WHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIME GOES?

I have the 2000 expanded version of this album called Wishfulness Waltz. Some of the new tracks were recorded at their annual Cropredy festival in 1997, while others were from the much older recordings that led to the album Full House, which features former members Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick. This is also the first album to feature new member Chris Leslie, who adds new dimensions to the band with his song-writing, mandolin, and fiddle.

The album opens with John Gaudie, presented as a mini-epic of five parts which runs less than six minutes. It is a great song that sets the mood for the album ? musically energetic story telling. It is a rollicking opener. The next track gives the other main characteristic of the album ? soft and reflective. Fairport has always been a band that could balance styles and approaches in a single album, and this one exemplifies that quality quite well. Somewhat oddly, I had heard three songs from this album from the Cropredy '98 album I bought when I saw the band some years back. These are also three of my favorite songs off the album. These are the above-mentioned John Gaudie, the instrumental The Bowman's Retreat, which I think defines what Fairport is all about, and the hard hitting Spanish Main, a song of love, betrayal, and murder performed in Fairport's heaviest manner. This song is not so much Prog Folk as it is Prog Metal. One of the highlights of the album is the live version of Heard It Through the Grapevine, performed with Richard Thompson. Brilliant version of the song. When it came on during the first listen, my wife turned to me and said, "I thought we were listening to Fairport Convention." Then she heard Richard Thompson's voice and said, "Oh."

As far as late Fairport albums go, I think this is one of the best, and think that bringing in Chris Leslie was a great move. This is not to say in any way that the band was languishing before this, because I don't believe they were. With its combination of soft and brisk tunes, fiddle duets, great singing, old rarities, and live recordings, Wishfulness Waltz has a lot to offer. Get this version, rather than the original 1997 release if you can. You will be glad for the extra tracks.