Underestimated, song, artist or group '' gems'' ?

FAIRPORT CONVENTION!!! Now in their 37th year with 23 studio albums and many live recordings to their credit. They will be in the studio next month working on an as-yet untitled release which will be out this summer. Many musicians have passed through their ranks but the band has experienced a relative stability since they rose from the ashes in 1985 with Gladys's Leap.

Sonicbeauty: The solo piano track (trk 10 I believe) on Leonard Cohen's "Future" CD is fantastic...the rest of the CD is not so bad either. Also, if anyone's interested, checkout my posting on "looking for new genres...". Cheb i Sabbah's "Khrishna Lila" I think is different but a gem nonetheless.

Linkster... have you heard any of the Fairport remasters?

Cpdunn99....yes, I own the Full House remaster. It is definitely worth getting even if you own the original CD release. But as innovative and groundbreaking as Fairport was over 30 years ago, I must confess that I prefer the newer studio material. The band has a very different sound now, a more acoustic feel with perhaps somewhat less emphasis on the traditional material. The sound of the band with 30-40 years of professional pedigree under the belt is wonderful. Yes, no Richard Thompson but the jazz influenced violin of Ric Sanders more than makes up for it. I'd advise anyone to check out the last three studio releases entitled (respectively): "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," "The Wood and the Wire," "XXXV." Insofar as their historical work goes, check out the live recording "Before the Moon." Although it is not high quality, I think this version of Fairport was every bit as powerful as the Full House line-up. The only member of the 1974 Fairport who has remained in the band is the legendary David Pegg on bass. Caveat: I am a personal friend of the current band members (Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol, Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway).

I have not heard the new material, being stuck in the dark ages of Full House, Unhalfbricking, Leige and Lief, etc. I'll definitely give one of the newer releases a listen. Thanks for the rec