Following the history of Fawcett / Poustie up until mid-1994 you could have likened the band’s musical progression to the launch of a space shuttle; always onwards and upwards. However as the band’s triumphant year of destiny continued it would seemingly take on the guise of a roller-coaster about to take it’s first significant twists and turns.

Following the enormous achievement and successes of 1994’s earlier albums, “Oath” and “Captain Parrot” the boys continued to enjoy the ride of creativity which they were journeying on and did not want it to slow down.

Almost immediately after the Captain Parrot sessions were over Nick and Chris invited Justin Foster, Nick’s brother, to add his inimitable guest vocals to a re-recording of the band’s pop-classic “I Need Your Love”. Unlike the original “Nancy’s” version the ’94 version included Nick on guitar and the verses were performed in a heavy blues style unlike the jaunty pop of the piano-only original.

Although the song was recorded late at night after a few drinks and as something of a throw-away it turned out to be something of a hidden gem which was quickly thrown on to the end of “Captain Parrot” as an un-credited bonus track. The song was later taken off the re-mastered version of “Captain Parrot” released in 1999 and included on the end of “The Mayfair Calypso Club” instead along with 3 other bonus tracks.

And the band would not stop there. Living in the same country for the first time in years Chris and Nick were making the most of the opportunity to play together and make music. As the hot summer of 1994 started to fade away and the first signs of Autumn began to appear the band starting demoing new songs.

The idea was to just record when the opportunity arose. There was no timetable or schedule. If they felt the urge they recorded. This was unlike their typical approach to rock’n’roll which was usually cram it in as tightly as possible so as to meet the deadlines.

In early Autumn, just weeks after the release of “Captain Parrot” they recorded two songs “Suzy” and “Make It” which ultimately turned out to be the first sessions for their next album “The Mayfair Calypso Club”. The demos were good but because time was abundant they were dropped and re-recorded. This was a novel idea for the band, the luxury of being able to record and re-record, demo and dispose. Normally the first recording was the last recording and bumps and warts had to be taken and learned to live with and love in time.

As it turned out it took Chris 3 totally different recordings of “Make It” until he was happy with the finished product. Similarly it was the 3rd version of “Suzy” which ended up on the “Mayfair” album although Nick and Chris still hold a place in their hearts for the original first recording of the song which was slightly more poppy and included the line “You’re the lion in my heart” which was later ditched for “You’re the light shining in my heart”.

As Autumn wore on though and the winter cold started to creep in the Mayfair sessions started to grow in significance. What had previously started out as casual recording sessions without schedule or deadline were now turning into a matter of the utmost importance.

It was already well known by this time that Chris was once again going to rock the good ship F/P and leave the country. But unlike his stints in Wales, Northern Ireland and the Philippines, this time he was going with a one-way ticket !

Many people have never understood the reasons behind his departure. At the time Chris told everyone he was setting sale for Hong Kong at the end of December whereas despite buying a ticket for the old colony he never arrived there, preferring instead to set up home in Bangkok, Thailand.

But neither, if the truth be known, did Chris understand it. He was heading off on his life journey with a one way ticket to a life in the New World. Where this would leave F/P was anyone’s guess and Chris himself harboured serious fears for the band’s and the partnership’s future.

The future for F/P was at it’s bleakest and so the importance of the Mayfair sessions grew out of all proportion. What had started off as a spontaneous and casual collection of enjoyable recordings was fast turning into a possible swan song for the world’s greatest ever band. If not confirmed as the band’s epilogue it was at least going to be the last album for a while and for how long nobody knew.

But the band went on as if it was business as usual. The sessions continued and more songs were recorded “Lemonade Girl” came from the love-struck Fawcett whilst Poustie chipped in the pondering “Perhaps”.

All the songs were steady, and beautiful but they were no longer earth-shattering. The silliness and majesty of their earlier albums seemed to have dried up. The songs were nicely polished and class examples of F/P songwriting and production but they were not ball-busting original epics.

Perhaps this was why Chris was leaving the country. Living in each other’s company Fawcett / Poustie had become a 24-hour-a-day rock’n’roll machine which had spurned 3 albums in less than a year and was already well on their way to the 4th album. The creative level of “Monkey”, “Oath” and “Captain Parrot” was unprecedented and unbelievable and yet Chris and Nick did not sit back and rest they kept recording.

Ultimately something had to give. But it wasn’t so much as that the songs weren’t up to scratch as much as that there was a spark missing. Whether it was the fact that Chris’ heart was not in it or whether the gravity of the situation was overwhelming them or whether they were wiped out is not known. But the band could hear that the new recordings had less sparkle than their earlier works.

At the time Nick had fallen in love for the first time in his life and so could be forgiven for not producing the most furious of his works. His lyrics tended to veer on the romantic side whereas in the past they had been more imaginative and adventurous. The heartfelt ballads were gorgeous but it was becoming evident that the album was becoming rather too sweet.

Whereas on “Captain Parrot” the boys had challenged themselves to write “Twisted” rockers to counter their commercial tendencies on the “Mayfair” sessions they were not setting themselves any targets or limitations.

Following in the “Monkey” and “Oath” footsteps, and probably because inspiration and time were beginning to run short, it was decided that “Mayfair” would be in the classic 10-song format which had so far served them so well.

“Captain Parrot” had been an unmitigated success but would probably have benefited with a couple less of the throw-away songs.

Without the restrictions “Mayfair” was developing into something of a lighter weight F/P album. Heavy Metal had never been the band’s weapon of choice however they were hard rockers who delved into numerous musical avenues. The new sessions were not branching out in the same manner as they once had.

Chris wrote “Love For All Seasons” on a late Autumn afternoon at the grand piano in the Coach House. It was one of his finest pieces of song-writing to-date and yet it was another ballad. He would later write another ballad “One and Only Love” to go along with his ballad “Perhaps”, the simple rock’n’roll of “Ring Ring” and the mid-tempoish rock of “Make It”. Hardly the most dynamic of collections.

Nick added to his sweet “Suzy” and pop-treacley “Lemonade Girl” with the ballad “Butterfly”, the rock and rolling “Rollercoaster Ride” and the sole heavy rock-meister “Mayfair Calypso Club”.

All in all it was by far their lightest collection of songs to-date and demonstrated a band high on love and low on crazy capers.

“Love For All Seasons” was chosen uncharacteristically as the album’s opener. Not since “Nancy’s Tea Party” opened their first album had the band opened with a soft song and this was the first time it was a fully-fledged opener whereas “Tea Party” had been merely an instrumental intro. Perhaps it was a bold move. The more typical opener “Mayfair Calypso Club” would have been a cliched opener and the last thing this album needed were more cliched F/P tricks.

The album has an honest, no-frills approach which was given increased credence with “LFAS” as the opener.

The song jumps straight in with rich cello, supplied once again by Monica Foster, lush vocals and gentle piano and guitar. It is a fantastic song that is superbly produced and performed to perfection. The band is tight and the production crisp. It may not be a heavy opener but the song was definitely worthy of the opening slot on the album and remains one of F/P’s greatest hits.

As the cello fades out politely the riff to “Lemonade Girl” jumps in and it’s a typical commercial rocker with all the trade-marked Fawcett harmonies and hooks. Similar in some ways to “Blue Skies” it was a worthy single contender along with “LFAS”. The groove is upbeat and the vocals delivered with power and conviction from Fawcett who also adds a tasty widdling solo before the rather weak and uninspired delicate piano solo provided by Poustie. A nice song by all means but glossy and typical of the album in it’s squeaky clean sugar-coated lyrics and melodies.

“Make It” is perhaps the most interesting song on the album and one of the few examples of real musical exploration on “Mayfair”. There are several levels to the song which starts lazy and tuneful with slight tinges of jazz and blues. The colourful harmonies also abound as do pop-friendly candy-powered good-time choruses. There is also a sweetly-sweetly high range piano solo and brilliant rhythmic “take-it-down” section complete with bongos, shakers and harmonies. It’s a very strong and well written song but one which does just lack a little of the loony magic of old. Excellent but not monumental stuff from Mr. P.

Next up it’s Fawcett’s “Rollercoaster Ride” which despite the great name never quite lives up to it’s thrilling title. Again it’s a well written song but the production is slightly weaker than on the first three songs. The coordination and power of the chords is lost as the piano and guitar fail to unify and truly power the song. The guitar solo is quite fantastic however and dances and darts, tweaks and perks around nicely always managing to hit the right amount of nasty blues notes and raunchy thrills necessary. The chorus is not the biggest Fawcett has ever delivered but there is a really tasteful laid back rendition later in the song that adds a little dimension to an otherwise rather un-thrilling rock’n’roll ride.

Rounding off Side One is Poustie’s throw-away rock’n’roller “Ring Ring”. It’s a good song but again hardly sets off major fire works or demonstrates the band’s musical genius at its most original or breathtaking. The song was written in an hours time and does not hold any surprises. The singing is good and the musicianship tight but that’s about all the song has to offer other than being a decent rock song. Both the solos are dreadfully tepid and could have been pulled off in their sleep. This was F/P on cruise control, snoring on the back of the bus.

Another of the very few significant highlights and contenders for best song on the album is “Suzy” which opens up Side 2. Starting with the unrestrained compliment “Suzy you know I think about you every second of every minute of every day” the lyrics are strong romantic lyrics at their very best. Mr. F really puts his heart and soul into the verses which are bluesy and slightly melancholy. The pre-pre-choruses “It’s two o’clock I lie awake knowing you’re not mine to take” are wonderful plot-builders leading into the fiery pre-chorus and cool single-note falsetto chorus’s. Poustie adds yet another bland and flavourless cascading solo before Fawcett delivers a delightful, Spanish-cum-bluesy plucking affair that is reminiscent of some fine Bolin work on “Private Eyes”….much too short but a welcome little treat non-the-less. A tasteful “take it down” section “I’ve been waiting for you” is plush and Poustie’s added vocal harmonies fit in nicely. Finally there is the great steadily building “You’re the light” section that cranks the song back into the good time chorus-to-fade. A great song that like “Make It” was perhaps demoed one too many times.

Next up ? Another ballad. But a good one. “One and Only Love” is a very strong Poustie ballad that hints slightly of a masterpiece but never really gets deep enough. The song has fabulous vocals and harmonies and boasts two fantastic solos. Both solos are exquisite, gentle and harmonious; a pair of overlooked gems. One of the reasons why the song was never hailed as a classic was probably due to the complex timing which has the song running at 2 different speeds with the latter choruses twice as fast as the first chorus and the verses. The idea was probably to give more impetuous and bite to the choruses but instead they come off rather over-produced and cliched against the more impressive slower passages in the song. A fine effort though from Mr. P.

Next up ? Another ballad. Yes this time it’s Mr. F’s “Butterfly” which despite some rather nice gentle verses fails to really take off. The choruses are well below the Fawcett-par and after a while drag the song down to a level it really doesn’t deserve given the fine verses and decent lyrics. The song is not really that bad but the problem is it has no soul and fails to really emote the listener. The piano solo is another example of Poustie wearily delivering polite tuneful melodies with little interest. A disappointment.

Next up ? Another ballad. Yes, but this time it’s slightly more complex and intriguing. “Perhaps” is another very good Poustie song. In fact Chris’ batting averages for Mayfair are far higher than they were on “Captain Parrot”. The verses are all time classics with melodic piano and brilliant harmonic guitar highlights and tastefully delivered vocals and lyrics. The choruses are less staggering but the bridge is powerful and dramatic and launches the song gloriously into the exceptional melodic piano solo that brings in the theme of the lyrics in harmony. A not so spectacular guitar solo and chorus-to-fade round the song off diminishing slightly the highs reached during the bridge to piano solo transition. A very nice song albeit another ballad.

Next up ? Finally ! After such a long wait F/P decide it’s time to turn up the heat and deliver a rock’n’roll rebel-rousing, loony-laced, master-punch. It was too late to really hot up the album but nevertheless it is a very welcome end to the proceedings which by this time in the album had reached an astonishingly mellow trough. A nasty riff builds up the tension nicely before Nick launches into a straight-ahead in-yer-face rock’n’roll riff complete with wacky hair-slicking party-hearty verses along with lyrics that polish the shoes and straighten the dickie and get you in the mood for dancing and romancing the night away. “Mayfair Calypso Club” is F/P back to basics. It’s not the real world but it’s the F/P world in a nutshell. It’s almost like a concession to the fans who had waited so long that F/P finally give the no-holds-barred goods complete with all the trimmings for the first time on the album. Nick and Chris both finally unleash the most dangerous and effective heavy solos that titillate and tantalize and demonstrate what might have been if this album hadn’t have had so many mellow moments. Also unleashed is a classic calypso riff that dances along underneath wonderfully and wacky falsetto backing-chick wailings. Tremendous and original stuff at last ! The chorus’s are welcoming and friendly. The contradiction was that this was the last song on the album and not the first and that it was possibly the last album by a band about to go into hiatus.

Was it really a welcome to the club or was it a show-you-to-the-door ? Whatever, the album and the title song were a host of contradictions. A welcome at the end ? A heavy song the title of a mellow album ? A Calypso Club or a Ballad Ball ? F/P had released a strange album that was set to rule the world.

Because despite the contradictions and the lack of mighty F/P corkers the album was very well received and enjoyed. It was a slick album and does boast some terrific melodic and commercial music displaying the more delicate and harmonious side of the band. The fans loved the album as much as any before it however Nick and Chris were secretly a little bit disappointed with it.

Despite there being many improvements over all their previous albums, definitely in terms of consistency of production and tasteful delivery Nick and Chris consider the album to be the first and only time F/P really failed to improve upon its predecessor. “Captain Parrot” had it’s faults, probably far more than “Mayfair” but it also had far more classic and ingenious magical moments. The magic of F/P rarely shone out on “Mayfair” and that frightened the band.

The band needed the break and change of scene that Chris' departure would afford them. But true to form there was one final trick up the sleeve !