Liege & Lief

by Fairport Convention

Overview

In the decades since its original release, more than one writer has declared Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief the definitive British folk-rock album, a distinction it holds at least in part because it grants equal importance to all three parts of that formula. While Fairport had begun dipping their toes into British traditional folk with their stellar version of "A Sailor's Life" on Unhalfbricking, Liege & Lief found them diving head first into the possibilities of England's musical past, with Ashley Hutchings digging through the archives at the Cecil Sharp House in search of musical treasure, and the musicians (in particular vocalist Sandy Denny) eagerly embracing the dark mysteries of this music. (Only two of the album's eight songs were group originals, though "Crazy Man Michael" and "Come All Ye" hardly stand out from their antique counterparts.) Liege & Lief was also recorded after a tour bus crash claimed the lives of original Fairport drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend; as the members of the group worked to shake off the tragedy (and break in new drummer Dave Mattacks and full-time fiddler Dave Swarbrick), they became a stronger and more adventurous unit, less interested in the neo-Jefferson Airplane direction of their earlier work and firmly committed to fusing time-worn folk with electric instruments while honoring both. And while Liege & Lief was the most purely folk-oriented Fairport Convention album to date, it also rocked hard in a thoroughly original and uncompromising way; the "Lark in the Morning" medley swings unrelentingly, the group's crashing dynamics wring every last ounce of drama from "Tam Lin" and "Matty Groves," and Thompson and Swarbrick's soloing is dazzling throughout. Liege & Lief introduced a large new audience to the beauty of British folk, but Fairport Convention's interpretations spoke of the present as much as the past, and the result was timeless music in the best sense of the term. [The CD was also released with two previously unreleased takes of "Sir Patrick Spens" and "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood."] ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	06/18/2002
Label:	Island
UPC:	0731458692928

Tracks

1. Come All Ye
2. Reynardine
3. Matty Groves
4. Farewell, Farewell
5. The Deserter
6. Medley: The Lark in the Morning/Rakish Paddy/Foxhunters' Jig/Toss ...
7. Tam Lin
8. Crazy Man Michael
9. Sir Patrick Spens
10. Quiet Joys of Brotherhood

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fairport Convention   Primary Artist
Simon Nicol   Guitar,Vocals
Sandy Denny   Guitar,Vocals
Richard Thompson   Guitar,Vocals
Dave Swarbrick   Viola,Violin,Vocals,Mandolin
Dave Mattacks   Drums
Ashley Hutchings   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Joe Boyd   Producer
Fairport   Arranger
Fairport Convention   Arranger
Trevor Lucas   Producer
Traditional   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
John Richards   Composer
Sandy Denny   Arranger,Composer
Richard Farina   Composer
Richard Thompson   Composer
Harry Robinson   String Arrangements
Dave Swarbrick   Arranger,Composer
John Wood   Engineer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Roger McGuinn   Composer
Ashley Hutchings   Composer
Bart Howard   Composer