Fairport Convention: Before the Moon

Recorded live at Ebbets Field, Denver, Colorado, USA, in May 1974 by “Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention” as told at the role call at the end of the first CD. The track list, therefore, is a mixture of Fairport stuff and songs from Sandy’s solo albums. The name of the album, Before the Moon hints at the yet to come album Rising for the Moon, of which the title track and One More Chance were already performed here.

A sticker on the CD jewel case says “Limited edition includes bonus disc of the 2^nd set”. This second disc is in mono because of the poor quality of the surviving tape.

The booklet contains a lot of before unknown band pictures (plus, to add a little bit more, a photo of Richard and Linda Thompson) and a long and informative interview with Dave Pegg by Jon Kirkman.

There exists also a bootleg of these concerts, Sandy’s Lament, with quite bad sound quality.

Musicians

Sandy Denny: vocals;
Dave Swarbrick: violin, vocals;
Jerry Donahue: lead guitar, vocals;
Trevor Lucas: rhythm guitar, vocals;
Dave Pegg: bass guitar;
Dave Mattacks: drums

Tracks

CD 1: First Set

1. Rising for the Moon (4.14)
2. Solo (5.50)
3. Dirty Linen (5.10)
4. One More Chance (8.51)
5. Sloth (13.34)
6. It’ll Take a Long Time (7.10)
7. Matty Groves (10.56)
8. Hen’s March / Medley (8.48)
9. Down in the Flood (4.08)

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 Sandy Denny;
Track 3 trad. arr. Dave Swarbrick;
Track 5 Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick;
Tracks 7, 8 trad. arr. Fairport Convention;
Track 9 Bob Dylan

CD 2: Second Set

1. Matty Groves (7.39)
2. Solo (5.58)
3. Dirty Linen (5.39)
4. Fiddlestix (3.21)
5. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (7.27)
6. Like an Old Fashioned Waltz (5.46)
7. Hexhamshire Lass (5.38)
8. Bring ’em Down (12.05)
9. Down in the Flood (4.03)
10. John the Gun (6.58)
11. Sir B. McKenzie (6.47)

Tracks 1, 4, 7 trad. arr. Fairport Convention;
Tracks 2, 5, 6, 10 Sandy Denny;
Track 3 trad. arr. Dave Swarbrick;
Track 8 Trevor Lucas;
Track 9 Bob Dylan;
Track 11 Fairport Convention