Customer Reviews

Babbacombe Lee

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

After extensive listening 20 years ago, I re-discovered this Fairport album today. I used to think that the vocals were a little high and thin and that the music wasn't full enough. Time has healed all wounds. This is an honest, competent, almost - perfect concept album. The story is powerful; and although the over-all tone is grim, the creativity and beauty of all the songs makes us want to sing along... which I did.

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!

This is the best Fairport album I've ever heard. (Well, I haven't heard them all.) The story about John "Babbacombe" Lee is a really fascinating by itself, but when Fairport make an album about it, it just gets great. Most of the songs were made by Fairport, and Dave Swarbrick did most of the job. His voice is fantastic, and the fiddle playing isn't any worse. The instrumental tune on this album isn't very typical for Fairport, but it suits very well in the story context. The last song (Hanging song) is maybe the best song done by this Fairport lineup (Swarb, Nicol, Pegg and Mattacks), very dramatic and with a great fiddle solo. Don't miss this album!

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!

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!

Boo-hoo, Is it too downbeat for you? Grow up and listen to some inspired playing. Although swarb and co did not quite come up with the grand work of art they may have been aiming for, this cd has many moments of stunning musicianship. Of course with Thompson in the fold the whole would have been greater than the brilliant parts we got, but stop your whining and don't focus on other line-ups. This "folk-opera" is an honest and dignified experiment that deserves to be judged on its own merits

I knew Fairport at the time of this release (plus had albums) and loved Sandy Denny but BL was and always will be my best FC album- it is perfect in every way! I believe that Swarbrick found the story in a second hand shop. I even did a topic on it for my 2nd teaching practice! (would never work now!)

"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.

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)