Unhalfbricking

Favorite track(s): Genesis Hall, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life, Who Knows Where the Time Goes

Heard before
Previous rating: 7/10

Low cortisol music to study/relax to. (this is me realising that a lot of folk music is really only unappealing due to the vocals)

Prachtige folkplaat. Super divers en het klinkt allemaal heel natuurlijk ofzo. Gaat zeker nog een keertje op binnenkort. Sterke 4 sterren.

As a fan of many a british folk rock albums and seeing that my favorite (and FC's best) 'Liege & Lief' is included on this list, I am happy to listen to more of Sandy Denny's in this context. I just hope its inclusion is not at the detriment of John Martyn, Dave Bixby, Richard Thompson or even Spirogyra. There are many worse british albums in this list to get rid of, however.

8/10 [KEEP]

The oldest album I've gotten yet! Fairly enjoyable and I had a jolly time listening to the soothing folk sounds and pretty vocals. Not my favourite genre of music as it's a too mild and static for my tastes, but I can acknowledge that it's still a nice sounding record.

A lush, hauntingly beautiful trip through English history, all cozy and beautiful but with a bit of a trippy edge. Sandy Denny's voice is seriously amazing, so soulful and smooth. Whether she's singing about time or leading them on a crazy 11-minute jam, the band just clicks together.

They even make Bob Dylan songs their own, with a cool Celtic feel and the hippy vibe. It's not your typical music, mixing jazzy bass and wild fiddle for this dreamy, country sound. If you're into that whole cottagecore thing, medieval folk but with a Woodstock twist, this is the ticket.

I typically really enjoy folk music, but this is just kinda average. Nothing bad, and a couple of really good moments, but mostly just middle of the road.

Jeg har hørt mye på Folque, som kanskje plukket opp fela og langeleiken samtidig som Fairport plukket opp fela og dulcimer?

Uansett om de tilsynelatende er to band i samme sjanger, så høres de ganske ulike ut, og det har vel med folkemusikken de tar utgangspunkt i. Fairport forsvinner ofte uti noe tsom sender meg i en transelignende tilstand. Mens Folque har en tyngre slagside mot prog.

Bandet er sterkest når de går mest inn i de klimprende låtene, slik som "A Sailor's Life", "Genesis Hall" og "Autopsy".

At det har lurt seg inn 3 Dylan-låter, som på det tidspunktet ikke var utgitt av Dylan selv, er først og fremst artig. Jeg har hørt mye på både "Si tu dois partir" og originalen "If You Gonna Go" uten å skjønne at det er samme låta før i dag. Men "Si tu dois partir" høres mest ut som en køddelåt. På de to resterende Dylan-låtene kunne de vært et hvilket som helst 60770-tallsband med tilbøyeligheter for country. Kanskje jeg hadde likt dette bedre om jeg kjente bedre til utgangspunktet for britisk folkrock, slik jeg kjenner utgangspunktet for norsk folkrock.

This rocks way harder than the album cover would lead you to believe

I'm decidedly unimpressed.

I’m a little higher than a 5. I’d be at a 10 if those last two tracks were flipped.

Well, consider me impressed by the versatility of Fairport Convention. I enjoyed “Liege and Lief”, but this is an even better album. The mixed rock instrumentation that was present there takes on a more prog / psychedelic feel here, though still combined really fruitfully with fiddles, violins & dulcimers to create a soundscape that feels more energetically driven than “Liege and Lief”. It also helps that with just one traditional track here (“A Sailor’s Life”, which is fantastic), a lot of these tracks feel way more contemporary for the era, enhanced by having a few tracks from the pre-eminent songwriter of this generation in the tracklist. The Bob Dylan covers that are here (including one in French!) are really well done, and I’m most deeply impressed by “Percy’s Song”, which feels like the highlight of the entire album to me.

Every track here deserves some kind of love though, as there’s not a single bad one here. “Genesis Hall” does a great job of making you feel the ‘I’m on the wrong side, aren’t I?’ tension in the air, driven really well by the percussion. “Si tu dois parti” has a great energy behind it, and Sandy Denny sounds great in French. “Autopsy” is really well written, especially as a live autopsy of someone’s confessional nature & how it’s affecting their relationship. “A Sailor’s Life” does a brilliant job of matching her heartbeat’s despair with the percussive pulse of the track, & the instrumental section that closes it out is just a total jam. It’s my second-favorite track here.

“Cajun Woman” has fantastic fiddle work behind it, and the story of a mother’s lost influence on her bible-thumping child being everyone’s downfall is just fascinating to me. Richard Thompson, who we got over 400 albums ago on “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight”, wrote both it & “Genesis Hall”, and they’re both very well done. “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” is just a lovely track, reminiscent of say, Penelope waiting for Odysseus or Fry’s dog waiting for him. Sandy’s vocals really shine there.

“Percy’s Song” is… well, it’s just Bob Dylan crafting one of the most vivid pictures I’ve heard from the guy, enhanced DEEPLY by the instrumentation of the band & their harmonization. The constant turning feels like being forced to relive mugshots tainted with guilt, while his friend’s pleas for some kind of leniency (& the growing intensity of the instrumentation) fall on deaf ears due to the obvious nature of the crime at hand. The way everything layers on top of each other makes the track feel dynamic as hell, and overall, it’s a super captivating track that feels like it should’ve ended the album. “Million Dollar Bash” as a light critique on the idea that you HAVE to be seen as a status symbol by attending all these big fancy parties with meaningless cavorting is a good track, but it’s just not as effective of an album closer as “Percy’s Song” would’ve been, or “A Sailor’s Life”, or even “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?”.

If this album had ended with one of those 3 as a much more definitive finish, I think I’d be at a 10, as everything here just hit a remarkably strong peak for me. This album blends its songwriting talents with great production / instrumental work, and at its highest highs, it’s just really enthralling. I hope Sandy Denny somehow pops up at least one more time here as a feature on another album. As it stands, it’s higher than a 5, and it might still get up to a 10 one day. It’s REALLY fucking good, man. I’m very glad it’s on the list, and I think I need to seek out more of Fairport Convention on my own time.

P.S.: I really did not think I would be this captivated by an album with a cover that just seems like two grandparents posing in front of a gate. Could've done a bit more, guys.

Very folky, which is not my normal cup of tea, but a few nice moments. 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' is just a beautiful song, lifted by Sandy Denny's vocal (even though I think the Susanna Hoffs/Matthew Sweet version off 'Under The Covers' is better). 'A Sailors Life' ended up better than I expected, but the rest was a bit so-so for my tastes. I had no idea that Bob Dylan wrote 'Si Tu Dois Partir' - what a smart-arse.

Eine Spur zum britischen Folk‑Rock, doch das Gesamtbild bleibt uneinheitlich. Bedeutend, stellenweise brillant, aber nicht durchgehend packend.

i expected worse when I saw the album cover

Singer is a blend of Joni Mitchel and Grace Slick. Musically following the groups of the time. Not bad, but not great IMO

I do rather love Fairport Convention

Dacht ik net de '60's uitgespeeld te hebben, krijg ik er weer één. Wel aan het einde van de '60's en dit klinkt ook wel wat meer volwassen. Toch nog een album met een eigen geluid. Ik moet wel even wennen aan de zang van die dame, ondanks dat die prima is.

Gisteren toevallig naar Lovebox van Groove Armada geluisterd, dat ook absoluut een plekje verdient in het boek. Kom ik met Autopsy een dikke original tegen. En op de één of andere manier helpt zo'n associatie mij te wennen aan de zang en ga ik door de link het album meer waarderen. Wellicht dus niet een heel neutraal oordeel. Tja, zo werkt het soms ook in de muziek.

Pretty chill.

Well, they’ve done it again! Fairport Convention serve up another all skips album! To be fair, this is more listenable and the guitar work is more tuneful and intricate than on Liege & Lief. But it’s still a massive airball that seeks but never finds.

Traditional folk isn't my bag, sorry. I guess it's nice enough, in a boring kind of way. There's a few tracks with something about them.

2.5 rounded up.