Taken from a variety of shows played between 1982-84, this live collection features some extra curricular activity from the sometime Fairport duo exercising their talents on a range of crowd-pleasing material, with a few left-field choices thrown in.
With many traditional folk tunes rearranged for the simplicity of guitar and fiddle, the pair are always instrumentally at ease. Swarb’s playing is impeccable, while Nicol offers unobtrusive support marking him out, as ever, as one of the best rhythm players in the country. Their choices are equally attractive: Richard Thompson’s Time To Ring Some Changes and The Poor Ditching Boy, The Eagles’ After The Thrill and Richard & Linda’s Pavanne all sit alongside The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Nicol’s re-visiting of End Of A Holiday, from Fairport’s second album. In addition, there are plenty of faster fiddle tunes to enjoy, as well as versions of John Barleycorn, Rosie, and Sloth, though the latter has some less-than-perfect moments.
