Tipplers Tales is a 1978 album by Fairport Convention, the band's thirteenth studio album since their debut in 1968. Recorded in only ten days, it was the last album the band recorded for Vertigo. Simon Nicol later wrote Dave Pegg later said Following the release of Tipplers Tales, Fairport Convention did not record for the following seven years until the Gladys' Leap album in 1985.
Several of the traditional folk songs had previously been recorded by A. L. Lloyd accompanied by Dave Swarbrick. The version of "John Barleycorn" here is close to the version recorded by Traffic, as Steve Winwood had been taught the song by the Watersons. The tune is based on "Wir Pflügen" by Johann Schultz, better known as "We Plough the Fields and Scatter", an old English harvest festival hymn.
Reception
The Manchester Evening News deemed the album "traditional songs and ballads with an uncompromising rock backing," and praised the "undimmed vigour".
Tipplers Tales was described by AllMusic as "not a concept album, even though alcohol is a recurrent motif in many of the traditional numbers", but nonetheless "doing what the band members do best – taking some fine old traditional English jigs, reels, and traditional narratives and putting their own distinctive folk-rock stamp on them".
Track listing All tracks credited as "Traditional" unless otherwise stated
Side one "Ye Mariners All" (including "Bottom of the Punch Bowl" / "East Nuke of Fyfe")Collected in 1907 and previously recorded separately by A. L. Lloyd and Martin Carthy – 4:29 "Three Drunken Maidens"An ancient song, over 200 years old when recorded by A. L. Lloyd – 2:46 "Jack O'Rion" (Including "Turnabout" / "Tiree" / "Miss Stevenson's" / "Do It Again" / "March of the Last" / "Turnabout") – 11:04The main track is a version of the Child Ballad "Glasgerion" A previous version by A. L. Lloyd had featured Dave Swarbrick's violin-playing.
Side two "Reynard the Fox" – 3:02 "Lady of Pleasure" (Allan Taylor) – 2:34 "Bankruptured" (Dave Pegg) – 1:55 "The Widow of Westmorland" – 3:23Another prior collaboration between Lloyd and Swarbrick. Lloyd suggested in his sleevenotes that Francis Child refused to include this song in his collection due to its bawdiness. "The Hair of the Dogma" (Dave Pegg) – 1:48 "As Bitme" (Dave Pegg, Bruce Rowland) – 1:40 "John Barleycorn" – 4:39
Personnel Fairport Convention Dave Swarbrick – fiddle, mandolin, mandocello, vocals Simon Nicol – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, dulcimer, piano Dave Pegg – bass guitar, guitar, mandolin, vocals Bruce Rowland – drums, percussion, electric piano
Technical Barry Hammond – engineer
Release history 1978, May : Vertigo 9102022 UK LP 1989, October : Beat Goes on Records BGO LP72 UK LP 2002, November : Vertigo 512988-2 UK CD (with The Bonny Bunch of Roses) 2007, February : Vertigo 984305-2 UK CD
References