Full House
Fairport Convention
A&M SP 4265
1970
I bought this in Berkeley around 1980. This was the fifth album by Fairport Convention and the final studio album with original member Richard Thompson. His departure for a solo career effectively marked the end of the group as an artistically significant unit. They would keep plugging away to this very day (with various hiatuses) and release many more albums of course, some pretty good and one close to awful ("Gottle O'Geer".) However as much as I love the band, I wish they had quit after this one, not even the brief return of Sandy Denny in the mid 1970s could save them from irrelevance. Kudos to them though for hanging in there all these years despite all the adversity. It is rather amazing that this record is as good as it is. The band had to survive the departure of two critical members of the group following the release of "Liege & Lief." Founding member, bassist Ashley Hutchings, was replaced by Dave Pegg who was more than an adequate replacement musically but didn't replace the artistic direction and inspiration offered by Hutchings who had largely been responsible for the band's venture into playing English folk-rock in the first place. Still it was the departure of lead vocalist Sandy Denny that was the more serious problem. In the course of two albums the band went from having two first rate vocalists to having none. Denny was more than just a vocalist, she contributed many key songs and was both the face and arguably the heart of the band. She was irreplaceable although the band's decision not to bring in a new vocalist at all is questionable. Dave Swarbrick assumed most of the vocalist duties and as a vocalist, Swarbrick is an excellent fiddler. Personally I find his voice rather grating and I would have preferred to have Thompson and Simon Nicol do all the singing. Thompson was a little raw at the time, but would develop into a very fine, expressive singer in the coming years. Still the music on this record is so good that even Swarbrick's singing can't detract too much from it and besides a good portion of it consists of instrumentals. The jaunty opening song "Walk Awhile" features Swarbrick, Thompson, Pegg and Nicol all taking turns at the mike. Although composed by Swarbrick and Thompson the song does have a strong traditional feeling to it and it is a lively and humorous song that displays the band's instrumental strength to good effect. This is particularly evident on the next cut, "Dirty Linen." On "Liege & Lief" the band had inaugurated the practice of performing a medley of traditional instrumental dance tunes on their records and there are two such medleys on this album. "Dirty Linen" is my favorite of all the ones the band has ever done. The band's new rhythm section of Pegg and Dave Mattacks kicks ass, Thompson's fingers fly up and down the fretboard and Swarbrick saws away on top of it all like a maniac. It is an incredibly propulsive set of tunes guaranteed to turn the most stubborn wallflower into a lord of the dance. I get happy feet every time I listen to it. On a BBC recording of the song, Nicol says they chose the name for the medley because when they first started doing the song live they were bluffing their way through it, but I find that hard to believe considering how great the recording is. The side concludes with another Thompson/Swarbrick song, the epic "Sloth." Lyrically the song is a bit slight, a few verses decrying war and numerous repetitions of the simple chorus, for some reason the song makes me think of the American Civil War, but it is vague enough to apply to just about any war. This simple song is stretched out by lengthy instrumental passages including some of Thompson's best guitar work with Fairport. The interplay between Thompson and Swarbrick on the solos is mesmerizing and the robust rhythm section relentlessly drives the song to its climax. The song is an absolute classic and it remained in Fairport's repertoire even after Thompson left the band, although frankly none of the other instrumentalists in the band ever came close to matching Thompson's ability. The man is a true wizard of the guitar. "Sloth" joins "A Sailor's Life" as the best example of the band's instrumental brilliance, fully the rival of any jam band from that era. Side two opens with the traditional song "Sir Patrick Spens." The band members trade vocals although Swarbrick sings most of it. The band first attempted the song during the "Liege & Lief" sessions and there are at least two recordings of Sandy Denny singing the song with Fairport which give a tantalizing glimpse of how great this album could have been if she had stuck around. Even with the low-fi nature of the recordings I prefer those Denny versions. Still the official version is very impressive. It has a dynamic arrangement with lots of sterling instrumental work, a fine example of the potential of English folk-rock. On the BBC performance of "Sir Patrick Spens" Simon Nicol notes that the band was unhappy with the original tune ("a bit AC/DC" he says but I have no idea what he means by that) and substituted the tune of another Child ballad, "Hughie the Graeme." I had trouble understanding the song when I first heard it. I had to go to the library and look it up in the Child ballads just to figure out all the words and realize it is about a conspiracy to kill a bunch of Scottish lords. Next up is "Flatback Caper" another dance tune melody. It is not as exciting as "Dirty Linen" but it is sure to get your toe tapping. I might question the wisdom of including a second instrumental on the album, but if it keeps Swarbrick from singing I'm fine with it. "The Doctor of Physick" is the final Thompson/Swarbrick song on the album and it is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is a sinister song about Doctor Monk who preys upon girls who think "improper" thoughts and steals their maidenheads. It features a superb riff and the group shares the vocal. I've always wondered if this song is derived from Chaucer, but I've never seen anything to confirm this. In "The Canterbury Tales" one of the characters is a Doctor of Physick and his tale concerns a father who beheads his daughter rather than allowing a corrupt judge to rape her. Regardless of the inspiration for it, it is a terrific song full of atmosphere and another example of the band's unparalleled skill at replicating traditional music styles. The album concludes in a gloomy manner with the mournful traditional song, "Flowers of the Forest" which laments the loss of life in an ancient English victory over Scotland. It might have been moving if Sandy Denny were singing it, but Swarbrick dominates the group vocal and to me having him sing a slow dirge is almost like fingernails scraping a chalkboard. It is easily my least favorite Fairport song on their first five albums. There was originally an eighth song intended for this album, Thompson/Swarbrick's "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman" but Thompson had it withdrawn prior to pressing. That is unfortunate because it would have been the best song on this album and lifted it to a higher status in my opinion. Thompson would later add some overdubs with his then wife, Linda Thompson, and release it on "(guitar, vocal)" and the Fairport version would later surface on archival releases as well as the CD re-issue of this album. It is one of my favorite Fairport songs and another fine example of Thompson's skill at utilizing traditional elements in contemporary songwriting. Even without this song though, I still admire this album and I've played it a lot through the years without getting the least bit tired of it. As an added bonus this album has some of the most interesting liner notes I've ever seen. On the back of the cover Richard Thompson has written up the imaginary results of a bunch of games, most of them old and forgotten involving characters from folklore such as Allison Gross as well as characters from the album like the Doctor of Physick. I've never heard of most of the games and I spent a good deal of time back when I got the record looking up the games and characters, no easy task in those pre-internet days. Thompson's account is both amusing and sardonic with lots of violence. I have no desire to try my hand at Badger in the Bag or Sparrow-Mumbling that's for sure. Recommended for folklorists looking for proof that their work has relevance.
No Roses
Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band
Antilles AN-7017
1971
This is the 1976 American release of an album originally released on Pegasus in England. I consider it one of the best English folk-rock albums and it was made by an all-star line-up of English folk performers including the "Liege and Lief" line-up of Fairport Convention minus Dave Swarbrick and Sandy Denny. Ashley Hutchings (who had just married Collins) was the driving force behind the record which sounds a lot like his work with Fairport and Steeleye Span, but Collins herself had a long history as a progressive figure in English folk. Her 1964 collaboration with Davy Graham "Folk Roots, New Routes" is a favorite of mine and is often cited as a pioneering work in liberating English folk from its traditional strait-jacket as is her 1969 album "Anthems in Eden" in which (in collaboration with her sister Dolly) Collins explored new instrumental settings for traditional music. Still neither of those albums approach rock, which this album delivers in spades. The album kicks off with the beat of the drums and Collins launches into "Claudy Banks" which is a familiar folksong about a man who unrecognized by his lover tests her fidelity by telling her that her boyfriend is dead and observing her reaction. It sounds like Fairport Convention until the sax and bassoon kick in. It is followed by the charming "The Little Gypsy Girl" in which the title character induces a wealthy squire to marry her. It is driven by Tony Hall on the melodeon. The stately "Banks of the Bann" follows with some beautiful piano lines from Dolly Collins. It is about a poor boy in love with a wealthy girl whose parents reject him. "Murder of Maria Marten" is an amazing song reminiscent of early Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Three electric guitars rock out accompanied by a fiddle and a hurdy-gurdy supported by the rock solid rhythm section of Ashley Hutchings and Dave Mattacks. Richard Thompson takes the lead supported by Simon Nicol and Quiver's Tim Renwick and the result sounds a lot like the Fairport classic "Sloth" from "Full House." Collins' passionate vocal relates a dark ballad based on a sensational 19th Century murder case and the song alternates between chugging folk-rock and a mournful drone. It is a true folk-rock synthesis and displays the full possibilities of the genre. Side two opens with "Van Dieman's Land" which continues in a similar vein as Collins sings of poachers being exiled to Tasmania as punishment. It has a solid folk-rock backing with pipes and a concertina adding instrumental color as well as an ophicleide. "Just As The Tide Was A'Flowing" reminds me of the first Steeleye Span album, "Hark! The Village Wait," a resemblance heightened by Maddy Prior's presence as a harmony vocalist. It is a sweet song about a bride who misses her sailor husband away at sea. It sounds to me like phasing is applied to the concertina on the song and I'll bet that Hutchings got the idea from the Byrds. Folk singing stalwarts Lal and Mike Waterson as well as Royston Wood of the Young Tradition join Collins on the hunting song "The White Hare." It sounds more folk than rock as does the May Day dance song, "Hal-An-Tow." Rock returns full force on the closing song, "Poor Murdered Woman" with the redoubtable team of Hutchings and Mattacks laying down a forceful rhythm track on which Nicol and Thompson pile on ringing guitar chords with Dolly Collins adding gorgeous piano lines and Dave Bland playing the concertina. This tragic song of murder and class conflict gradually builds in intensity in the best Fairport style and Collins delivers one of her most emotionally powerful vocals. The song gives me chills. It is a great conclusion to a classic record, one of the most fully-realized and satisfying folk-rock records ever, it offers the best of both genres. Recommended for fans of "Liege and Lief" and "Full House."
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Antilles AN-7010
1969
I recently read Patrick Humphries' biography of Nick Drake. It is not a fun read but worthwhile if you are a Drake fan. I had all kinds of questions about the man, but after reading the book he remains a cipher to me. Apparently no one ever really understood him or his problems. I became interested in Drake through Fairport Convention. In my late teens I was obsessed with Fairport and after exhausting the original albums I branched off into their various offshoots. Drake wasn't technically an offshoot, but he was discovered by Ashley Hutchings, was managed and produced by Joe Boyd (who performed the same function with Fairport) and various Fairporters played on his first two albums. This is the American version of Drake's debut album released on Island Records' subsidiary label Antilles in 1976. The original Island release in the U. K. featured a gatefold cover with a different back cover. The picture on the back cover here was originally in the gatefold and the front cover of the Island release was a lighter shade of green. This album was not released in the U. S. during Drake's lifetime although a few of its tracks appear on a rare comp entitled "Nick Drake" that was the only American release of his music while he was alive. One of the things that impressed me in the book was Island's treatment of Drake. Even though he refused to tour and did almost no publicity for his records, they kept him on their roster, gave him complete creative freedom and kept his records in the catalogue despite dismal sales. What American record company would have done that in the 1970s? Kudos to Island and Chris Blackwell! I bought this album around 1980 in Berkeley. I was enormously impressed by it and it has remained a favorite ever since. The album opens with "Time Has Told Me" which is a fatalistic love song which with hindsight seems revealing of his mentality both in its passivity and references to mental unease. Drake's acoustic guitar playing is very distinctive and lovely on this song. According to Humphries, Drake achieved his unique style through unusual tunings and a complicated picking style. He is supported by Richard Thompson on electric guitar although he seems superfluous considering the richness of Drake's own playing. "River Man" is one of Drake's best known songs. It has a haunting melody and enigmatic lyrics. I'm not crazy about the string arrangement, Drake would later complain about the over-production on his first two albums and I can see his point listening to this song. "Three Hours" is one of my favorite songs on the album. It has a Middle Eastern feel to it and a dazzling guitar performance from Drake as well as one of his most compelling vocals. According to Humphries, the song is about a school friend of Drake although the song is enigmatic enough to apply to anyone looking for escape. On "Way To Blue" Drake is accompanied only by a string arrangement by his college friend Robert Kirby. In this case I think the strings do enhance the yearning quality of the song. The lyrics describe someone seeking something, enlightenment or some sort of fulfillment. Again with hindsight it is tempting to see it as a more personal song than it probably really is. The A side concludes with "Day Is Done" featuring Kirby's strings along with Drake on guitar. As with many of the lyrics on the album, Drake uses nature to express his reflections on people and their lives. It is a beautiful, but gloomy song that describes an existential perspective on the insignificance of our daily lives. I love "'Cello Song" which features more splendid guitar work from Drake supported by a hypnotic bass riff from Danny Thompson (of Pentangle) and lovely cello passages courtesy of Clare Lowther. From an instrumental standpoint, I think it is the best song on the record. Lyrically it is yet another song about transcendence and escape. "The Thoughts of Mary Jane" is the most upbeat song on the record. The title character is a bit twee, but it is a relief from the dark tone on most of the other songs. I particularly like the high tempo guitar passage at the end. The jazzy "Man In the Shed" continues the upbeat feeling musically with some propulsive piano support from Paul Harris and typically strong bass lines from Danny Thompson. The lyrics are peculiar, almost silly, although the line "please stop my world from raining through my head" has a lot of resonance considering Drake's future mental problems. "Fruit Tree" is one of Drake's more famous songs and deservedly so. His musings on the transience of fame and particularly on posthumous fame foreshadows Drake's career although he couldn't possibly have known it as the time. Humphries' bio suggests that his lack of success was one of the prime contributors to Drake's mental illness and "Fruit Tree" indicates that it was a subject of considerable significance to Drake. This melancholy song features another string arrangement from Robert Kirby that greatly enhances its emotional impact. The album concludes with "Saturday Sun" which has a jazzy arrangement with Drake on piano and Tristam Fry on vibraphone. The lyrics speak of confusion and missed opportunities, I can hardly resist applying them to Drake's life although I imagine that Drake was just making general observations about life. I'm constantly tempted to filter this album through the myth of Nick Drake that has grown around him since his death, but this album was written and recorded before his mental illness took hold of him, back when he was basically a normal person albeit a withdrawn and shy one. When I first bought this record, I felt Drake was a kindred soul, his lyrics really spoke to me, but now I'm mostly just drawn to the music. I still admire some of his words and his evocative imagery but I don't relate very strongly to his perspective. I think that is just part of getting older. When I was in my teens and twenties, I felt confusion and bewilderment about life and my place in the world, which is now largely gone. Lyrically I relate more to grizzled veterans like Richard Thompson, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan now. But I will always have a soft spot for Drake, I spent many melancholy evenings spinning this album and feeling reassured that someone understood the way I felt back then. He has become such a popular artist, loved by so many people, it is heartbreaking to think that he died in such obscurity, feeling like an abject failure. Recommended for mixed-up college students.
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
A&M SP 4206
1969
I bought this in Berkeley around 1980. It was the third album by Fairport Convention. I wish I had held out for an import copy of the Island Records version of this record with the charming cover image of Sandy Denny's parents in front of their home. Presumably some genius at A&M decided that an image of old people on a record cover would discourage youthful record buyers and substituted a picture of circus elephants instead - brilliant! By 1980 Fairport records were getting tough to find so I grabbed this when I had the chance. This is one of my favorite records, I've played it a lot in the last 30 years. I would have a tough time choosing between "Unhalfbricking" and the second Fairport album (entitled "Fairport Convention" in the American market) as to which one is better, I love them both and consider them both masterpieces. This was the last Fairport album to feature original members Iain Matthews (only on "Percy's Song") who quit for a solo career, although not without some pushing from elements in the band, and Martin Lamble who was killed when the band's van crashed shortly after the album was recorded. It also marks the debut of future member Dave Swarbrick as a guest performer on nearly half the album. Swarbrick would go on to have a big influence on the future direction of the band, a direction I'm not a big fan of, but I appreciate his contributions to this record and at least he doesn't sing. There are only eight songs and every one is a gem. The record begins with Richard Thompson's "Genesis Hall" which I think is among the best of his early songs. This is followed by one of three Dylan covers on the record, "Si Tu Dois Partir", a French language version of "If You Gotta Go, Go Now." It is a rollicking, jug band styled interpretation that produced the group's only hit single in the UK. Sandy Denny's "Autopsy" comes next. It is a rather cold song, particularly the first verse which is almost vicious. I like the jazzy feel of the backing though. Side one closes with "A Sailor's Life" which is the song that gets this album labeled a transitional album so often. It is the only traditional song on the album, the rest of which adheres to the style of the second Fairport album (which actually had two traditional songs on it.) It is an extraordinary performance, Sandy Denny sings with great passion and the guitar-fiddle interplay between Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick is as mesmerizing as anything you will ever hear on a rock album. Thompson's soloing is just magnificent, he established himself as a front rank guitarist with this song. As all folk-rock fans know, the contemporary treatment of traditional music was not new, but "A Sailor's Life" took it to a new level, the rock/folk synthesis is dazzling in its effectiveness. In my opinion nothing on "Liege and Lief" surpasses this epic song, in fact I would venture to say that no song in the folk-rock canon surpasses this song. When I first heard it, it floored me and to this day when I listen to it, I'm enthralled, by the time it is over I'm mentally spent. Just a great, great song. Side two kicks off with Thompson's "Cajun Woman" which is lots of fun, I love the slide guitar and the accordion, it demonstrates the eclecticism that made the early Fairport so awesome. Sandy Denny's signature song "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" is next, if it is not the best song she ever wrote, it is certainly the most famous. I sometimes find Denny's lyrics to be excessively remote or obscure, but that is not the case with this song, a genuine classic and truly beautiful. Dylan covers close out the record. "Percy's Song" boasts a tremendous heartfelt vocal from Denny that lifts what would otherwise be a rather mundane and tedious song. I may be in the minority in that opinion, but it is easy for me to see why Dylan never released the song himself (until "Biograph" anyway.) The gloom of that song is lifted by "Million Dollar Bash" which is another rollicking, humorous song. It is the only song where Denny is not the lead singer, various band members take turns with the verses as well as guest singer Marc Ellington. It is a great way to close the album. Thus ends the happiest chapter in the Fairport saga, tragedy, break-up and mediocrity lay ahead. This is a classic album, one that everyone should hear. Recommended for people who think folk music is boring and old-fashioned, prepare to be blown away.
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
A&M SP 4185
1969
I bought this in Berkeley around 1980 and instantly fell in love with it. This was the second Fairport Convention album which was entitled "What We Did On Our Holidays" in England with an entirely different cover. I normally don't approve of record companies mucking about with album art, but I have to confess that I really like this cover. It is my favorite picture of the group and I had it on display in my room for many years. I am particularly moved by the happy countenance of Martin Lamble in the picture, in less than a year he would be killed in the van crash that nearly put an end to the band. Aside from the altered artwork, the album is the same as its British counterpart. It is a classic album, a folk-rock landmark and one of the best albums of its era. This is my favorite Fairport line-up with new addition Sandy Denny and Iain Matthews handling vocals. Matthews would be pushed out of the group during the sessions for the next record, which I suppose made sense but I miss his contribution to the group. I thought his vocal interplay with Denny worked really well particularly on the lovely "Book Song." This is one of the most graceful and charming pop records I have ever heard, it is full of wonderful singing and exquisite instrumental passages, particularly Richard Thompson's inspired guitar work. Ever since I first heard it, I have considered the haunting "She Moves Through the Fair" to be the most beautiful pop song in existence. Denny's vocal on that song makes me quiver every time I hear it. Denny's own "Fotheringay" is also astonishingly atmospheric and moving and features some wonderful acoustic guitar interplay. Anyone who has ever heard the early Fairport's BBC recordings knows what a great cover band they were and this record is no exception with memorable covers of Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine" and Joni Mitchell's "Eastern Rain. Richard Thompson asserts himself as an unusually talented songwriter with "Book Song," "No Man's Land," "Tale in a Hard Time," and the classic "Meet on the Ledge." It is hard to believe that Thompson was only about 20 years old when he wrote "Meet on the Ledge," it is such a mature and wise song. I can't hear it without thinking about Lamble and Denny. I find it moving and uplifting every time I listen to it. Even at this early stage in his career Thompson displays his gift for language and a distinctive point of view in all of his songs. The traditional song "Nottamun Town" points towards Fairport's future although its exotic instrumentation is unusual for them. It has a raga-like sound reminiscent of the Incredible String Band which may not be a coincidence since both bands shared Joe Boyd as a producer. There is also a rare foray into the blues with Ashley Hutchings' "Mr. Lacey" which has its charms but also makes me glad that they stuck to folk-rock. The odd mechanical noises in the instrumental break were created by robots made and operated by the titular character who was once a neighbor of Hutchings. This is such a great album, I don't think you will ever find a more intelligent and beautiful pop record. It is so unfortunate that the core line-up of Fairport was so short-lived, they were so talented and had so much potential, at their peak with this album and "Unhalfbricking" they were among the best rock bands in the world. I'd pick this record over "Abbey Road," "Let It Bleed," "Led Zeppelin," "Tommy" or just about any other album from 1969 any day of the week. Recommended for anyone who seeks beauty and sincere emotion in pop music.
Fairport Chronicles
Fairport Convention
A&M SP 3530
1976
The boring suburban town I spent my teenage years in did not have a record store most of the time I lived there. I had to travel to a mall in another town where I bought most of my first albums in a typical chain record store. It didn't stock much of a back catalog or carry anything out of the ordinary which is why I was flabbergasted when I went in there and saw this sitting in the bin. I only knew Fairport Convention because of their entry in "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock" by Nick Logan and Bob Woffinden which was basically my bible at the time. Their description of Fairport as the English Jefferson Airplane fascinated me since I was heavily into the Airplane. I was dying to hear them and I was thrilled to pick this up. By a lot of standards this is kind of a crappy compilation, it ignores much of their career including their debut album, their only hit single "Si Tu Dois Partir" and nearly all of the traditional songs they covered including such crucial ones as "A Sailor's Life," "Matty Groves" and "Sir Patrick Spens." Yet somehow it still works. The compilers have an agenda of sorts, basically championing the original vision of the band as a contemporary folk-rock outfit, celebrating the musical content of their second and third albums ("Fairport Convention" and "Unhalfbricking") before "Liege and Lief" changed them forever. They even throw in songs from splinter groups Fotheringay and the Bunch - all contemporary covers - that reflect this perspective as well as a song from Sandy Denny's solo album, "Sandy." 20 songs in total, only two traditional numbers and six covers. Only one song from "Angel Delight" and 2 from "Full House." 9 songs from the second and third album though. A greatest hits album without any hits. Instead it is a pointed and intelligent selection of songs from a hard luck band that never got the success it deserved. I loved it at the time and I love it still. It flows beautifully, it feels like an organic and cohesive whole even though it jumps all over the place temporally. All the songs are first rate. The liner notes are extensive, smart and informative. It is a wonderful introduction to Fairport. I've been a fan ever since I first heard it. Recommended to fans of the Band who wish they had been fronted by an enchanting woman singer with the most divine voice ever to grace a rock group.
