Fairport Convention
 

any thoughts on the band that perhaps invented folk-rock? were they better with or without sandy denny? i think richard thompson was one hell of a talent.

I think they`re great

They were also Nick Drake`s backing band on his albums

ah yes nick drake, a man who i have been getting into alot lately

This is quite possibly the worst name for a band ever, I hate these type of intangible names, similar to division of laura lee.

I can't put my finger on it, it just makes me angry.

Fairport Convention w/o Sandy Denny?! I don't even want to know.

Full House is rather pretty.

I bought a Fairport Convention album after a recommendation from someone at the time I was sort of involved with, but haven't listened to it properly yet

I also bought a Richard Thompson album 'Action Packed', and had a few tracks from the 'You? Me? Us?' album sent to me, and although I can enjoy his music a lot of the time, it leaves me feeling quite bitter and resentful (not sure why exactly), and I think too much about what he is singing, so I've stayed away from it lately.

Unhalfbricking is a folk rock masterpiece of its time. A Sailor's Life and Percy's Song are amazing.





Is anything else by them worth checking out?

I did quite like Fairport Convention
I can't stand Richard Thompson solo. He sounds very moany to me.
Of that era, I loved Pentangles Basket of Light

Fairport ? Conventional !
 

TBH, I`ve never heard anything by Fairport that I felt justified their reputation.Sandy Denny`s much-lauded voice sounds so carefully controlled that it doesn`t convey much passion or commitment to the material, and the band`s instruments often seem to muddy up the mix, instead of enhancing the sound. Apparently in their earlier days they were influenced by The Byrds, and that`s probably a clue to their bland style: maybe like The Byrds, they spent too long polishing off the rough edges of other peoples` music, hoping for mainstream appeal.

Pentangle, mentioned by Moshe, had a much sharper, purer tone, with each instrument ringing out clearly, but my favourite album from the 60`s UK folk revival was by the sadly overlooked band, Dando Shaft. If you try these clips from their "An evening with..." album you`ll hear some gruff but appealing vocals and so much mandolin that it hurts :

I'll have to say that Richard Thompson is my favorite guitarist. Fairport Convention is pretty sweet, but I really like his stuff with his (ex)wife Linda Thompson, in addition to a lot of his solo stuff.

He's not happy about the world, but his lyrics always feel right somehow. And his guitar-playing never ceases to make me happy.

Linsaholic, I sort of agree with you about Fairport. Some of their stuff seemed a bit clunky and a bit forced/ contrived mixing of folk and rock rather than a naturalistic aproach
Pentangle had a very crisp, clear sound & I liked their music alot. You can hear every instrument distinctly

^ I`m glad I`m not the only one with reservations about Fairport.

Of Richard Thompson`s solo career, I only know the Bright Lights album, which seemed to me like a classic one-track album : apart from the title track nothing really caught my attention.

Anyway, here`s a very faithful live version of that track, with R and L Thompson re-united with FP for the occasion:

i only have Unhalfbricking

it's fab

I think to credit them as the band who invented folk rock would be a vast exaggeration as they were preceded by proto folk rockers like Davy Graham and also by acts like Bob Dylan, The Incredible String Band and Simon and Garfunkel. Simon and Garfunkel released "Sound of Silence" in 65 and "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" which included their rendition of english ballad "Scarborough Fair" in 1966 while Fairport Convention's debut wasn't released until 67.

But yeah, they're pretty important in british folk rock, I'll give them that :) Not my favourite, but admittedly very good still. Sandy Denny's story is also pretty tragic and an interesting read ..

I bought this a couple of years ago

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...bL._SS500_.jpg

Definitely worth a listen.

I think Simon & Garfunkel & those guys were way ahead of Fairport in the way they expanded the boundaries of Folk Music.

Sady Dennys story was pretty tragic. She passed away at Atkinson Morley hospital, which is about five minutes walk from my place (tho I was not in the area back then!!)

Hey, Moshe! :wavey:
I lived TEN minutes walk from the Atkinson Morley, down by Putney Bridge !!

Linsaholic, I live just down the road from it! Just off the Ridgeway!!!
Mind you, they've knocked the hospital down & have some big building project there now. More houses, I presume!!