Through a mindboggling series of line-up changes, Fairport Convention have kept the spirit of British folk--and folk-rock--burning for nearly 40 years. This three-CD anthology carefully selects some of the rarest and most enticing jewels from the back reaches of their catalog, including full coverage of their triumphant appearances at the Cropredy festival. Disc 1: Sweet Days; Disc 2: Long Summer Days; Disc 3: Cropredays. * A unique collection of Fairport Convention's live and studio work * Digitally re-mastered from the original master tapes * Includes extensive liner notes by Fairport Convention biographer Kingsley Abbott * Released with the full support of the band This Fairport Convention triple-CD set represents a startlingly good idea that comes off well -- a compilation of live performances from across the group's history, intermingling class concert recordings from back as far as the late '60s with much more recent work from the Cropredy Festival. What one comes away appreciating anew is just how good a rock band Fairport has been for most of its history -- at their best, in fact, as represented here (including recent performances by Richard Thompson), they come off as at least as good a rock band as, say, Jethro Tull is a folk outfit, if not better. The sound is good, even on the older material (which goes back to Julie Dyble's tenure with the group), and the selection covers a huge range of repertory, some of which will surprise and delight casual fans who may not know all of the strings to this band's bow. ~ Bruce Eder