Festival Bell
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2011) |
| Festival Bell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Studio | The Bowman's Retreat, Oxfordshire | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 59:04 | |||
| Label | Matty Grooves | |||
| Producer | John Gale with Fairport Convention | |||
| Fairport Convention chronology | ||||
| ||||
Festival Bell is the twenty-fifth studio album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in January 2011.
Overview
The name of the album (as well as the cover and the title track) is a reference to the bell of the same name that currently rings in St Mary's Church in Cropredy, Oxfordshire.[1] The track "Ukulele Central" features guest appearances from comedian Frank Skinner and singer Joe Brown.[2] The song "Mercy Bay" tells of the ill-fated voyage of HMS Investigator to search for Franklin's lost expedition, itself searching for the Northwest Passage.
Release and critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record Collector |   [3] |
| musicOMH | [4] |
| BBC | (favorable) [5] |
| The Guardian | (favorable) [6] |
The album was released four years after the band's previous studio work, Sense of Occasion. It consists of 14 tracks, mixing original compositions with four cover versions including a reworking of the title track from the band's 1975 album Rising for the Moon.[3] Record Collector magazine's 4 star review of the album stated: "Festival Bell is a work of maturity and depth, yet delivered with a lightness of touch that will delight fans old and new".[3]
Track listing
- "Mercy Bay" (Chris Leslie)
- "Rui's Guitar" (Chris Leslie)
- "Danny Jack's Chase" (Ric Sanders)
- "Reunion Hill" (Richard Shindell)
- "Wouldn't Say No" (Chris Leslie)
- "Around the Wild Cape Horn" (Ralph McTell)
- "Celtic Moon" (Mark Evans, Carolyn Evans)
- "Ukulele Central" (Chris Leslie, Ric Sanders)
- "Albert and Ted" (Ric Sanders, Dave Pegg)
- "Darkside Wood" (Chris While)
- "London Apprentice" / "Johnny Ginears" (Ralph McTell / Ric Sanders)
- "Rising for the Moon" (Sandy Denny)
- "Danny Jack's Reward" (Ric Sanders)
- "The Festival Bell" (Chris Leslie)
Personnel
- Fairport Convention
- Simon Nicol - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass ukulele
- Dave Pegg - vocals, bass guitar, ukulele, mandolin, acoustic guitar
- Chris Leslie - vocals, mandolin, bouzuki, violin, Portuguese guitar, ukulele, whistle
- Ric Sanders - backing vocals, violin, ukulele, keyboards, bass ukulele
- Gerry Conway - drums, percussion
- Guest musicians
- Frank Skinner - banjo ukulele on "Ukulele Central"
- Joe Brown - ukulele, backing vocals on "Ukulele Central"
References
- ^ "Cropredy Church Bells". Cropredy Village info. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Festival Bell information from Expletive Delighted". Ian Rennie. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Abbott, Kingsley (April 2011). Lewis, Alan; Draper, Jason (eds.). "Fairport Convention – Festival Bell – Album Review". Record Collector. No. 387. London: Diamond Publishing Ltd. p. 86. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Chapple, Jon (April 2011). "Fairport Convention – Festival Bell". musicOMH. OMH. Archived from the original on 25 April 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Smith, Sid (30 March 2011). "BBC - Music - Review of Fairport Convention - Festival Bell". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (7 April 2011). "Fairport Convention: Festival Bell – review | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. London: GMG. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
