“Liege And Lief” by Fairport Convention - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1969Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die external-link.png

TJR says

Arriving in December, “Liege and Lief” was the third of three albums from Fairport Convention in 1969. Following on from the successful experiment of “The Sailor’s Life” on the preceding LP, it’s the first of their albums to be fully immersed in the folk form, looking to the English and Celtic traditionals for root inspiration. Now a sextet, the group lined up: Sandy Denny (vocals); Dave Swarbrick (fiddle, viola); Richard Thompson (electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals); Simon Nicol (electric, 6-string & 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals); Ashley Hutchings (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Dave Mattacks (drums, percussion). Kicking-off the set is “Come All Ye”, penned by Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings, which serves well as an invitational opener for roving minstrels everywhere. Swarbrick’s fiddle wavers approvingly. There are many treats to be heard here, most especially with the traditionals “Reynardine”, “The Deserter” and “Tam Line”. The aforementioned Dave Swarbrick's arrival as a fulltime member is a masterstroke; his interplay with Richard Thompson's leads are a key feature, alongside Sandy Denny’s ever-agreeable earnest vocals. Alas, this would prove to be her final statement with the group, as she moved on to explore ventures new.

The Jukebox Rebel
07–Dec–2015

Tracklist
A1 [04:55] 7.1.png Fairport Convention - Come All Ye (Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings) Folk Rock / Americana
A2 [04:33] 7.5.png Fairport Convention - Reynardine (Traditional) Folk
A3 [08:08] 7.0.png Fairport Convention - Matty Groves (Traditional) Folk Rock / Americana
A4 [02:38] 5.5.png Fairport Convention - Farewell, Farewell (Richard Thompson) Folk Rock / Americana
B1 [04:10] 8.7.png Fairport Convention - The Deserter (Traditional) Folk Rock / Americana
B2 [04:00] 6.1.png Fairport Convention - Medley: The Lark In The Morning / Rakish Paddy / Foxhunters’ Jig / Toss The Feathers (Traditional) Folk
B3 [07:20] 8.0.png Fairport Convention - Tam Lin (Traditional) Folk Rock / Americana
B4 [04:35] 6.0.png Fairport Convention - Crazy Man Michael (Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick) Folk

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