Rising for the Moon

Last updated
Rising for the Moon
Rising For the Moon.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1975
RecordedSeptember 1974 and February–March 1975
Studio Olympic (London)
Genre Rock
Length42:07
Label UK: Island
Producer Glyn Johns
Fairport Convention chronology
Fairport Live Convention
(1974)
Rising for the Moon
(1975)
Gottle O'Geer
(1976)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Rising for the Moon is the tenth studio album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in 1975. It reached number 52 in the UK albums charts. This was the last Fairport album to feature vocalist Sandy Denny.

Contents

Historical perspective

During this period, the band was dubbed by some fans—in a tongue-in-cheek manner—as "Fotheringay Convention"[ citation needed ] and "Fotheringport Confusion", [2] as the core of Fotheringay (Denny, her husband Trevor Lucas, and Jerry Donahue) joined the remaining members of the early 1970s version of Fairport (Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks and Dave Swarbrick) for this version of the band. Lucas, an Australian, and Donahue, an American, joined Pegg, Swarbrick, and drummer Mattacks in 1973 for the recording of the album Rosie. [3] Denny travelled with the band while they toured in 1974 and began performing with them on stage. [4]

This was the first Fairport Convention album not to involve John Wood in the production, [5] and the only one not to feature any traditional material. [6] With a number of solid songs penned, they entered the studio for recording sessions. Although still firmly rooted in the folk-rock vein, producer Glyn Johns brought a more polished and pop-influenced sound to the recording. [5] [6] Mattacks left midway through the sessions and was replaced by drummer Bruce Rowland. [5]

This was the last Fairport record to reach the UK charts prior to Red & Gold in 1989; it entered the chart on 12 July 1975, and stayed just one week, reaching no. 52. [7] The band (especially Denny) pinned their hopes on Rising For The Moon to finally be their breakthrough album; that level of popularity never materialized and, in December 1975, after touring in support of the album, Donahue left the band, followed shortly by Denny and Lucas. [6] [8] Carrying on as Fairport Convention, Pegg, Swarbrick and Rowland recruited several short-term replacements before persuading founder member Simon Nicol to return. [9]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Rising For The Moon"DennyDenny4:08
2."Restless"Lucas, Pete RocheLucas4:00
3."White Dress"SwarbrickDenny3:44
4."Let It Go"Denny, Pegg, SwarbrickSwarbrick2:00
5."Stranger To Himself"DennyDenny2:52
6."What Is True"DennyDenny3:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
7."Iron Lion"LucasLucas3:28
8."Dawn"Denny, DonahueDenny3:42
9."After Halloween"DennyDenny3:38
10."Night-Time Girl"Pegg, SwarbrickSwarbrick2:56
11."One More Chance"DennyDenny7:52

Bonus reissue tracks

  1. "Tears" (Lucas) – 4:09
  2. "Rising for the Moon" [10] (Denny) – 3:06
  3. "Stranger to Himself" [10] (Denny) – 2:17
  4. "One More Chance" [10] (Denny) – 3:46

Personnel

Fairport Convention

Notes

  1. AllMusic review
  2. Humphries 1982, p. 81.
  3. Humphries 1982, pp. 77, 79.
  4. Humphries 1982, pp. 83, 85.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Humphries 1982, p. 87.
  6. 1 2 3 Humphries 1982, p. 89.
  7. Roberts 2006, p. 192.
  8. Humphries 1982, p. 91.
  9. Humphries 1982, pp. 93, 95.
  10. 1 2 3 Sandy Denny's original demo

Related Research Articles

Fairport Convention British folk rock group

Fairport Convention are a British folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater They started out heavily influenced by American folk rock, with a setlist dominated by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs and a sound that earned them the nickname "the British Jefferson Airplane". Vocalists Judy Dyble and Iain Matthews joined them before the recording of their self-titled debut in 1968; afterwards, Dyble was replaced by Sandy Denny, with Matthews later leaving during the recording of their third album.

Sandy Denny English singer-songwriter

Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer".

Dave Pegg Musical artist

Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, primarily a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of folk and rock groups including the Ian Campbell Folk Group and Jethro Tull.

Fotheringay British folk rock band

Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer-songwriter and musician Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned. The song originally appeared on the 1969 Fairport Convention album, What We Did on Our Holidays, Denny's first album with that group. The original Fotheringay released one self-titled album but disbanded at the start of 1971 as Denny embarked on a solo career. Forty-five years later, a new version of the band re-formed featuring the three original surviving members together with other musicians, and toured in 2015 and 2016.

Trevor Lucas Musical artist

Trevor George Lucas was an Australian folk singer, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay. He mainly worked as a singer-songwriter and guitarist but also produced many albums and composed for the film industry toward the end of his career. He married three times, his first wife was Cheryl, his second wife was fellow folk musician Sandy Denny (1973–1978), and his third wife was Elizabeth Hurtt (1979–1989). Lucas died on 4 February 1989 of a heart attack in his sleep, in Sydney, aged 45. He was survived by Elizabeth Hurtt, his daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, and his son, Daniel 'Clancy' Lucas. According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, Lucas "was one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters Australia ever produced and although he was held in high regard in UK folk rock circles, he remained virtually unknown in his homeland".

<i>Full House</i> (Fairport Convention album) Fairport Convention album

Full House is a 1970 album by British folk rock group Fairport Convention, their fifth since their debut, Fairport Convention in 1968. The album was their first without a female vocalist, as Sandy Denny had left to form Fotheringay. Founder member Ashley Hutchings had also left for Steeleye Span, and Dave Pegg had joined on bass.

<i>Liege & Lief</i> 1969 studio album by Fairport Convention

Liege & Lief is the fourth album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. It is the third album the group released in the UK during 1969, all of which prominently feature Sandy Denny as lead female vocalist, as well as the first to feature future long-serving personnel Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks on violin/mandolin and drums, respectively, as full band members. It is also the first Fairport album on which all songs are either adapted (freely) from traditional British and Celtic folk material, or else are original compositions written and performed in a similar style. Although Denny quit the band even before the album's release, Fairport Convention has continued to the present day to make music strongly based within the British folk rock idiom, and are still the band most prominently associated with it.

Simon Nicol Musical artist

Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band. He has also been involved with the Albion Band and a wide range of musical projects, both as a collaborator, producer and as a solo artist. He has received several awards for his work and career.

<i>"Babbacombe" Lee</i> 1971 studio album by Fairport Convention

"Babbacombe" Lee is a 1971 album by British folk rock group Fairport Convention, which tells the life story of John Babbacombe Lee, a Victorian-era alleged murderer who was condemned to death but reprieved after the gallows failed on three occasions to work properly. After the commercial and chart success of its predecessor, Angel Delight, the album sold disappointingly, though it was critically acclaimed, and is regarded by the authors of The Electric Muse (1975) as the first "folk rock opera". It was the band's seventh album since their debut in 1968.

<i>Moat on the Ledge: Live at Broughton Castle, August 81</i> 1982 live album by Fairport Convention

Moat on the Ledge: Live at Broughton Castle, August '81 is a live folk rock album by Fairport Convention. The album was produced by Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg.

The Bunch were a British folk rock band, which came together in 1971 to record their one off album, Rock On.

<i>Angel Delight</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Fairport Convention

Angel Delight is the sixth album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in June 1971. This was the first Fairport Convention album without guitarist Richard Thompson, and the lineup consisted of Simon Nicol, Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, and Dave Mattacks (drums).

<i>Nine</i> (Fairport Convention album) 1973 studio album by Fairport Convention

Nine is a 1973 album by the British folk rock group Fairport Convention. It is their ninth album since their debut in 1968, and the second to include Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue. No original members of Fairport Convention were involved in making the album. According to AllMusic, it is the band's most uneven album.

<i>Rosie</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Fairport Convention

Rosie is a 1973 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, their eighth album since their debut in 1968.

<i>Fairport Live Convention</i> 1974 live album by Fairport Convention

Fairport Live Convention is a 1974 live album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention originally released in 1974 by Island Records. It was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House, the London Rainbow and the Fairfield Halls, Croydon by John Wood and mixed down at Sound Techniques, London. It was produced by Trevor Lucas & John Wood.

<i>The Cropredy Box</i> 1999 live album by Fairport Convention

The Cropredy Box is an album by Fairport Convention recorded at their annual live concert in Cropredy, Oxfordshire, England to celebrate the band's thirtieth anniversary in 1997. Featuring many songs for which the band had become noted, the set also features performances from many former members including violinist Dave Swarbrick, original vocalist Judy Dyble, and Ralph McTell. Commentary is provided by their first manager, Joe Boyd, and Ashley Hutchings.

<i>Gold Dust</i> (Sandy Denny album) 1998 live album by Sandy Denny

Gold Dust is a live album by the late English folk rock singer Sandy Denny. It documents one of Denny's last public performances and was recorded at London's "Sound Circus" venue at the Royalty Theatre, Portugal Street, near Aldwych, London on 27 November 1977. The album features many of her classic songs both as a solo artist and as a member of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay and remains the most extensive documentation of Sandy's live work with a backing band. The album was not released on the label originally planned owing to stated technical problems with the master tape, and was only released on a different label twenty years after her death after various guitar and backing vocal tracks parts were re-recorded by Jerry Donahue and others.

Fairport Chronicles is a 1976 compilation album of the British folk-rock band Fairport Convention, including songs from 1968 to the departure of the last original member in 1972. The double album is unique in that it was only released in the USA, features original material and American covers over the traditional material usually associated with Fairport, and includes songs from side projects. All of the material was originally issued in the USA on A&M Records, which explains the exclusion of songs taken from their first, pre-Sandy Denny album, which was only later released in the United States.

<i>Gottle OGeer</i> 1976 studio album by Fairport Convention

Gottle O'Geer is the eleventh studio album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention. The album was released through Island Records in May 1976.

<i>Live at the BBC</i> (Fairport Convention album) 2007 compilation album by Fairport Convention

Live at the BBC is a compilation album by English folk-rock band Fairport Convention released in 2007. It includes tracks recorded for the BBC for various radio programmes between 1968 and 1974 and consists of four CDs in a fold-out package with a fifty-page booklet including song lyrics and numerous contemporary photographs.

References