In 1981 four guys decided to play a few gigs together, gigs which have gone down in folk rock folklore as Ralph McTell joined forces with three ex-Fairporters, Richard Thompson, Dave Pegg and Dave Mattacks to perform gigs which comprised classic rock ‘n’ roll, americana, Elton John, and some McTell and Thompson originals. Taking their name from the recent assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, The Grazed Pontiffs (quickly shortened), they played at the Fairport reunion at Broughton Castle and three others gigs, but apart from a brief reunion many years later that was it. When a decision was made to remaster and reissue the recordings from the Broughton Castle set, a call went out for photos and information from fans, during which another recording was discovered from Horsham, and this album has been put together from these two sources.
The recording quality does vary, so don’t expect perfection, but what we do have here are some quite extraordinary performances from folk royalty. For example, Thompson’s take on Dylan’s “Going Going Gone” is, in my opinion, far superior to the original, full of pathos, energy and emotion. Anyone interested in any of those players involved, or Fairport, folk rock or Americana will find a great deal here to enjoy. It is an album being performed by guys who were doing it solely for the love of the music. McTell and Thompson already had significant solo careers, Peggy was playing in Jethro Tull, Mattacks was/is one of the most in-demand session drummers there are, and a reunited Fairport and ‘Gladys’ Leap’ were not even a speck on the horizon. What we have here is four guys wanting to go out, play the music they love, and have some fun. This comes through in the performance, as I am sure everyone onstage was smiling all the time, the audience certainly were. Yes, some of the sound is a little muddy here and there, but who cares? This is one of the times when the music really does exceed expectations, and while all the band are superb, Thompson was on fire and anyone who loves his music needs this.
Rating: 8/10