Fairport Convention
A good friend of mine back in 1969 played an album of British electric folk music by a band called Fairport Convention and I was hooked. It was truly a melding of traditional folk, electric folk, and in some instances ancient madrigals. The woman who was singing had the ,sot beautiful voice and the musicianship, particularly the guitar, was exceptional. They were also on one of my favorite record labels, A & M who were in the forefront of picking interesting bands like Humble Pie, Spooky Tooth, Free, and others.
The album was Liege and Lief, the 4th album by the band and it has won the award for the Most Influential Folk Album of All TIme by the BBC. The band was startling in their playing! World renown guitarist Richard Thompson, drummer Dave Mattacks, who was the replacement for Martin Lamble, killed in a car accident, bassistst Ashley Hutchings,guitarist Simon Nicol, and the spectacular Dave Swarbrick on fiddle! The beauty of this band came through with the most perfect voice of Sandy Denny.
If you were to purchase only one Fairport recording this would be it!
I am a completist so I had to find the 3 previous recordings and check them out! The first LP was just called Fairport COnvention. The difference with this recording was that Sandy Denny was not a member of the band and a great folk artist, Judy Dyble was. This incarnation was much more of a Jefferson Airrplane styled band.
Here is a live version of an Emitt Rhodes composition Time WIll Show the Wiser
On their 2nd LP What We Did on Our Holidays Sandy Denny appears.
The purity of her voice is apparent on this traditional tune She Moves Through the Fair. Meet on the Ledge penned by RIchard Thompson was also one of the highlights of this LP.
This brings us to Unhalfbricking, thier 3rd release and includes one of the most covered tunes Who Knows Where the Time Goes a classic written by Sandy Denny.
Si Tu Dois Partir, a Bob Dylan song, they did a number of his tunes, is a wonderful rendition in a class British folk tradition.
By 1970, Sandy Denny had left to form her own band Fotheringay, Ashley Hutchings had left to form Steeleye Span however, the band kept on writing great songs.
Sloth, written by Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick is one of my favorites as well as Walk Awhile
There were many versions of this band and many bands came out of Fairport Convention but, in my mind, this was the golden age .
I finally got to see the band in 1973 at Alice Tully Hall and they did not disappoint! But my fondest memory is going to the Bitter End Cafe in Greenwich Village on the coldest day of the year February 1973. I and two friends were the only people in the audience and she performed her full show and afterwards, came out to talk to us. I was so taken with her warmth and good humor! As a matter of fact, she asked if we had heard of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and I asked her what kind of music did they play!!! Sadly, she left us in 1978 but remains one of the standout female artist of our time. I am so glad I got to meet her!
Next week we will do something totally unique! I have not done a piece on the Stones basically because there are too many records to list. With the 40th Anniversary release of Exile on Main Street tomorrow, I feel it is time and to kick things off, I will do a track by track review of the re-release and the next few weeks will be my homage to the Rolling Stones
Stay tuned!
Hi david,
now your talking i am a total Stones guy,The Beatles changed the world(and Me) but the Stones ,man the Stones.anyway i saw them live on a Clay Cole show,a friends dad worked in the business and my claim to fame was NEVER missing them when in NYC,the first Garden show 1969,if you pause the film they made of that tour,Gimme Shelter, i can be seen with my then girlfriend Mary(who later married the manager of Deep Purple) all other concerts there,The special Academy of Music gig that you sent in postcards for and then WNEW called you, sent you to the garden to pick up the tickets and were sworn to secrecy and told if the crowd gets to big on 14 st, because of people spilling the beans, they would cancel .Peter Tosh opened and the audience was star packed with Sir Paul +Linda in live and in person
i saw them in London,Munich.
anyway if i can help please don’t hesitate to ask…..jp
Fairport, yes they were hot. Saw them open for Traffic at the Fillmore East and was floored. Then I got to see Fotheringay at Carnegie Hall, later on. Not bad either.
I also saw the Stones on Clay Cole, but only on TV. Too bad the tapes were wiped. Saw them live at Carnegie Hall in June 1964, and live at Ed Sullivan Studio in October, 1964 in the second row left. I was twelve. It was a few days before they did the TAMI Show in California.
I just read in the NY Times that the Exile bonus disc has an amazing version of Lovin Cup. I like what Mick and Jack White do with that tune in the Scorsese Beacon doc. And what a revelation that it’s Jimmy Miller on drums for Happy. He really taught Charlie a thing or two.
I liked Fotheringay! I started getting into other similar groups like The Amazing Blondell, Strawbs, Lindisfarne, The Albion Country Band w/ Ashley Hitchings and Matthews Southern Comfort.
The Stones on Clay Cole was their first appearance in the US. I loved that show!
Thanks for commenting
David, the Stones were on the Les Crane Show before they did Clay Cole, but they didn’t perform. They took phone calls from the audience and answered questions about their sound, and upcoming first US tour. I was eleven and the show was on TV after my bedtime. I secretly got up and turned it on, but my older brother ratted me out. My mom swooped into the living room and she, “put a stop to this nonsense, right now!” I was truly heartbroken.
It only strengthened my resolve to see them. At the end of their tour, they did two last shows hosted by Murray the K at Carnegie Hall. I sneaked in to the late show through the next door movie theater’s basement. I look forward to your Exile piece.
Hi david,
now your talking i am a total Stones guy,The Beatles changed the world(and Me) but the Stones ,man the Stones.anyway i saw them live on a Clay Cole show,a friends dad worked in the business and my claim to fame was NEVER missing them when in NYC,the first Garden show 1969,if you pause the film they made of that tour,Gimme Shelter, i can be seen with my then girlfriend Mary(who later married the manager of Deep Purple) all other concerts there,The special Academy of Music gig that you sent in postcards for and then WNEW called you, sent you to the garden to pick up the tickets and were sworn to secrecy and told if the crowd gets to big on 14 st, because of people spilling the beans, they would cancel .Peter Tosh opened and the audience was star packed with Sir Paul +Linda in live and in person
i saw them in London,Munich.
anyway if i can help please don’t hesitate to ask…..jp
Great stuff! I actually went with drummer Don Lamond and bassist Pat Merola to the Les Crane Show
I sat right next to Don as he played the show
Thanks for the info!