Righty-ho, today we start on the bonus tracks on the CD. Forgive me if I start with the last one, “The Deserter”, a song which had first appeared in a wondeful version on “Liege & Lief” [see above] in December 1969. Listening to the version from 1971 on the CD reminded me strongly of an event which occurred in or about February 1970, when I heard the band do it with no female voice, on a radio broadcast. I had just turned 14, and was at the time laid up in bed with a nasty gastric complaint, and was puzzled, but thought the song was still a good one, even if in a wholly different way. What I was hearing then, of course, was the magnificent “Full House” [see above] line-up, which still included Richard Thompson, though I did not know this at the time.
Anyway, this is where this super 1971 rendition comes in. Clearly this was the brave “Angel Delight” [see above]/”Babbacombe Lee” [see above] edition of the group, which had fitted the year 1971 as exactly as the previous ensemble had fitted 1970. It is really very good indeed, not least of course because Dave Swarbrick’s violin was there to bring the magic, and the full power of the band comes in with the harmonies (Swarbrick taking lead vocal and doing the solo bits). Simon Nicol had, moreover, stepped brilliantly into the role of sole lead guitarist. I do not have, as far as I remember, any recording of the 1970 version, but this will certainly do instead.
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