Track 5 is “Sir Patrick Spens”. We learn here, I think for the first time, from the spoken introduction, that the subject matter of the song is a political plot that happened in 1496. The original studio track, of course, appeared on the excellent 1970 LP “Full House” [see way above]. This live version is bouncier than the original, and is just brilliant. The vocals are admirable, and this is an absolutely perfect rendition.
Side 2 of the LP opens with what is Track 6 on the CD, “Mr. Lacey”. This is a pure rock’n’roll song which came to light in early February 1969 on “What We Did On Our Holidays” [see way, way above]. It cannot compare with the original which featured Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson and Ian Matthews. Here it is more laid back, with harmonies on the vocals. Nevertheless, it is a competent bash at it, with Dave Swarbrick’s violin standing in manfully for Richard Thompson’s guitar, and Simon Nicol producing some faultless rock chords. It is certainly unique, this one! It elides seamlessly into the next track “Walk awhile”. This song is just super, being a really good try to recreate the original “Full House” version. It fails, of course, due to the absence of Richard Thompson’s guitar, but otherwise succeeds very well. It is undoubtedly a good track to include on this farewell live record.
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