Love That Album Podcast episode 136 - Interview with John Penhallow about Fairport Convention

The story of English rock music in the 1960s often revolves around some mates meeting up and bonding over a love of blues music or wanting to be the next Beatles.

Then there's Fairport Convention.

Welcome to episode 136 of Love That Album podcast.

Fairport Convention assembled around 1966 and rehearsed in the same neighbourhood as another band of Muswell Hillbillies. The line-up has changed over the years, but the mission has always been to adapt folk music to a rock setting. Early on, they interpreted contemporary folk songwriters from North America like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Before too long though, the band looked too their own history to make British folk music contemporary.

Bondi Cigars' guitarist Shane Pacey joins me once again, and we speak with John Penhallow, the first manager of Fairport Convention. John was there right at the very beginning due to his friendship with guitarist Simon Nicol. He played a large part in looking after the band on day-to-day business before Joe Boyd, so he regales us with stories from that period.

We speak about the early FC days, his work in archiving Sandy Denny's music, Cropredy, some band called The Ravens, and the late Judy Dyble. Beyond telling the story of a band, this is a great story about friendship and community. What other long running band still has ex-members regularly turn up to play with them?John was very generous with his time and memories. Shane and I are thankful for him making himself available.....on his birthday weekend at that!!! Also huge thanks to David Kelly for arranging this, and Mark Snowden for getting us to clarify a very important part of Fairport history.

Please explore Shane's music at both https://bondicigars.com/ and https://shanepaceytrio.com.au/

Download this episode of LTA from Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”). Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com/ to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum.

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review we’d be immensely grateful. However, it’d be even better if you told a friend about the podcast and Pantheon – at a (socially distanced) barbecue, over coffee (on Skype), on social media….whatever way you choose, consider me grateful.

Right click to download episode 136 here.

Love That Album Podcast Episode 123 - The Kinks' "Lola Versus Powerman and The Moneygoround, Part One"

Love That Album is baaaaaaack.

For the second time in the show’s history, The Kinks are the focus of the program (look for Episode 31 back in October 2012 where I was joined by the wonderful Ben Eisen to talk about Something Else). For episode 123, film and music writer extraordinaire, Heather Drain returns to the episode 123 to talk about the Kinks’ album from November 1970, “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One”.

Of course, being the gabblers that we are, many other Kinky related topics get discussed. Bans from touring in America, Ray Davies as documenter of British life, sarcasm vs heart-on-the-sleeve, musicianship, the music business, environmentalism, a sweet love song with a Kinks’ twist and the most singalong coda since hey Jude…it’s all there. We even find tenuous links to our beloved Tubes.

You can download the show from Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”) or from the website at http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com.

Once again, I'd like to thank the wonderful Ms Drain for bringing her great insight to the show. She's a terrific co-host. You can (and should) follow her writings about music and film at http:mondoheather.com and https://diaboliquemagazine.com/ She has a book coming out later this year “The Bizarro Encyclopedia of Film, Volume 1”....and if that isn't enough, she appears frequently on the greatest film podcast around, The Projection Booth Podcast hosted by Mike White.

Send the show feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum.

If you’d consider writing an iTunes review or recommending the show to a friend at a barbecue / birthday bash / barmitzvah, we’d be immensely grateful. 

If you enjoy what you hear, please tell a friend or ten to tune in.

Right click to download episode 123 here.