The Wood and the Wire
Encyclopedia
The Wood and the Wire is an album released in 2000 by folk rock
band Fairport Convention
.
Gerry Conway
returned to Fairport on drums for his first appearance since 1973, but the album most strongly features Chris Leslie, who alone and with Nigel Stonier
, composed and took lead parts on most of it. The result, according to Allmusic, was that "Leslie seems to have been part of this "moveable feast" for much longer than three years.". Dave Pegg
would later comment "Nigel Stonier is a great producer, writer and musician. He has really been very beneficial in helping with Chris Leslie's songwriting. The two of them have written some great songs together which seem to fit the Fairport repertoire really well."
The shop shown on the cover is in Banbury
, Oxfordshire, and the boy looking into the window is Chris Leslie's son, Sam.
unless otherwise noted
Bonus live tracks on 2005 release
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
.
Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway (musician)
Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
returned to Fairport on drums for his first appearance since 1973, but the album most strongly features Chris Leslie, who alone and with Nigel Stonier
Nigel Stonier
Nigel Stonier is a UK based rock, roots and pop producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Biography:He was born in Cheshire, but first relocated to London when, at the age of seventeen he secured a publishing deal with Southern music, and recorded his first demos produced by Dave Cousins of...
, composed and took lead parts on most of it. The result, according to Allmusic, was that "Leslie seems to have been part of this "moveable feast" for much longer than three years.". Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
would later comment "Nigel Stonier is a great producer, writer and musician. He has really been very beneficial in helping with Chris Leslie's songwriting. The two of them have written some great songs together which seem to fit the Fairport repertoire really well."
The shop shown on the cover is in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire, and the boy looking into the window is Chris Leslie's son, Sam.
Track listing
All tracks credited to Chris Leslie/Nigel StonierNigel Stonier
Nigel Stonier is a UK based rock, roots and pop producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Biography:He was born in Cheshire, but first relocated to London when, at the age of seventeen he secured a publishing deal with Southern music, and recorded his first demos produced by Dave Cousins of...
unless otherwise noted
- "The Wood and the Wire" - 4:08
- "The Dancer" (Chris Leslie) - 4:23
- "Wandering Man" - 4:51
- "The Heart of the Song" (Peter Scrowther) - 3:41
- "A Year and a Day" (Ric SandersRic SandersRichard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, electric folk and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.-Biography:...
) - 4:14 - "The Game Pieces" - 4:13
- "Close to You" (Chris Leslie) - 4:21
- "Still a Mystery" - 2:40
- "Banbury Fair" (Chris Leslie) - 4:37
- "The Lady Vanishes" - 4:52
- "The Good Fortunes" (traditional, arrangement by Sanders/Leslie) - 3:59
- "Western Wind" (traditional, arrangememnt by Simon NicolSimon NicolSimon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
/Dave PeggDave PeggDave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
/Ric Sanders/Chris Leslie/Gerry ConwayGerry Conway (musician)Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
) - 5:07 - "Don't Leave Too Soon" - 4:26
- "Rocky Road" (Steve TilstonSteve TilstonSteve Tilston is an English singer-songwriter.-Early years:Steve Tilston was born in Liverpool and raised in Leicestershire. Tilston was a graphic designer before taking up music in 1971, living in Bristol at the time, where he recorded his first album "An Acoustic Confusion". In the early...
)/"The Quaker" (traditional, arrangement by Nicol/Pegg/Sanders/Leslie/Conway) - 5:01
Bonus live tracks on 2005 release
- "The Good Fortunes"( Trad. Arr. Ric Sanders / Chris Leslie) - 4:29
- "Now Be Thankful" (Richard Thompson/Dave SwarbrickDave SwarbrickDave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
) - 3:44
Personnel
- Gerry ConwayGerry Conway (musician)Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
- drums, percussion - Chris Leslie - bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, vocals, didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"... - Simon NicolSimon NicolSimon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
- guitar, vocal - Dave PeggDave PeggDave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
- bass, bass guitar, vocals - Ric SandersRic SandersRichard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, electric folk and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.-Biography:...
- violin
- Mark Tucker - production, engineering, mixing
- John Dent - mastering
- Mick Toole - design, cover photo
- Bob Battersby - photography