Myths and Heroes is a 2015 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in January 2015 on the band's own Matty Grooves Records label. The band have released over 30 albums since their debut, Fairport Convention, in 1968.

Myths and Heroes
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 2015
RecordedWoodworm Studios, Oxfordshire
GenreBritish folk rock
Length51:19
LabelMatty Grooves
ProducerJohn Gale with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention chronology
By Popular Request
(2012)
Myths and Heroes
(2015)
50:50@50
(2017)


Recording and release

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Recording for the album began in March 2014 and concluded in November. During their winter tour at the beginning of the year, the band played some of the material destined for the album as a taster for their live audience. The album became available for pre-order on the Fairport Convention website starting on 1 January 2015 (and was also available at all shows on the band's subsequent tour) and was released officially in March, along with limited edition Vinyl copies of the album.[1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
musicOMH     [3]
PopMatters          [4]
Record Collector     [5]
The Guardian     [6]

John Murphy of musicOMH complimented the instrumental performances on Myth and Heroes[3] while Kingsley Abbott of Record Collector praised Chris Leslie's vocals on the album.[5]

Track listing

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  1. "Myths and Heroes" (Chris Leslie)
  2. "Clear Water" (Ralph McTell)
  3. "The Fylde Mountain Time / Roger Bucknall's Polka" (Chris Leslie / Dave Pegg)
  4. "Theodore's Song" (Chris Leslie)
  5. "Love at First Sight" (Chris Leslie)
  6. "John Condon" (Richard Laird / Sam Starrett / Tracey McRory)
  7. "The Gallivant" (Ric Sanders)
  8. "The Man in the Water" (Rob Beattie)
  9. "Bring Me Back My Feathers" (Anna Ryder)
  10. "Grace and Favour" (Chris Leslie)
  11. "Weightless / The Gravity Reel" (James Wood / Chris Leslie)
  12. "Home" (PJ Wright)
  13. "Jonah's Oak" (Ric Sanders)

Limited edition vinyl

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  1. "Myths and Heroes" (Chris Leslie)
  2. "Clear Water" (Ralph McTell)
  3. "The Man in the Water" (Rob Beattie)
  4. "Bring Me Back My Feathers" (Anna Ryder)
  5. "Home" (PJ Wright)
  6. "Love at First Sight" (Chris Leslie)
  7. "John Condon" (Richard Laird, Sam Starrett, Tracey McRory)
  8. "The Gallivant" (Ric Sanders)
  9. "Weightless / The Gravity Reel" (James Wood / Chris Leslie)

Personnel

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Guest musicians
  • Matt Pegg – bass guitar on tracks 1, 4, 10 & 12
  • Joe Broughton – violin on "The Gallivant"
  • Paloma Trigas – violin on "The Gallivant"
  • Aria Trigas – violin on "The Gallivant"
  • Rob Spalton – trumpet on "The Gallivant"
  • Jake Thornton – alto saxophone on "The Gallivant"
  • Benjamin Hill – alto saxophone on "The Gallivant"
  • Emma Jones – tenor saxophone on "The Gallivant"

References

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  1. ^ "Fairport Convention News". Fairport Convention. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Myths and Heroes by Fairport Convention Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b Murphy, John (4 March 2015). "Fairport Convention – Myths & Heroes". musicOMH. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (20 May 2015). "Fairport Convention: Myths and Heroes". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b Abbott, Kingsley (May 2015). "Fairport Convention – Myths And Heroes". Record Collector. No. 440. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  6. ^ Denselow, Robin (5 March 2015). "Fairport Convention: Myths and Heroes review – folk-rockers' confident return". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2017.