Kate Rusby - Live from Leeds (2004) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Well, a very lovely concert it was, wasn't young Kate's, eh? I wish I could write with a Yorkshire accent.
A beautiful thing. The musicians are amazing. John McCusker must be some sort of genius. They all played so tightly with each other and Kate, I was reminded of the Chieftains. Let's wish these younger folks will have such an honored history to come.
Kate herself is sweet and a charmer. Quite an irresistable smile. She seemed a wee bit shy at times. Might be my imagination. Like Alison Krauss showed in her LIVE concert dvd, Kate has a nice sense of humor and likes to tease. I thought she sang beautifully throughout--particularly so in CANAAN'S LAND, WITHERED AND DIED and UNDERNEATH THE STARS. How could anyone in that lovely Leeds theatre be dry-eyed during that last song with the lights swirling star-like around? Kate also reminds me in an odd way of Kasey Chambers--her youth, her maturity, her love of traditional music and yet her independence in her musical vision. Quite two wonderful women.
Technically, the dvd was great. The concert was filmed simply and beautifully--must be digital video. I thought for a minute someone had snuck in a high-definition television when I saw the quality of the picture. Great coverage of the amazing musicians and good roving of the heterogeneous audience (old and very young--a great mix).
An essential for all fans of the great Kate and for anyone who loves traditional music and great women vocalists. And not to mention a wealth of fascinating bonus material on the dvd.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kate Rusby - Live from Leeds (2004)

KATE RUSBY:LIVE FROM LEEDS - DVD Movie

Get 9% OFF

Click here for more information about Kate Rusby - Live from Leeds (2004)

Encore Encore: Farewell Tour Spring 1979 Fairport Convention Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Originally released on vinyl in 1979 as "Farewell Farewell" (with a much-superior cover), this is a documentation of Fairport's "Farewell Tour" before they broke up (and re-formed in '87 and continue to this day).
It was re-released on CD once before, then went out-of-print, and is now available once again; the previous re-release added one bonus track, this one adds three more (the original LP ended with "Meet on the Ledge" as most live Fairport shows still do).
Fairport are definitely best seen live, and this album comes veryvery close to matching that experience.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the only legitimate Fairport recording on which one can hear Swarbrick tearing up "Orange Blossom Special" -- it's almost worth it just for that. In one of her novels, SF author Emma Bull says of a band that the bass player "grabbed a handful of strings and began to climb the alphabet"; in answer to "How does he *do* that?", the reply is "Too much Fairport Convention as a child." Peggie's bass on this performance of "Orange Blossom Special" might have been the inspiration for that crack, and Bruce Rowland (who only just recently replaced Dave Mattacks on drums in Fairport again) is right there too, driving the rhythm and complementing Swarb's fiddle perfectly.
"Bridge on the River Ash", as usual is a hoot -- all of the non-fiddler members of Fairport playing fiddles, with running commentary.
Given that we thought at the time that it was the end for Fairport, the performance of "Meet on the Ledge", which is about endings and beginnings again and friendship and loss and all the things Really Good Music is about, was a particularly poignant ending to the original album, here somewhat undercut by the inclusion of four bonus tracks after it, though the bonus tracks included are all excellent and well-worth having, particularly "Rubber Band" and "Flatback Caper".
Summing up -- an album worth having in and of itself, an important document of an important moment in Fairport's career, and a unique opportunity to hear any further proof you need that Dave Swarbrick is a Great Fiddler...

Click Here to see more reviews about: Encore Encore: Farewell Tour Spring 1979 Fairport Convention

Click here for more information about Encore Encore: Farewell Tour Spring 1979 Fairport Convention