The South African Rock Encyclopedia > Vagabond’s World > Obscurities > Albums > Revelations – A Musical Anthology For Glastonbury Fayre 1971
One of the ’70s compilation albums that helped shape my music tastes.
Introduction
I bought this triple LP in December 1975 on a sale for R3 (a new single LP cost then about R5.50!) at Hillbrow Record Centre. [R=Rand, South African currency]
I was intrigued by the artist line-up; some of my favourites like Bowie, Edgar Broughton Band and Gong were featured, as well as bands I had heard of, but not heard before, like The Grateful Dead, Pink Fairies, etc.
There was no writing on the front cover, just the wonderful pyramid pictured above. In fact the whole sleeve unfolds into one big poster. The track list is on a separate sheet (“The Electric Score”) which was slipped into the back of the plastic protective sleeve. This LP also included a photo booklet of the event with weird hippy stuff and a cut-and-fold miniature silver pyramid.
Tracks
- Dark Star….bury – The Grateful Dead [24.06] Empire Pool Wembley, 8 April 1972
- Love Song – Brinsley Schwartz [4.02] Olympic studios
- A Blanket In My Meusli – Mighty Baby [16.06] Glastonbury Fayre 25 June 1971 5 a.m.
- Sunken Rags – Marc Bolan [2.36] Marc’s Home
- Classified – Pete Townshend [3.58] Peter’s Home
- Supermen – David Bowie [2.44] Trident studios, rare alternate version
- Silver Machine & Welcome – Hawkwind [7.28] Roundhouse Chalk Farm 13 February 1972
- Sun Music – Skin Alley [5.20] Trident studios
- Glad Stoned Buried Fielding Flash And Fresh Fest Footprints In My Memory – Daevid Allen and Gong [23.00] Glastonbury Fayre 22 June 1971
- Do It – Pink Fairies [3.20] Glastonbury Fayre 24 June 1971
- Uncle Harry’s Last Freak-Out – Pink Fairies [19.43] Glastonbury Fayre 24 June 1971
- Out Demons Out – Edgar Broughton Band [20.00] Glastonbury Fayre 24 June 1971
Playlists
Mixcloud
YouTube
Spotify
Since I can’t listen to the “Glastonbury Fayre Festival” album on Spotify, I’ve reimagined the album based on what is accessible to me.
Release information
3LP Set: April 1972, Revelations REV1/2/3 (UK) – limited edition of 5000.
Artwork & Packaging
Front cover
Front page of booklet
Unpacking video
Comments
ALL FREE
Glastonbury Fayre was held at Worthy Farm, Pilton, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, from Sunday June 20 to Thursday June 24, encompassing Midsummers Day. It was a fair in the medieval tradition, embodying the legends of the area, with music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and the opportunity for spontaneous entertainments.
There was no monetary profit – it was free.
Performing Schedule
A performing schedule is included in the booklet. It is typed, but with numerous hand-written strike-throughs, crosses, additions, etc. There is an entry “‘Jimi Hendrix – Rainbow Bridge’ Midnight” – presumably this film was screened at midnight on the Monday night.
It seems Pink Floyd were scheduled to play at 1 a.m. on the morning of the 23rd, but their name is scratched out!
A random selection of performers from the schedule (not listed above): Traffic, Terry Reid, Toad, Magic Michael, Dave (probably Dave Cousins as his name appears next to a scratched-out Strawbs), Quintessence, Quiver, The Fantasees, Arthur Brown, The Illusions…
The festival moved to the time of the Summer Solstice and was known as the “Glastonbury Fayre”. It had been planned by Andrew Kerr (Randolph Churchill’s PA for many years) and Arabella Churchill who felt all other festivals at the time were over commercialised. It was paid for by the few who supported the ideal so the entrance was free and took a medieval tradition of music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and spontaneous entertainment. It was in this year that the first “pyramid” stage was constructed out of scaffolding and expanded metal covered with plastic sheeting, built on a site above the Glastonbury-Stonehenge ley line. The musicians who performed recorded a now very rare album. The festival is also captured “a la Woodstock” by a film crew that included Nick Roeg and David Puttnam. This film was called “Glastonbury Fayre”.
Acts included: Hawkwind, Traffic, Melanie, David Bowie, Joan Baez and Fairport Convention.
Attendance: estimated at 12,000.
Price: Free
Big Bucks
“Revelations” has been released on CD. I managed to get hold of a copy (it’s a double disc) about 18 months ago. My copy is number 0811 of 1000 pressed, complete with all the booklets and even the same cutout pyramid (obviously scaled down!) that appeared in the original sleeve. The catalogue number is Fest 1/2, and it appears to be a German pressing. The sound quality, I must add, is not that fantastic, but for a collector, it’s fine!
Hold onto your LP copy – it’s worth big bucks – I was offered over 300 Pounds for mine about four years ago!
Leon Economides, January 1999
![Glastonbury Fayre [Unofficial Italian CD 1991]](https://i0.wp.com/sarockmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/revelations-cd-2.jpg?resize=600%2C473&ssl=1)
I was there!
I was actually at the Fayre in 1971 (I was then at university in nearby Bristol), and appear for about a second at the edge of one frame of the movie! I once had a copy of the original album which got lost years ago. However, when living in Holland around 1992-93 I picked up a bootleg set of the album which seems to be different from the one you mention.
This one is renamed “Glastonbury Fayre Festival“, and is a double CD on Buccaneer Records (catalogue number BUC 029/2) including miniature (too small to read!) copies of the original sleeve and cutouts. It includes all the original tracks in OK quality (presumably taken from a good copy of the LPs).
I understand that the movie is now available on video, and intend to purchase a copy.
Best regards, Rod Parkes, May 2000
Artists
The Grateful Dead
This live version of “Dark Star” from Empire Pool Wembley, London on 8 April 1972, was edited down to 24 minutes and included on “Revelations” as “Dark Star….bury”. The Grateful Dead did not appear at the Glastonbury Fayre Festival, but they supplied this song for the album release.
Mighty Baby
This original 36 minute jam on John Coltrane’s “India” was edited to appear on the “Revelations” album. The “blanket in my muesli” comment is actually from “Goin’ Down To Mongoli“.
Gong
Gong At Glastonbury
…and if you were wondering who was playing in the band – so are we. How was Peter Pussydog, the Tangerine Flash in California, and how come Laurie Allan was gigging in London with Fat Harry when Gong appeared at Glastonbury? So who in their right mind would want to work out the everyday rational reason when the result is (anyway) this recording by Venux.
Daevid Allen, 1972
In fact, Pyle and Allan are both featured on this album. The reason is that it comes from different recordings: Glastonbury in 1971 (with Pip Pyle) and Nanterre 1972 (with Laurie Allan).
Notes on Gong’s Glastonbury Fayre 1971 CD, 2002
![Gong - Glastonbury Fayre 1971 [CD 2002]](https://i0.wp.com/sarockmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gong-glastonbury-fayre.jpg?resize=600%2C540&ssl=1)
Glad Stoned Buried Fielding Flash And Fresh Fest Footprints In My Memory
- Introduction
- It’s Only The World Said The Girl
- Dexter (Electricity cut)
- Fun Gods:
- Ha Ha
- Name Game
- Toe Cake
- Awe Mantram
- Dingobox
- John Peel’s Judgement
- Divine Mother
- Radio Gnome (Explosion)
- Bambolay / Ya Sunne
- Applause / Dexter
No, I don’t know what it all means either!
Film
Poster
Digitally restored documentary by Nic Roeg with performances of:
Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come – “All Forms and Distinctions”
Family – “Drowned in Wine”
Fairport Convention – “Dirty Linen”
Gong – “Tried So Hard”
Magic Michael
Melanie – “Peace Will Come (According to Plan)”
Quintessence – “Giants”
Terry Reid (with Linda Lewis) – “Dean”
Traffic – “Gimme Some Lovin'”
Trumpton and the Riots
Tonto’s Expanding Head Band