Unhalfbricking

Many great recordings were made in the 1960s, and I have already had the opportunity to listen to quite a few of them as part of this project. Sometimes I wonder whether there was also boring, uninspired, and insignificant music back then. The answer is yes! “Unhalfbricking” by Fairport Convention meets all these criteria—from the boring songs to the band that isn't 100% tight rhythmically and Sandy Daniels' falsetto whining to the stuffy, eccentric cover, this album contains none of the highlights of its decade. Is it bad enough for one star? No, it's not actually annoying enough for that.

I had never even heard of this band before today and I wasn’t excited to see a folk rock album from the 60’s. This album blew me away more than once. The vocalist was incredible, and the band was great too. I was not expecting this album to groove in any way and I’m so happy to have been proven wrong.

This is just generic English folk. It bored me.

When I saw the cover, I was curious to see what awaited me. So it was supposed to be British folk. That's not necessarily a genre I like. But the cover was unusual and promised something out of the ordinary. Well, I didn't like it. Too saccharine, too much campfire romance. The story behind the album and the cover was interesting, but the music wasn't for me. 2/5

I was inclined to dislike yet another folk 60s album. But this was nice to listen to, didn't feel like everything else. 3*

The best moments on here bring together the dark psychedelia of the Velvet Underground with the medieval folk style of UK psych, pairing droning guitars and violas working against each other a over sparse but insistent rhythm section to build intensity chaotic intensity while a monotone vocal delivers ancient melodies. The more they lean into the folksy pastoral or corny blues the worse it gets though.

Favorite: Sailor's Life, Percy's Song

The first half of the album sounded like music you'd hear at a medieval reenactment. Hated it

The second half was completely different and I loved it!

So super hard to rate for me personally so I'll go down the middle

3 ⭐️

između trojke i četvorke, al past će jedna lijepa četvorkica

A nice, relaxing folk rock album. The guitar is very good, and the singing is great. They combine to produce a uniquely relaxing sound that I quite enjoyed.

I wish this whole album sounded like the song Where Did All The Time Go because that is such a magnifying surrounded by just decent songs written by Dylan and performed decently as well.

Not surprisingly, the three worst songs on the album were all written by Bob Dylan. These tracks are boring and overwrought simultaneously. The other 5 tracks are actually really good and a few are an excellent example of the re-worked British folk sound eventually perfected by Jethro Tull. Sandy Denny’s performance is particularly excellent. Her voice is unparalleled for the era and her melody choices are superb. It’s a shame about the Dylan tracks, but there’s a great EP inside this album.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

i couldnt get into this

Unhalfbricking is warm, pleasant, and more compositionally dense than I thought. Side A of this album feels really smart and intricate, almost (to my ear) ending up somewhere proggy at times. And this complexity is used very effectively, Fairport Convention has really precise control over the emotional palette that these songs invoke: From the rootsy (and Bob Dylan written) Si Tu Dois Partir, to more atmospheric pieces like Genesis Hall and A Sailor's Life. I will say that after A Sailor's Life, the songs get a little more straight forward, not bad, just a little less interesting than the first side's material. Overall, this surprised me, it has a pretty unique feel for a UK folk rock album, and I think the writing is generally very strong. It also just gives off good vibes, it's very warm sounding music, even at its coldest.

It's alright. She's got a pretty voice, and I dug their blend of British folk and old-timey American folk, but I did not get much out of it beyond being calmed a bit while listening

Never heard of Fairport Convention. I like the vocal. Sad how life turned out for the lead singer. Bands and albums like this, that I've not heard before, this make me appreciate the generator/list again. 4/5.

I wasn't sure what to expect, turned out very pleasant, quite lovely.

Singer has exactly the type of voice that is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

This was a fine listen, it kind of just flew by really fast and I didn’t really get to pay attention to it. Fairport Convention is one of those bands I should really like, but I never really bother to listen to them. Will probably need a relisten for a fairer rating.

I've been listening to quite a bit of English folk music lately as part of this challenge, and Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention is the latest addition to that journey. Let’s dive in.

Overall, the album was enjoyable. While rooted in folk, it offers a nice variety in sound and style, keeping things from feeling too one-note. The lyrics are strong, and I was especially drawn to the vocals—Sandy Denny’s voice is beautiful, with a tone that reminded me a bit of Nico. The guitar work throughout the album is also excellent and adds real depth to the listening experience.

Favourite tracks: I particularly liked A Sailor’s Life, Dear Landlord, Million Dollar Bash, and Cajun Woman.
Least favourite: The album starts a bit slowly, and some of the earlier tracks—like Autopsy and Genesis Hall—felt a little dull and dragged in parts. Thankfully, it picks up momentum as it goes along.

Album artwork: I love it—so distinctly '60s and full of character.

I get why people would like this. The singer is good and it's well recorded. There were moments I enjoyed but this is just not for me.