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The trajectory that Fairport Convention took in the space of four albums and two years is one of the most remarkable in British popular music.
These records contain some of the most storied names not just in British, but
world music.
From a bunch of school friends setting out to be 'the British Jefferson Airplane',
over the course of their frst quartet of releases, the group metamorphosed into
the leading exponents of British folk rock. In the way American folk and blues had
looked back to gospel songs and spirituals, Fairport mined a seam a traditional
English folk song, and then combined them with rock rhythms to create
something ground-breaking and quickly emulated. For many, this is the frst time
the considerable talents of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings,
Ian Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks would have been heard on
record.Original vocalist Judy Dyble left the group in 1968 and was replaced by
Alexandra 'Sandy' Denny. The rest of the line-up remained unchanged, and a move
to Island Records saw What We Did On Our Holidays released in January the
following year. Denny made her mark immediately with her opening song,
Fotheringay. Her voice, as accomplished as Dyble's but bluesier, added a new bite
to the material. As well as Dylan and Joni Mitchell covers, the group began to
experiment with traditional folk, covering She Moves Through The Fair and
Nottamun Town. The album also includes Meet On The Ledge, Fairport's anthem,
written by Richard Thompson.
Tracklist
Fotheringay
Mr. Lacey
Book Song
"The Lord Is In This Place....How Dreadful Is This Place."
No Man's Land
I'll Keep It With Mine
Eastern Rain
Nottamun Town
Tale In Hard Time
She Moves Through The Fair
Meet On The Ledge
End Of A Holiday