Jun 1, 2009

FAIRPORT CONVENTION - FAIRPORT CONVENTION (A&M 1969) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 3 bonus




The best British folk-rock band of the late '60s, Fairport Convention did more than any other act to develop a truly British variation on the folk-rock prototype by drawing upon traditional material and styles indigenous to the British Isles. While the revved-up renditions of traditional British folk tunes drew the most critical attention, the group members were also (at least at the outset) talented songwriters as well as interpreters. They were comfortable with conventional harmony-based folk-rock as well as tunes that drew upon more explicitly traditional sources, and boasted some of the best singers and instrumentalists of the day.
..................................
Sandy Denny's haunting, ethereal vocals gave Fairport a big boost on her debut with the group. A more folk-based album than their initial effort, What We Did on Our Holidays was divided between original material and a few well-chosen covers. This contains several of their greatest moments: Denny's "Fotheringay," Richard Thompson's "Meet on the Ledge," the obscure Joni Mitchell composition "Eastern Rain," the traditional "She Moves Through the Fair," and their version of Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine." And more than simply being a collection of good songs (with one or two pedestrian ones), it allowed Fairport to achieve its greatest internal balance, and indeed one of the finest balances of any major folk-rock group. The strong original material, covers of little-known songs by major contemporary songwriters such as Dylan and Mitchell, and updates of traditional material were reminiscent of the blend achieved by the Byrds on their early albums, with Fairport Convention giving a British slant to the idiom. The slant would become much more British by the end of the 1960s, though, both gaining and losing something in the process.
.....................................
Confusingly, What We Did on Our Holidays was titled Fairport Convention in its initial US A&M release, with a different cover from the U.K. edition, although Fairport's very first US album from 1968 had used the title Fairport Convention but on a different label (Cotillion), as well. This reissue adds three bonus tracks from the same era, one from a BBC broadcast, one from a non-LP B-side, and one a studio outtake....
Here

8 comments:

vincent the soul chef said...

Here's one that my wife will love... and me too :) Thanks as always...

Peace and blessings.

Anonymous said...

Great band in their day, you can hear FC's influence in 10,000 Maniac's music.

Many thanks for your great site, keeping the links cool, and all your hard work!

ge said...

Is not BOOK SONG [Ian and Sandy's harmony] perfect??
and EASTERN RAIN--what an atmosphere it creates.

Heli0tr0pe said...

Thanks bro, great blog. Just linked you to mine:

http://greenalienchick.blogspot.com/

And chance of a linkswap...?

Thanks!
TSM

Georgie Hirezola said...

thanks for your comments.
"HeliOtrOpe" just linked you too...
Best
Georgie+++++

Anonymous said...

Fantastic reiusse. Thankx for all.

Trematax said...

Very cool this cover. Thankx for this. I love Sandy.

mike kemps said...

Thanks for all the hard work. Much appreciated.