Babbacombe Lee [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Babbacombe Lee [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Track Listings

1. Verdict

2. Little Did I Think

3. I Was Sixteen, Pt. 1

4. John My Son

5. I Was Sixteen, Pt. 2

6. St Ninian's Isle/Trumpet Hornpipe

7. Sailors Alphabet

8. John Lee

9. Newspaper Reading

10. Breakfast in Mayfair

11. Trial Song

12. Cell Song

13. Time Is Near

14. Dream Song

15. Wake Up John (Hanging Song)

16. Farewell to a Poor Man's Son [#][*]

17. Breakfast in Mayfair [#][*]

Tracks:

Verdict
Little Did I Think
I Was Sixteen, Pt. 1
John My Son
I Was Sixteen, Pt. 2
St Ninian's Isle/Trumpet Hornpipe
Sailors Alphabet
John Lee
Newspaper Reading
Breakfast in Mayfair
Trial Song
Cell Song
Time Is Near
Dream Song
Wake Up John (Hanging Song)
Farewell to a Poor Man's Son [#][*]
Breakfast in Mayfair [#][*]

Customer Reviews:

it's a timeless story.......2006-04-23

I first heard this record when it came out and it wasn't typical of Fairport Convention. But it was great. I bought it in vinyl...listened to it over and over...it got scratched up...bought it again...scratched up again. It haunted because the words and music are so perfect for the story that the album tells. So much so, that when I went to England in the seventies after having gotten hooked on the album, I made it my business to get to Torquay, where much of the story took place. I got there...off the ferry from Plymouth and I can tell you that Torquay isn't on the beaten path...and it was so foggy in Torquay that I, quite literally, couldn't see past my nose. I actually had to hold on to the sides of the buildings and after few moments realized that I would just have to get right back to the ferry actually holding on to building walls to get back to it. I returned to Plymouth without ever even having seen Torquay. Now, some thirty years later, I got the remasterd CD...I listened...I gotta get to Torquay. That's what kind of album this is.

I Love This!!!.......2005-01-23

I am the first person reviewing this edition of the album, but if you want more opinions look at the other older editions offered through Amazon for other people's reviews. What amazes me is that some people REALLY hate this album. I just don't understand why. No, Richard Thompson isn't on this. No Sandy Denny was out of the band as well (although she does show up in one of the bonus tracks recorded upon her return.) But what a job Swarb, Peggy, Simon and Dave do on this album. I really wish this lineup had stuck together for awhile longer.
Yes it is a concept album ... and that could be a bad thing. It works though. Unlike other pompous concept albums and rock operas of the era the songs on this are really concise and memorable. The whole album is pretty sympathetic to the character John "Babbacombe" Lee ... a historical figure who was a convicted murdered who claimed to be innocent of the charges. After three unsuccessful attempts at execution by hanging he had his death sentence commuted to 20 years.
There are extremely long notes from Mr. Lee himself describing his sad tale. Of course, it is very possible that John Lee was a sociopathic liar and was in fact guilty as sin (if you do an internet search for Babbacombe Lee there is a lot of info on the case on the internet) and one can't help but wonder if Fairport is doing the whole thing with a wink in their eye. Who knows. This is great stuff ... great rock (Simon Nicol really steps up as a guitarist), great ballads (I just love Swarb's Irish tenor voice) , great reels and jigs, and even a wonderful sea chanty. If you like Full House and Angel Delight this is a must have.
The two bonus tracks are great ... one is an outtake from the album and the other, although a repeat, features Sandy Denny on vocals. The only sad thing is they are second generation tapes from a TV performance and the sound quality is poor (but still very listenable.)
I guess I can sort of understand why some don't like this. It is very different from "What We Did on Our Holidays" (which I love) and Sandy Denny's stuff (which I really love.) But I also love a lot of 60s Brit Pop-Art albums like The Faces "Odgens Nut Gone Flake", The Bee Gees "Odessa" and The Kinks "Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur" albums. If you are a fan of that sort of thing this might turn out to be your favorite Fairport album of all. And even if you have no idea what I am talking about when I mention those albums .... this is still worth a listen.

Average customer rating:

Babbacombe Lee
Fairport Convention
Manufacturer: Universal Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0002ZEX24
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

Verdict
Little Did I Think
I Was Sixteen, Pt. 1
John My Son
I Was Sixteen, Pt. 2
St Ninian's Isle/Trumpet Hornpipe
Sailors Alphabet
John Lee
Newspaper Reading
Breakfast in Mayfair
Trial Song
Cell Song
Time Is Near
Dream Song
Wake Up John (Hanging Song)
Farewell to a Poor Man's Son [#][*]
Breakfast in Mayfair [#][*]

Album Description

Japanese limited edition run of 5000 remastered discs in paper sleeves. Island. 2004.

Album Details

Special Japanese Limited Edition in an LP Sleeve Replica with the Original Artwork. Includes Two Bonus Tracks: 'farewell to a Poor Man's Son (Bbc Recording)', and 'breakfast in Mayfair (Bbc Recording)'. Limited to 5000 Copies.

Average customer rating:

The Last Great Fairport Album
Great Album!
Fairport does a concept album--naturally it concerns hanging
A unique album and a real sleeper.
take it on it's own merits

Babbacombe Lee
Fairport Convention
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006YLT
Release Date: 2000-05-23

Tracks:

John's Reflections On His Boyhood...
This Was The Happiest Period In His Life...
Tragedy Now Strikes hard...
John Was Hardly More Than A Bewildered Observer...
When It Comes He Cannot Sleep...

Album Description

1971 album for the British folk-rock institution. The group's only concept album, it features five tracks built around the life story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, a Victorian-era condemned murderer.

Customer Reviews:

The Last Great Fairport Album.......2004-12-28

This was the last "legitimate" Fairport lineup, the "Angel Delight" group--Dave Pegg, Dave Swarbick, Dave Mattacks and founding member Simon Nicol. Simon is truly an amazing musician. He replaced both Richard Thompson AND Sandy Denny. His guitar playing and singing are superb on both this and "Angel Delight".

As concept albums go, this is most certainly the best. It tells the true story of John Babbabcome Lee ("the man they could not hang!") coherently (unlike the Who's Tommy and the Kinks' Preservation). And the songs are great. There are 11 Fairport songs on this album-all originals (by DS mostly). The songs are individual songs, not suites that are run together as the sleeve implies. And they are ALL great songs. The title song, "John Babbacombe Lee" rocks harder than any Fairport song in ANY lineup..

This was my first Fairport album. I had their Anthology on A&M so this was a nice find, a Fairport album with no overlap from the Anthology (I HATE overlap!). Found a used copy--the album was out-of-print at the time. And I was DELIGHTED to get it. Not only was it GREAT but it was hard-to-find--a Collector's Item!

I loved "Babbacombe Lee" so much that I had to go out and eventually collect all of Fairport's individual albums. Got rid of the Anthology. And now I've bought them all once again on CD.

I believe that "Babbacome Lee" is one of Fairport's most even albums. There is not a clunker in the bunch. Try it--you'll LOVE it!

Great Album!.......2004-10-11

"Babbacome Lee" was Fairport Convention's second album in 1971; this was a period when the band was at the height of their creativity. The album was their only "concept" album, telling the stunning story of John "Babbacombe" Lee; the man who survived the gallows three times.

Musically they continue in the direction laid out on their two previous albums "Full House" and "Angel Delight". They combine traditional British folk-music with electric melodic rock. The line-up is the same as on "Angel Delight" and the playing is tight and inspired.

Apart from the traditional "The Sailor's Alphabeth" all songs are Fairport originals and they are obviously closely connected to the context of the Babbacombe Lee story; this does not mean that the songs cannot stand alone; outside the concept of the album . "Breakfast in Mayfair", "John Lee", "Cell Song" and "The Hanging Song" are great tracks on their own.

The two bonus-tracks are low-fi tape-copies of BBC recordings. It seems that the BBC has erased the original tapes, which is a big shame. "Farewell to a Poor Man's" is a Swarbrick ballad; probably a song that was never included on the original album; a great song. "Breakfast in Mayfair" is recorded after Simon Nicol's departure from the band; so his vocals are taken over by Sandy Denny.

The remastered sound is great on the whole original album.

The booklet contains all the original lyrics and the long magazine story of the life of John Lee. Unfortunately there are no new comments from the band-members to the creation of the album; like on the other Fairport CD re-issues. This is only a minor complaint and I can only highly recommend the album.

Fairport does a concept album--naturally it concerns hanging.......2002-03-24

It was the 70s. Everyone was doing concept albums. So Fairport Convention, in the post-Sandy Denny/Richard Thompson period, did theirs about John "Babbacombe" Lee, a man sentenced to hang for murder in Britain in 1885, whose sentence was changed to life because the gallows trap-door failed three times to open. Lee was apparently a famous figure in his day as "The Man They Could Not Hang". The original LP contained a newspaper-style insert that told Lee's story in great detail, including the contention that he was innocent--unfortunately, this is not included with the CD.

This is overall a good album, though the second half sags with several songs about Lee in his cell awaiting execution. As on the original LP, the individual songs are not given titles. Highlights are the traditional "The Sailor's Alphabet" (Lee originally intended to be a sailor, before being invalided out), "John Lee" ("you've been turning around your fate again"), and the closing "Hanging Song" (about the failed execution). Fairport die-hards will note that Simon Nicol's guitar playing was at a peak here, and bassist Dave Pegg gets to sing a lead.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

A unique album and a real sleeper........2001-11-11

Reviewer: A music fan from New Hampshire
This album has not been released on CD in the US; this British import will do nicely to introduce you or reintroduce to (IMHO) the best concept album ever done, the story of a man hanged three times for a murder he said he didn't commit; Fairport (no Sandy Denny on this one) create great songs (and also manage to rock out) while telling this story in a very coherent manner (compared to how most concept albums 'hang together' as concept albums); they throw in a great old sailor's tune (The Alphabet Song) to boot (John 'Babbacombe' Lee had been a sailor). Very enjoyable!
Note: This is my 1999 review now put under my own name. My opinion has not changed. This album still has no US release. Amazing!

take it on it's own merits.......2001-01-29

Interesting how Fairport fans (and I'm sure anyone who'll take the time to review a disc is a serious fan) are so deeply divided about this disc. Well, count me with the fans who think it's pretty brilliant! Yes, it probably would've been even better had Thompson been in the group then--but he wasn't, was he? Based on it's own merits, it's great. An interesting story, well told, fine musicianship (Simon does a great job stepping into the breach), and memorable (yes, memorable) songs and melodies. This is the first Fairport album I heard, which made me a life long fan, and caused me to discover Thompson and Denny even though they weren't on this disc! To me it's brilliant even without them.

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Music Review

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