Monday Long Song

1977's 'The Bonny Bunch of Roses' was Fairport Convention's 12th studio album and first after leaving their spiritual home of Island Records for new label Vertigo. The title track is an epic reworking of a 19th Century ballad, revolving around a conversation between Napoleon Bonaparte’s widow and son, following Napoleon’s death. The son promises to avenge his father’s defeat, while his mother cautions that '...England, Ireland and Scotland, their unity will ne’er be broke...'

Great though the 1977 version is (and it really is great), seven years earlier, in the Summer of 1970, Fairport took their first (and best) crack at the song. Richard Thompson is still in the band at this point and it sounds to me as if they're channelling 'The End' by The Doors. It's a magnificent, meandering retelling of the story, that bafflingly remained unreleased for the next 29 years.

Bonny Bunch of Roses

Sunny on the Outside, Stormy on the Inside

I've never been what you'd call a voracious reader, but I've usually had a book or two on the go at once - up until a couple of years ago anyway. Since then, well for one reason and another I've found it nigh-on impossible to concentrate on any serious reading - I've tried several times, but just found myself struggling through a handful of pages, putting the book down and never picking it up again. This lack of focus hasn't stopped me buying the blighters though and when I moved house in October, my aching back told me just how many unread volumes I'd accumulated. So a couple of weeks ago, when out of the blue I was hit by the overwhelming urge to read, you might naturally assume that I'd pluck one of those unread tombs from the shelf and dig in, but no. Instead, I went out to a newly reopened independent bookshop and purchased a copy of Richard Thompson's recently published recounting of his own nascent musical journey, Beeswing. It turns out I made a good decision, instantly drawn in, I polished it off in a couple of sittings. 

Beeswing is a thoroughly engaging read, written in an easy, conversational style that isn't overwrought and doesn't dwell unnecessarily - for example, by as early as page 21 the initial line-up of Fairport Convention is already in place. Songs are dissected, relationships examined, legendary names dropped (Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, Nick Drake, Phil Ochs etc) and tragedies reluctantly addressed. More importantly than anything, Thompson's writing sends you scurrying back to those early records - and I can offer no higher praise than that. 

Here's a Hutchings/Thompson original from the Fairports' oft overlooked 1968 debut LP. 

Fairport Convention - It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft