Atrax Records: TheSwarbStore: Other Back-Catalogue: Folk on 2

Dave Swarbrick with Fairport Convention

'Folk on Two' - Swarb's 50th Birthday Concert

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Swarb's sixth and seventh solo albums; recorded in two weeks in the summer of 1981 and originally released on subsidiaries of the Transatlantic label. Now re-released as a double CD on the Transatlantic/Castle label. Musicians featured on the two albums are Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, Beryl Marriott, John McCormick and Bruce Rowland.

Taken from the BBC archives, the series features exclusive recordings broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 Folk On Two Show over the last 25 years. This concert, recorded live on 6 April 1991, celebrated Dave Swarbrick's 50th birthday and features a collection of classic folk tunes. The special guests include the brilliant Fairport Convention, Ian Campbell Folk Band, Martin Carthy, Savourna Stevenson (harp virtuoso and new Cooking Vinyl signing) and Beryl Marriot - one of the finest line-up of Folk musicians ever recorded at one concert. What followed was a spine tingling demonstration of the range and depth of our finest folk fiddler. It traces the story from the 1950's, when Dave Swarbrick was playing guitar in a Birmingham Skiffle band and met Beryl Marriott who persuaded him to play fiddle in her ceilidh band, to Fairport Convention who came along in 1969 after a guest appearance on the 'Unhalfbricking' album. Swarb & Co. give an all out barn storming session in music's oldest living tradition.

It's a lively set of songs which embodies the quintessential essence of the back bone of British Folk music, and peerless fiddle playing you'll ever likely to hear. The infectious foot-tapping that you find yourself performing whilst listening to songs like 'Keech In The Creel', leave you feeling totally knackered but joyous. This white knuckle ride of a CD is a living testimony to this nation's greatest musical heritage.

"Ricky-do-dum-deh festivity for violinist Swarbrick's 50th. Musical revelation in excellent company is Beryl Marriot, a ceilidh queen so instinctively pelvic that "Drowsy Maggie" feels like salsa."         - Q

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Published in 'The Ledge' Magazine

DAVE SWARBRICK 5OTH BIRTHDAY PARTY featuring FAIRPORT CONVENTION - COOKING VINYL MASHCDOO1

I remember well that night at Birmingham Town Hall, at which we were treated to a jumping through time highlights of Swarb’s musical career. This album is the complete Radio 2 broadcast of the event, though sadly only highlights of the night, not the full proceedings. Opening with a medley “Drowsy Maggie” / “The Heilanman” Swarb is accompanied by Beryl Marriott, fingers flying over fretboard and keyboard respectively. The Beryl Marriott Ceilidh Band are next, with two medleys, for which Simon Nicol, Kate Graham, Dave Mattacks, Maart, and Roger Marriott form the band. The Ian Campbell Folk Group included Peggy on bass, their opening song being “Keech in The Kreel”, one of those fol da rol day numbers seen by most press as all folk music.

The Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick combination will be no stranger to most of you, here represented by “Oh Dear Oh” and “The Begging Song”, with re-written words as used on their farewell tours around that time. Savourna Stevenson joined them on harp for a beautiful tune “The Trip We Took Over The Mountain”. So far everything has been serious, folk, traditional. The last four tracks on the album are the folk-rock element, breaking the shackles of tradition, “Hens March” / “Four Poster Bed” kicks off the section, fiddle bouncing over a solid rhythm section. Slowing things down a bit, one of my favourites, “Rosie”, a six piece Fairport, Maart again excelling on guitar, Ric on keyboard. A two fiddle Fairport positively flies through “Hexhamshire Lass”, and closing proceedings “Dirty Linen”, Ric and Swarb trading licks on the latter. That’s it then, another slice of history, exhumed from the Folk On 2 vaults. Cooking Vinyl are set to release more in months to come, hopefully this will be the first of many Fairport related albums.

Ian Burgess of Friends of Fairport

FAME REVIEWS

DAVE SWARBRICK 5OTH BIRTHDAY PARTY featuring FAIRPORT CONVENTION - COOKING VINYL MASHCDOO1

Much has been written about the founders of folk-rock - those being The Byrds in America and Fairport Convention in Britain. Both started their careers by covering modern folk artists (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell) and proceeded to extend and refine the folk genre bringing in a beat to move the music along. Both also eventually fell back on older forms as they explored the edges of folk-rock: The Byrds to country and Fairport to the jigs/reels/strathspeys of the auld sod. No one was more important in that development and in the development and survival of Fairport than fiddler Dave Swarbrick. Swarb, a latecomer to Fairport, kept the band going when all of the original members had moved on and all else seemed lost. For that, he is owed many thanks for the fine music that Fairport produced in that extraordinary phase of the band's history. History is the topic of a recent release from Cooking Vinyl in what will be the first of an ongoing series of releases that mine the archives of the BBC’s Radio 2 where seminal bands and players have been appearing for over 25 years. In this case, the history reviewed is that of Dave Swarbrick on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

This 1991 recording, simply known as Dave Swarbrick Folk On 2, reunites Swarb with many of his sundry and famous cohorts over what has been a quite extraordinary 40+ year career. Starting with pianist Beryl Marriott and her Ceilidh Band, Swarb plays once again with the woman who first encouraged him to seriously take up the fiddle in the 50s. Swarb and Ms. Marriott work up several lengthy medleys (“Drowsy Maggie/The Heilanman”, “The 72nd’s Farewell to Aberdeen/The 93rd’s Farewell to Gibraltar/The Atholl Highlanders”) that will have you thinking of a Saturday night get together in a rural English town hall. Yes, a guaranteed toetapper.

Swarb was a young upstart fiddler when he joined the folk revival under the tutelage of Ian Campbell who then had quite a name in the country. Dave joins Ian and Lorna Campbell on a couple of vintage folk chestnuts, including “Viva La Quince Brigade” (a very moving Spanish Civil War song). Perhaps somewhat constrained in this setting, it wasn’t long before Dave moved on and started a 30 year on and off partnership with folk guitar genius, Martin Carthy. On Folk On 2, they reprise a couple of the duo’s standards in “Oh Dear Oh” and “The Begging Song” with Martin on vocals. Swarb, as ever, is in wonderfully fine form accompanying Carthy.

Needless to say, the triumph of the evening is Dave's reunion with the current Fairport line-up (Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, Martin Allcock, original member Simon Nicol and Swarb’s successor, Ric Sanders). The songs presented are true Fairport classics, and finally, allow Swarb a chance to stretch the old vocal cords on the ever beautiful “Rosie”. This is a good reminder as to what a fine composer Swarb has always been. The highlights, as might be expected, are the reels “Hens March/ Four Poster Bed” and “Dirty Linen”. Fairport is in fine form here and these tunes rock, or should I say folk-rock? Thrown into the mix is the rollicking “Hexhamshire Lass” with Swarb on vocals. This is just plain fun!

Swarb has been missing from the recording scene for some time now, owing in part to the hearing problems which have caused him much pain and difficulty over the last decade. One can only hope that we will hear more from Dave - perhaps a second volume of this excellent, but all too brief recording. The fact that BBC2 and Cooking Vinyl have teamed to release the treasure trove that is in the BBC vaults gives one much hope for the future. Regardless, this 50th Birthday Concert is a most auspicious beginning and well worth your pursuit at the local disc emporium. Highly recommended.

Mark O'Donnell - The Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

DAVE SWARBRICK 5OTH BIRTHDAY PARTY featuring FAIRPORT CONVENTION - COOKING VINYL MASHCDOO1

AMG EXPERT REVIEW:

Recorded live by the BBC at the April 6, 1991 celebration of Swarbrick's 50th birthday, this concert disc features the fiddle player performing at Birmingham's Town Hall with the then-current lineup of Fairport Convention, teamed with associates from times past and present, including Martin Carthy, Beryl Marriot (with whom he played guitar in the late 1950s), and the Ian Campbell Folk Group. The repertory ranges from Fairport pieces such as "Rosie" to traditional works like "Drowsy Maggie/The Heilanman," with lots of Scottish material in the mix, and everyone in excellent form. Coupled with the superb quality of the recording, the fine playing and very high spirits on the part of musicians and audience alike make this a valuable addition to any collection of Fairport Convention or Dave Swarbrick.

Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Last updated on 26 September 2002