The History of Fairport Convention

Last updated

The History of Fairport Convention
FairportConventionHistory.jpg
Compilation album by
Released1972
Recorded1967 - 1972
Genre British folk rock
Label Island ICD 4
Producer Joe Boyd, Trevor Lucas, Simon Nicol, John Wood, Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention chronology
The Manor Album
(1972)
The History of Fairport Convention
(1972)
Rosie
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

The History of Fairport Convention is the first compilation of tracks by Fairport Convention, released in 1972.

Contents

At the time it was released, it appeared that the band had folded. The cover had a "family tree" by Pete Frame on the front. Another unusual aspect of the album was that a piece of ribbon was glued to the sleeve, making it look as if a royal seal had been embossed on it. Different reissues had blue ribbons, or red or green. Later reissues of the album had no ribbon, but the central seal was shown in a larger size, and the family tree was missing.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Meet on the Ledge"
  2. "Fotheringay"
  3. "Mr Lacey"
  4. "Book Song"
  5. "A Sailor's Life"

Side two

  1. "Si Tu Dois Partir"
  2. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes"
  3. "Matty Groves"
  4. "Crazy Man Michael"

Side three

  1. "Medley: The Lark in the Morning / Rakish Paddy / Foxhunter's Jig / Toss The Feathers (instr)"
  2. "Now Be Thankful"
  3. "Walk Awhile"
  4. "Sloth"
  5. "The Bonny Black Hare"

Side four

  1. "Angel Delight"
  2. "Bridge Over the River Ash (instr)"
  3. "John Lee"
  4. "Breakfast in Mayfair"
  5. "Hanging Song"
  6. "The Hen's March / The Four Poster Bed (instr)"

One cassette version of the album had sides 1 and 2 in the same order on the "A" side, and side 3 and 4 on the "B" side. Another version had the tracks "Si Tu Dois Partir" and "The Hen's March Through The Midden / The Four Poster Bed" switched.

In 1988 a CD version was released. It omitted ""Crazy Man Michael" and "Medley". The family tree was not on the cover, but appeared on an insert. Although the album never reached the charts it was steadfastly in print.

Certifications

Certifications for The History of Fairport Convention
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [2] Silver60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairport Convention</span> British folk rock group

Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater. They started out influenced by American folk rock, with a set list dominated by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs and a sound that earned them the nickname "the British Jefferson Airplane". Vocalists Judy Dyble and Iain Matthews joined them before the recording of their self-titled debut in 1968; afterwards, Dyble was replaced by Sandy Denny, with Matthews later leaving during the recording of their third album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Denny</span> English folk rock singer-songwriter (1947–1978)

Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer".

Track Record was founded in 1966 in London by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of the rock group The Who. It was one of the first British-owned independent record labels in the United Kingdom. The most successful artists whose work appeared on the Track label were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Thunderclap Newman and Golden Earring. The label ceased operations in 1978 but was revived in 1999.

<i>Full House</i> (Fairport Convention album) Fairport Convention album

Full House is a 1970 album by British folk rock group Fairport Convention, their fifth since their debut, Fairport Convention in 1968, and their first without a female vocalist.

<i>(guitar, vocal)</i> 1976 compilation album by Richard Thompson

(guitar, vocal) is a 1976 album by Richard Thompson. It was released by Island Records as a career retrospective after he and his wife Linda had gone into semi-retirement from the business of making and performing music following the release of Pour Down Like Silver (1975).

<i>Unhalfbricking</i> 1969 studio album by Fairport Convention

Unhalfbricking is the third album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and their second album released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences towards more traditional English folk songs that had begun on their previous album, What We Did on Our Holidays and reached its peak on the follow-up, Liege & Lief, released later the same year.

<i>Liege & Lief</i> 1969 studio album by Fairport Convention

Liege & Lief is the fourth album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. It is the third album the group released in the UK during 1969, all of which prominently feature Sandy Denny as lead female vocalist, as well as the first to feature future long-serving personnel Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks on violin/mandolin and drums, respectively, as full band members. It is also the first Fairport album on which all songs are either adapted (freely) from traditional British and Celtic folk material, or else are original compositions written and performed in a similar style. Although Denny and founding bass player Ashley Hutchings quit the band before the album's release, Fairport Convention has continued to the present day to make music strongly based within the British folk rock idiom, and are still the band most prominently associated with it.

<i>Over the Next Hill</i> 2004 studio album by Fairport Convention

Over the Next Hill is the twenty-third studio album by the band Fairport Convention, released in 2004.

<i>Live at the L.A. Troubadour</i> 1977 live album by Fairport Convention

Live at the L.A. Troubadour along with its reissued counterpart House Full are the only live Fairport Convention albums recorded while Richard Thompson was a full-time band member. It was recorded in 1970 on the Full House tour and was reissued in 1986 and again in 2007, with modifications. Seven of the eight tracks are available on the House Full album with one being found only on this album.

<i>House Full: Live at the L.A. Troubadour</i> 1986 live album by Fairport Convention

House Full: Live at the L.A. Troubadour not to be confused with its earlier counterpart Live at the L.A. Troubadour is the only currently available live Fairport Convention album to feature Richard Thompson as a band member.

<i>Nine</i> (Fairport Convention album) 1973 studio album by Fairport Convention

Nine is a 1973 album by the British folk rock group Fairport Convention. It is their ninth album since their debut in 1968, and the second to include Trevor Lucas and Jerry Donahue. No original members of Fairport Convention were involved in making the album. According to AllMusic, it is the band's most uneven album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If You Gotta Go, Go Now</span>

"If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (sometimes subtitled "(Or Else You Got to Stay All Night)") is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1964. The first released version was as a single in the US by the UK group the Liverpool Five in July 1965, but this did not chart in the US despite receiving much airplay, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Another British band, Manfred Mann, then issued the song as a single in September 1965 and had a number 2 hit. Fairport Convention also had a chart hit, with a French version, in 1969.

<i>Rosie</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Fairport Convention

Rosie is a 1973 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, their eighth album since their debut in 1968.

The Guv'nor vol 4 is a compilation of recordings by Ashley Hutchings.

"Meet on the Ledge" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson and recorded by British folk rock band Fairport Convention in 1968 on Island Records. It was their second single.

Folk rock group Fairport Convention is usually credited as the first British folk rock band. Founded in 1967 and initially covering songs by artists such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, they developed a devoted niche following by providing electrified and upbeat versions of traditional folk tunes alongside their own compositions. In a career spanning over 50 years, notable for numerous changes of line-up as well as continued success, Fairport Convention have issued over 50 albums.

<i>Heyday</i> (Fairport Convention album) 1987 live album by Fairport Convention

Heyday: the BBC Radio Sessions 1968–69 is an album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention first released in 1987. As its title suggests, it consists of live versions of songs recorded for John Peel's Top Gear radio programmes.

<i>Farewell, Farewell</i> 1979 live album by Fairport Convention

Farewell, Farewell is a live Fairport Convention album recorded on the band's farewell tour in 1979. It is the last Fairport album to feature fiddler/mandolinist Dave Swarbrick. Tracks are drawn from three performances of the Farewell Tour during Spring 1979: at Birmingham University, Southampton University and at Derby Assembly Rooms. Most of the songs are performances of already familiar tracks from previous studio albums. In 1997 to mark the 30th anniversary of Fairport Convention, the album was remastered, repackaged and re-released as "Encore Encore". This version included the 1980 studio single "Rubber Band" plus three additional tracks recorded on the 1979 tour: "The Hens March Through the Midden/Four Poster Bed", "Flatback Caper" and "Dirty Linen".

<i>Expletive Delighted!</i> 1986 studio album by Fairport Convention

Expletive Delighted! is a 1986 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, their fifteenth studio album since their debut in 1968. It is the band's only album consisting solely of instrumental tracks, despite the claim "Lyric sheet enclosed" on the album cover.

<i>Live at the BBC</i> (Fairport Convention album) 2007 compilation album by Fairport Convention

Live at the BBC is a compilation album by English folk-rock band Fairport Convention released in 2007. It includes tracks recorded for the BBC for various radio programmes between 1968 and 1974 and consists of four CDs in a fold-out package with a fifty-page booklet including song lyrics and numerous contemporary photographs.

References

  1. Eder, Bruce (2011). "History of Fairport Convention - Fairport Convention | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  2. "British album certifications – Fairport Convention – The History of Fairport Convention". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 October 2023.