire) but the first half of each concert will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of “Babbacombe” Lee, Fairport’s groundbreaking 1971 folkrock opera. Following a deluge of requests from fans, we will be playing “Babbacombe” Lee in its entirety.
As always, the Winter Tour concerts will feature an opening set from our special guest artists. For 2011 we are delighted to introduce you to a very talented young duo, Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts.
You’ll also be able to buy a range of merchandise (including copies of Festival Bell and “Babbacombe” Lee) at every gig.
For all the details and dates of our Winter Tour 2011, please download the PDF version of this Winter Newsletter from our website.
Fairport by Fairport Book!
Fairport Convention are proud to announce that they are currently working with publisher Essential Works on ‘Fairport By Fairport’, the first fully authorised book about Fairport Convention. The book, as told to Fairport expert Nigel Schofield, will take us to key moments in Fairport’s career – on stage, in the studio, and in significant locations in the UK, Europe, Australia and the USA and will explore the complex web of influences which have shaped “the world’s first and greatest Folk Rock Band.”
The book will be extensively illustrated, with hundreds of images and memorabilia including scores of previously unseen photographs not only from the band’s own archives but also those of its former members including Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick.
‘Fairport by Fairport’ will be a large format coffee-table book with high quality heavyweight paper and fine binding and will come in a decorative slipcase – all from sustainable sources. It will only be available through official websites and will be delivered direct to your door.
Please take a look at www.fairportconventionbook.com for more information and register your interest in the book if you wish. Registration does not mean you have to part with any money. It simply allows us to gauge interest in the book within the Fairport community and ensure the book reaches its audience.
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