Fairport Convention: Fairport Convention CD Track Listing

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Fairport Convention Fairport Convention (1968)
Originally Released June 1968\nCD Edition Released May 18, 1990\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released April 15, 2003\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: By far the most rock-oriented of Fairport Convention's early albums, this debut was recorded before Sandy Denny joined the band (Judy Dyble handles the female vocals). Unjustly overlooked by listeners who consider the band's pre-Denny output insignificant, this is a fine folk-rock effort that takes far more inspiration from West Coast '60s sounds than traditional British folk. Fairport's chief strengths at this early juncture were the group's interpretations, particularly in the harmony vocals, of obscure tunes by American songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Emitt Rhodes, and Jim & Jean. Their own songs weren't quite up to that high standard, but were better than many have given them credit for, with "Decameron" and "Sun Shade" in particular hitting wonderfully fetching melancholic moods. It's true that Fairport would devise a more original style after Denny joined, but the bandmembers' first-class abilities as more American pop-folk-rock-styled musicians on this album shouldn't be undersold. [The 2003 CD reissue of this record adds four bonus tracks from outtakes, TV performances, and non-LP singles of the era, as well as historical liner notes.] -- Richie Unterberger\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nIt all comes round again, April 28, 2002\nReviewer: jingles_sunderland (Wayne, NJ United States)\nNotwithstanding any of the other reviews of this album, this is the only album where Fairport Convention actually sound like anyone else and this is the album which led to them being branded as the English Jefferson Airplane but the comparison is like comparing chalk with cheese except maybe in the roots of both bands.\nA very interesting album in one respect and that is the personnel changes which took place right after it with Judy Dyble leaving and not embarking on a solo career later to be replaced by Alexandra Denny. Also interesting and least remarked on is the musical relationship between Richard Thompson and Ashley 'Tyger' Hutchings which formed the mainstay of the first four albums.\n\nFairport Convention brings 'new folk' to British audiences for the first time in a major way. While Bob Dylan was a major influence on the band they only recorded one of his songs on this album but borrowed a title for another 'It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft'. Joni Mitchell composed two of the songs which helped her to gain greater exposure in the British community.\n\nThis is a nice album in many ways which gives an almost genteel feeling, almost one of restraint. Thirty four years after it's release it does not seem as radical as it then was, overshadowed by the tidal wave from America's west coast. Yet this album was a radical departure. The folk community had a hostility to electric instruments which cannot be understood today and they had shown that in their reaction to Bob Dylan's use of them at the Albert Hall. Folk music was intrinsically backward looking and reluctant to be brought up to date and here was the vanguard of the revolution which not only modernised but brought a new lease of life to that community marked by an great increase in the formation of folk clubs in pubs around the country. Seen within that context this album assumes an enormous significance. It also allowed the band to develop and go on not only to make some of the finest folk-rock albums ever but to lead the way for others to follow. There would be no Albion Band to name just one, if there had been no Fairports.\n\nThere may not be a whole lot of excitement in this album but there are some good renditions, my own favourite being 'I Don't Know Where I stand' but overall the album exhibits some wonderful voices and competent playing. I remember it with fondness. One small step for Fairports but a giant leap for British Folk-Rock.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nYes, Virginia, there was a Fairport before Sandy Denny, March 26, 2002\nReviewer: woburnmusicfan (Woburn, MA United States)\nBefore Sandy Denny came along, a very young Fairport Convention recorded this lovely album full of warmth and open-hearted innocence, with Judy Dyble and Ian MacDonald (later known as Iain Matthews) on vocals. It's full of the singer-songwriter material found on "What We Did on Our Holidays". The album starts with the rocking single, Emmitt Rhodes' "Time Will Show the Wiser." Dyble sings a pair of Joni Mitchell songs, including a fantastic arrangement of "I Don't Know Where I Stand," while MacDonald does Bob Dylan's "Jack o'Diamonds." Richard Thompson's prolific recorded career began on this album, with five co-written songs, including the sad but lovely "Decameron", wistful "Sun Shade", and blues-rockers "If" and "It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft". Dyble's voice isn't as strong as Denny's, but she provides a variety of musical touches, like the recorder solo on "Jack o'Diamonds", autoharp riff on "The Lobster", and piano that frames the instrumental "Portfolio". Throughout the album, the band is experimenting with dynamics, tempos, and sound textures.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSolid but not startling, June 17, 2001\nReviewer: brad lonard (Sydney, Australia)\nRecorded at a time when Fairport Convention were a fixture on the London hippy scene and the closest they'd got to folk-rock was listening to Bringing It All Back Home, the band's debut album nevertheless contains the seeds of what was to come. In comparison with their later, exemplary work, it's solid but not startling. Both Ian Matthews and Judy Dyble's vocals are rather weak (Ian's voice became stronger through the years); and Joe Boyd's production is on the thin side compared to the richness we usually expect from him. On the other hand, the perfectly balanced guitar team of Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol is already in place; Richard's gift for songwriting is on display; and the band's choice of cover versions is inspired. Best tracks? The chugging run through Emmitt Rhodes' Time Will Show The Wiser; the obscure Dylan track Jack O' Diamonds; and the jazzy blues of It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft. Dated, but oddly likeable, and well worth a listen.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\ngood debut, April 24, 2001\nReviewer: Sean (Chesterfield, Virginia United States)\nBefore going full on into the traditional British based folk music that they and their offshoot bands are today known for, Fairport Convention were much more aligned to the San Francisco sound- mainly that of the early Jefferson Airplane, and were commonly playing gigs at the famed London Underground clubs of the day, such as the UFO and Middle Earth.\nTheir self-titled debut lp followed the release of a single- "If I Had A Ribbon Bow" b/w "If(Stomp)," which flopped on the charts. The lp itself has nice moments. The guitar prowice of the famed Richard Thompson is all over the lp, especially on the band's minor hit "Time Will Show the Wiser." The track, with excellent vocals by Ian Matthews, is very much akin to "Surrealistic Pillow" era Airplane, and is a great track. The vocals of Judy Dyble are most apparent on their cover of Joni Mitchell's "I Don't Know Where I Stand," with great harmony by Matthews. (Admittedly, Sandy Denny's reading on Fairport's "Heyday" lp is much better). Their cover of Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" is also credible.\n\n"If(Stomp)" foreshadows the direction the band would take on their next few lps, mainly "What We Did On Our Holidays," with a great downhome feel of guitar playing by Thompson and Simon Nichol.\n\nOverall, the lp is weakened a bit by the somewhat directionless instrumentals on the 2nd side, but still, this lp is a interesting debut by a band that would soon be the hallmark for all British folk/rock bands. Fans of the band or those enamoured (as I am) by Richard Thompson's playing will also find great moments to latch on to. While not as strong as their next few lps, "Fairport Convention" is very similar to Jefferson Airplane's "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off" and "Surrealistic Pillow" lps. Fans of these lps will take to this lp like bees to honey. An entertaining debut.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGood album that deserved to be reviewed., December 6, 1998\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis is a surprisingly good 1st album that stands on its own with later great Fairport albums and holds its own against other 1st albums by 60's acts. While not all songs are great, most are good and interesting. Don't know why RT's guitar on "Time Will Show the Wiser" was never considered classic 60's riff. Propels the song from beginning to end. "Decameron" is ethereal and shows other side of RT's guitar talent. All from an 18 year old. Even more remarkable is they play as a group without an ego out front. Sheer joy and love of music shows through in compositions, arrangements and playing by all. Wish there was more recorded music of Fairport's early years. Adventurous and delightful. Would have been interesting to see what would have evolved if they had not gone so far down the traditional folk road. Essential only for Fairport fans.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (Remastered + Expanded Edition)\nFairport's First, January 5, 2005\nReviewer: Laurence Upton (Wilts, UK)\nLong out of print, as I discovered after trading in the Polydor vinyl album some years ago, this re-mastered reissue includes bonus tracks including their first single, a cover of Maxine Sullivan's 1940 recording of If I Had A Ribbon Bow. The best track is probably the Dylan-influenced and rather psychedelic It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft. \n\nAmong the other original material, some of it dating from Richard Thompson's previous band, is a fair smattering of well-chosen songs from contemporary performers. Joni Mitchell was virtually unknown and unreleased on record in 1967 when this album was recorded and her own versions of the two songs here did not appear until her second album, Clouds, in 1969. The Fairports knew her as she had been in the UK at the invitation of their producer, Joe Boyd, and she had played some British dates supporting the Incredible String Band. Emitt Rhodes was still performing in the obscure group the Merry-Go-Round when they recorded Time Will Show The Wiser to open the album. \n\nDylan's Jack O'Diamonds was actually a poem which turned up on the liner-notes of Another Side Of Bob Dylan. He had given it to an actor friend called Ben Carruthers at the Savoy, who had used it in a TV play called A Man With No Papers, and subsequently recorded it with his group Ben Carruthers And The Deep, aided by Jimmy Page and Nicky Hopkins, on a flop single. One Sure Thing was a cover of a little-known duo called Jim and Jean (Jim Glover and Jean Ray). \n\nThere is no clue from this eclectic mix of songs featuring Ian Matthew and the very underrated Judy Dyble that they were to virtually reinvent folk-rock with Sandy Denny just a couple of years later. I saw the band a couple of times around the time of this album and, much as I enjoyed their later albums, rather miss these styles of playing in their music. \n\nTheir version of Suzanne used to feature alternate verses sung by Ian Matthew and Sandy Denny but the May 1968 version here sadly falls between Judy Dyble leaving and Sandy Denny joining, but you can hear the dual-vocal version from their August 1968 Top Gear session on Heyday\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (Remastered + Expanded Edition)\nWonderful early morning album..... , November 28, 2004\nReviewer: Chris Carter (my music room)\nHow do. This album is not based on the traditional English folk music that F.C. would keep doing over the years. (I tend to not care for traditional music anyway - it leaves no room for individual expression, which seems much more interesting to me.) It is more original, unusual, and mysterious than that....It sounds timeless AND old-fashioned somehow, reminding me of wood-paneled walls and my early childhood for some reason. There are lots of quiet, almost timid parts in songs (love the autoharp!). That being said, the first song is a great, almost power pop number. A very evocative, unclassifiable classic that benefits from remastering. If you love '60's folk INSPIRED stuff, you really should own this. It was a brave first step. And Judy Dyble was beautiful!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW (Remastered + Expanded Edition)\nAt Last--Mark I, Complete!, February 16, 2004\nReviewer: T. A. Shepherd "tas50l" (Palmdale, Ca. 93550)\nCD buffs can rejoice now that the first Fairport album is re-issued as it should have been done in the first place. The original 12-track album is here in all its spledor, but the real treat is the first single, "If I Had a Ribbon Bow". It is a vibe-driven jazz number with Richard Thompson's Wes Montgomery-style guitar running throughout. Judy Dyble's deft vocal is triumphant. An amazing throw-back to summer '67 Frisco sound in a British context, the rest of the album simply shimmers on songs such as Decameron, It's Only Witchcraft, The Lobster and a rare Harvey Brooks (Electric Flag) tune, One Sure Thing. This album is a preview to what Judy would do a year or two later with Trader Horne. Let's hope that one comes out soon.\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Joe Boyd \n\nAlbum Notes\nFairport Convention: Ian Matthews, Judy Dyble (vocals), Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson (guitar), Ashley "Tyger" Hutchings (bass), Martin Lamble (drums).\nA couple of years down the road, Fairport Convention would define British folk-rock, but on its 1968 debut, its sound is split between traditional English folk and a contemporary, San Francisco influence. Tackling US underground pop hero Emitt Rhodes's "Time Will Show the Wiser," they sound for all the world like a UK version of Jefferson Airplane, as Judy Dyble's vocals blend tartly with those of Ian Matthews.\nThe West Coast influence continues with a pair of Joni Mitchell tunes given a somewhat Byrds-like treatment, and even a version of trad folk tune "Jack O'Diamonds" owes more to US garage rock than to Martin Carthy. Still, no matter how closely they emulated US artists at this early stage, the nimble guitar work of the still-teenage Richard Thompson was already the crucial element that gave the group its own distinctive signature.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n4 Stars - Excellent\n...With its exquisite voicings and wonderful songs and sometimes gentle, sometimes rocking, always imaginative and exciting instrumentation, FAIRPORT CONVENTION is an unqualified treasure...\nRolling Stone (09/06/1969)
This folk cd contains 12 tracks and runs 38min 23sec.
Freedb: 9108fd0c

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