A photo session was held in “Baan Lek” Chris’ house at the time in Chester for the cover shot for “Mayfair”. Whereas “Oath” and “Captain Parrot” both had strong visual images which fit the album titles the cover of “Mayfair” was not particularly in keeping with the theme.
Time was short however and despite not liking the final photo, a shot of Chris in a funky purple hat and waistcoat and Nick wearing a street-wise suede jacket, they preferred it to the alternative shots and conceded it would have to do.
It was a little disappointing after the brilliant album photos from “Magic” all the way through to “Oath” and possibly “Captain Parrot” that they had slapped such an uninspired mug shot on the cover of what might have turned out to have been their last album. But there was no going back. The cover remained and the album was released in early December.
The year had been an incredible milestone. Three albums recorded back to back right after 1993’s “Feed The Monkey”. Although “Mayfair” was slightly disappointing in comparison to “Captain Parrot” it was still light years advanced of “Magic” and certainly way ahead of “Monkey” in many respects, particularly in terms of polish.
It was a mellow album for a mellow time. As the festive season arrived it was a sad time for Nick and Chris who knew that their glorious year was over, a year that would never be repeated and perhaps never bettered, certainly in terms of quantity.
With “Mayfair” released and Chris on his way out of the country there was a sobering chill to the winter streets of Chester and Northwich such a long way removed from the warm summer days of “If I Was a Poet”.
It had also been a great year for the pair personally. They had spent a lot of time together as friends, partying together, cooking together and just hanging out together as they had not done really since the Abbey Gate days. For it all to be coming to an end and for them to bare up to it reflected their great belief in their friendship and in their band and it’s long term validity.
Just before Chris flew to Thailand however the pair managed to squeeze one final day’s recording session in. And thank God they did !
For the last musical legacy they would leave in 1994 would be two brand new tracks that wound up on the essential Christmas release “Genius Part II” !
Following the formula of the original release the album also contained the greatest hits of their last three albums; “The Oath of Two Bally Rotters”, “Captain Parrot” and “Mayfair Calypso Club”. But it was the two new tracks that everyone was interested in.
Quite incredibly the two tracks hastily written and recorded in one day captured much of the magic which had perhaps been missing on “Mayfair”. Whether it was the magnitude of the circumstances which surrounded the recording or whether it was just fortune the two songs are a pair of belters which closed a chapter in F/P history !
“Red Sky Tonight” is a brooding, ominous, muggy masterpiece that encompasses all the strength of emotions and passions storming inside Poustie at this eclipsing moment in his life. The verses are overcast and heavy with weary, battered lyrics like “I’ve no more strength inside to hurt you with”. But the choruses start foreboding but instead offer a brief glimpse of light and relief from the storm “There’s a red sky tonight….all the world would be in peace if we didn’t fight tonight…..There’s a red sky tonight and if you tell me that we’re through with fighting everything would be alright….tonight”.
There is also a magnificent, groovy-hippyish rhythmic bridge that nods and bumps along funkily “You know baby that I love you so” followed by Beatlesy “Aah-Aahs” . This builds into a menacing orchestral passage complete with staccato guitar breaks and ambient “Hold On’s” from a very in-form Poustie vocally.
Finally the final verse comes to a crashing breathtaking climax before a final chorus radiantly encompasses the song and changes the mood dramatically and positively as though the clouds disappear and are replaced by glorious, sparkling sunny rays. The effect is wonderfully uplifting and captured by a masterful re-working of the old chorus from a minor to a major scale. Absolutely fantastic. This was F/P back to their very best; evocative and masterfully original ! Possibly Poustie’s finest song to-date and also a slight hint of his later works.
Fawcett’s offering was the brilliant rocker “Don’t You Fall With Me”. Unlike almost anything on “Mayfair” the song starts with a fabulously rocking riff that positively cranks up the volume a few decibels and rips the guitar strings out of the speakers ! Over the riff is a wicked screeching guitar lick, very rock and very ‘70’s, an indication that Fawcett like Mr. P is back on top form with his foot firmly on the accelerator and his guitar thrust into gear !
Then, quite suavely, the riff suddenly disappears and we’re left with mellower, laid back strumming verses with Fawcett in top voice lulling the audience into a charming lazy groove “Don’t you love it when the morning knocks on your door and wakes you up with a kiss and tell”. This is fresh stuff from Mr. F, breezy and refreshing after his more tidy and commercial songs on “Mayfair”. Then he confidently struts into a cocky pre-chorus “Why do we keep on moving on ? I know this ain’t my final song if it is what went wrong ? Will I be counting the days so long ?”. This line of questioning is obviously aimed at himself and aimed at Chris in a frustrated and angry tone that is a tribute to his dedication to the cause and his belief in F/P’s rock’n’roll legacy. Following that the chorus comes in, again very cool and very ‘70’s rock with a slight hint of gospel in the backing vocals which confront Chris head-on “Why do we have to fly….just to get that high ?” before the chilling title line summons in the deafening heavy riff once again.
The second verse is a warm and personal message from Mr. F to P very reminiscent of Poustie’s tribute to Fawcett on the song “Wish You Were Here” this time Fawcett raises the toast back “If you’re ever feeling lonely when you’re drinking a beer I’ll be drinking to you”. Following the second chorus the boys give the die-hards another dose of what they had been missing recently ! Perhaps having learnt their lesson from the oh-so-many bland and melodic solos on “Mayfair” the duo launch into two of their most ferocious and viscous solos ever recorded ! Chris’s solo is frantic and wild, totally out of control and furious. The angst and passion are finally released in the most fitting and exciting of manners. Fawcett similarly goes completely wild and orgasmic working the frets of his Les Paul into an utter frenzy of screeches and screams ! Almost too good to be true. F/P had saved their magic reputation at the midnight hour and produced two awesome songs full of all the necessary ingredients. But the final tip of the hat from our departing heroes was the back-to-back widdle-fest that ends the song as the boys face off in a musical dual that goes on and on until the song finally and feverishly blows itself out ! Aha ! They’d not lost it after all !
In some ways it was a pity that the two little gems recorded on that cold, dark winters day had not ended up on “Mayfair”. Instead they were the talk of the “Genius” album. But in 1999 they were retroactively added as bonus tracks to the re-mastered “Mayfair” following the “I Need Your Love ‘94” and “Sunshine Girl (acoustic) ‘94”. “Sunshine Girl” was recorded in the same sessions as “Red Sky” and “Fall” but not released on album until the re-mastering of “Mayfair”. The song was re-worked in a light-hearted, acoustic setting with Poustie on bongos and backing vocals and Fawcett doing the rest.
And so, on a dark winters night, at an Italian restaurant near Chester Cathedral Chris and Nick sat down for a final dinner together.
After a year of hard work and fun in which they had recorded hours of classic, magical rock they sat down to raise a toast to the year, to the friendship and to the future. The future was so completely unknown but as they raised the toast they knew that no matter how long or how hard it would be that this was not the end. The best was yet to come.
"Mama Mia's" closed the curtain on a cold night at the end of a long hot year.