Fairport's 1997 studio effort WHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIME GOES? commenced with the rollicking "John Gaudie," written and sung by newcomer Chris Leslie. Many a fan must have sighed with relief and thought that, for the first time since the group originally disbanded in 1979, Fairport had an in-house songwriter of substance. Almost as importantly, here was someone to share vocal duties with Simon Nicol. THE WOOD AND THE WIRE boasts nine songs penned by Leslie alone or with Nigel Stonier, three in-house compositions or arrangements, plus two outside efforts including the stirring finale "Rocky Road" from the ever-reliable Steve Tilston. This is also the first studio album to feature drummer Gerry Conway, a veteran of Eclection, Fotheringay and Jethro Tull, so no stranger to students of the Fairport family tree. The heavy reliance on Chris Leslie's songs and light voice will please those who have grown comfy with the sedate pace of recent Fairport offerings. Others may think that Leslie should have submitted fewer songs and honed them to perfection. An arrangement of "Western Wind" injects some traditional fare into the proceedings, but some may yearn for the band to stretch out and rock on an epic ballad.

Fairport Convention officially disbanded in 1979, only to become the hosts of a yearly folk festival/reunion concert every August in England. This album is taken from their August 15, 1981 show, featuring core original Fairport members Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson plus original female singer Judy Dyble, plus later members Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, and Bruce Rowland, and it's a good recapitulation of the band's style, with such numbers new to their repertoire as Bob Dylan's "Country Pie" and Thompson's "Woman or a Man." The presence of Dyble alone was something of a history lesson for newer fans, most of whom were scarcely aware of her participation in the group at the start, prior to Sandy Denny's joining -- Dyble even had to be introduced to the audience and her significance explained. And as with most of these "mega-Fairport" concerts, the cohesion of the players seems startling, considering the number of layers of different lineups and generations represented on-stage -- Thompson's presence is prominent, however, through his guitar playing and the raw, lean quality that his instrument brings to a performance that should have sounded a bit bloated, given the sheer number of musicians. It's precisely that quality that was missing from the band's official live release A Fairport Live Convention and its remixed version (Live Convention), and helps make this reunion so rewarding, capturing an attribute of the early band's work that only the oldest fans ever got to hear on-stage. Dyble's presence is also welcome, and the repertory -- which ranges across the group's history and extends out to folk and rock & roll standards -- is a delight as well. ~ William Ruhlmann & Bruce Eder