 CD + DVD (NTSC) of the band's Cropredy appearance!
Format: CD / Cat No: 200709D / Released: 01/09/2007
Track Listing: CD: 1. Morning Light [03:24] / 2. New Life [04:50] / 3. Find Yourself [04:42] / 4. Circles [07:38] / 5. Ducks On The Pond [04:07] / 6. Awakening [03:48] / 7. Medicine [05:33] / 8. Thank You [04:45] / 9. Sacred Run [06:19] / DVD: 1. Morning Light [03:24] / 2. New Life [04:50] / 3. Find Yourself [04:42] / 4. Circles [07:38] / 5. Ducks On The Pond [04:07] / 6. Awakening [03:48] / 7. Medicine [05:33] / 8. Thank You [04:45] / 9. Sacred Run [06:19] / Interview with Andy Glass
More information: The year following the release of Circles the band were invited by the legendary Fairport Convention to appear at the annual Cropredy Festival, a major event in the UK folk calendar. So on a sunny afternoon on 15th August 1998 the band took to the stage and worked their way through a stunning set that included songs from all three studio albums. They were one of two acts at the festival that year fortunate enough to be caught on camera and tape. However when it came to listening to the playback Andy Glass was disappointed to find that the recording didn’t match the quality of the performance. With a commercial release planned the bold decision was made to repeat the set live in the studio the following day. And it’s this recording that first made its appearance on CD only. Similar technical problems meant that the video never saw the light of day, until now that is.
From the suitably uplifting opener Morning Light with its orchestral intro to a storming version of Sacred Run the band are in magnificent form throughout. Clive Bunker’s drumming in particular has far more presence increasing the dynamics on songs like Circles. Highlights include a new instrumental Ducks On The Pond and Awakening, the title song from Bunker’s then current solo album. Ducks is a real crowd pleaser combining reggae rhythms with an energetic fiddle led feel. Awakening features a lively performance from Emma sounding not unlike Siouxsie Sue backed by a monumental riff Led Zepplin would be proud of.
The DVD does have some shortcomings. The excellent sound quality is unfortunately not matched by the picture when viewed on a larger screen. Recorded on video tape, the images and colours lack the sharpness that we’ve come to expect from DVD. It’s also discernible that the sound was recorded elsewhere with the vocals and vision at times slightly out of sync. However, this all matters very little - what we have here is a piece of history, something that could very easily have been lost forever if it wasn't for the hard work by both the label and band to include it on thois release.
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