Fairport Convention

by Fairport Convention

Overview

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. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/07/2023
Label:	Proper / Proper Records
UPC:	0805520240468
Rank:	30572

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fairport Convention   Primary Artist
Simon Nicol   Banjo,Guitar,Violin,Vocals,Dulcimer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Iain MacDonald   Vocals,Jew's-Harp
Richard Thompson   Vocals,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Judy Dyble   Piano,Vocals,Autoharp,Recorder,Electric Autoharp
Ian Matthews   Vocals
Ashley Hutchings   Bass
Martin Lamble   Drums,Violin,Percussion
Clare Lowther   Cello
Tyger Hutchings   Jug,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Simon Nicol   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Leonard Cohen   Composer
Joe Boyd   Producer
Fairport Convention   Group
Joni Mitchell   Composer
Lou Singer   Composer
Hughie Prince   Composer
Richard Farina   Composer
Richard Thompson   Composer
Judy Dyble   Composer
Tim Buckley   Composer
Ian McDonald   Composer
Emitt Rhodes   Composer
John Wood   Engineer
Ashley Hutchings   Composer
Harvey Brooks   Composer,Composer
Todd Lloyd   Producer
Jim Glover   Composer
Andrew Horvitch   Composer
Ted Lloyd   Producer
Louis Singer   Composer
Donald Silverstein   Photography
Ian MacDonald   Composer
Paul Ghosh   Composer
Ben Carruthers   Composer
Iain Matthews   Composer
Huey Prince   Composer
George Painter   Composer