Unhalfbricking

Last updated

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Si Tu Dois Partir"
Sample of "Si tu dois partir", the single from Unhalfbricking
"A Sailor's Life"
Sample of "A Sailor's Life", the extended song in which folk and rock came together
Problems playing these files? See media help.

The band's male vocalist Iain Matthews left during the recordings for Unhalfbricking to make his own album Matthews' Southern Comfort , after recording just one track, "Percy's Song". [7] Sandy Denny sang lead vocals on all the other songs, including her own compositions, "Autopsy", and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?". [6] The latter was covered by many artists and is now viewed to be a classic. [8] The lengthy "A Sailor's Life", a traditional English folk song collected by A. L. Lloyd, was already part of Denny's club repertoire. [6] In particular, the version on Unhalfbricking has been described as "the turning point of Fairport's history from earlier contemporary Americana to English songs" [9] and by AllMusic's Richie Unterberger as a "clear signpost to the future". [2]

Guitarist Richard Thompson contributed two compositions to the album. The opening track, "Genesis Hall", is a slow 3/4 waltz, on which Simon Nicol played dulcimer, while Sandy Denny provided the vocals; it was the B-Side of the single release. [10] Genesis Hall was the nickname of the former Bell Hotel in Drury Lane, which had become a squat in early 1969 and later became noted for a mass eviction by the police. [11] In the view of Mojo magazine reviewer Mike Baines, "Thompson's writing reached maturity on 'Genesis Hall'". [6] "Cajun Woman", which opens the second side of the album, [12] features Dave Swarbrick's fiddle-playing in his first work with Fairport; having no electric pick-ups, the band improvised by smashing open a telephone and attaching the microphone to the instrument with an elastic band. [13]

Title and cover

The title arose from the band playing the word game Ghost while travelling to and from gigs. [14] Its object was to "avoid completing a real word", [15] and "Unhalfbricking" was Sandy Denny's creation. [16]

Eric Hayes took the photo on the sleeve design for the UK release, which featured neither album title nor band name. [17] The photo captured Denny's parents, Neil and Edna Denny, standing outside the family home at 9B Arthur Road, Wimbledon, South London, with the band distantly visible through the garden fence. [18] St Mary's Church, Wimbledon, can be seen in the background. [19] Joe Boyd later said "Unhalfbricking, then, that cover shot was taken in the early spring, right before the crash, I think; and that record came out in June". [20]

Unhalfbricking's cover in the US, released by A&M Records, was even less informative. It consisted of a picture of circus elephants with a small inset image of the band, allegedly because "the group apparently so upset their American label that they replaced it with an image of trampolining elephants". [21]

Aftermath

On 11 May 1969, [22] two months before the album was released, drummer Martin Lamble and Jeannie Franklyn, the girlfriend of guitarist Richard Thompson, were killed in a road accident as the band was returning from a concert in Birmingham. [23] Simon Nicol later said:

That was a big watershed, I think. In the aftermath, we thought a lot about what to do, whether to call it a day. It had been fun while it lasted but it took a definite effort of will to continue. It had given us a lot but now it had taken away a lot: was it worth it if it was going to cost people their lives? Martin was only 18 or 19 years old. He would have gone on to have been so much more than just another drummer, another musician: there was something very special about him. [23]

Ashley Hutchings also said in relation to the album cover photograph:

My memory of it is bound up with the terrible car crash. On the back cover we're all eating around a table. The shirt and the leather waistcoat I'm wearing are what I had on when the crash happened. I can clearly remember them being bloodstained. You don't forget things like that. [4]

Unhalfbricking appeared, therefore, at a difficult time for the group, but was enthusiastically received. After a period of intense reflection about their future they decided to pursue the folk rock idea further and violinist Dave Swarbrick and drummer Dave Mattacks were invited to join full-time for the follow-up, Liege & Lief . [2]

Reception

Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention-Unhalfbricking (album cover).jpg
Studio album by
Fairport Convention
ReleasedJuly 1969 [1]
RecordedJanuary–April 1969
Studio Sound Techniques and Olympic, London
Genre British folk rock
Length38:51
LanguageEnglish and French
Label Island
Producer
Fairport Convention chronology
What We Did on Our Holidays
(1969)		Unhalfbricking
(1969)		 Liege & Lief
(1969)
1969 US release
Unhalfbrickingusa.jpg
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide A− [24]
Pitchfork 9.3/10 [25]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [26]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [27]

AllMusic's Richie Unterberger described Unhalfbricking as "a transitional album for the young Fairport Convention, in which the group shed its closest ties to its American folk-rock influences and started to edge toward a more traditional British folk-slanted sound". [2]

Rolling Stone's John Mendelsohn, reviewing Unhalfbricking alongside Liege and Lief , was supportive, describing it as "Fairport Convention at its best" and singling out "Percy's Song" in particular as "the album's gem". He was less complimentary about "A Sailor's Life", regarding it as overlong. [28]

The album also gave the band their first UK chart success, spending a total of eight weeks in the UK album chart and reaching number 12. [29] The single "Si Tu Dois Partir" spent nine weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number 21. [29] Fairport Convention appeared on Top of the Pops on 14 August 1969, miming to the song and augmented by a roadie, Steve Sparks on percussion. [30] [31]

It was voted number 688 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). [32] In 2004 Q magazine placed Unhalfbricking at number 41 in its list of the 50 Greatest British Albums Ever, [33] and in the same year The Observer , describing it as "a thoroughly English masterpiece", [4] listed it at number 27 in its Top 100 British Albums. [34] The following year, 2005, it was included in Robert Dimery's "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". [35] The Sandy Denny track "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" was voted "Favourite Folk Track of All Time" by listeners in the Radio 2 Folk Awards 2007. [36] In 2010 Unhalfbricking was voted the second best Fairport Convention album after Liege & Lief by Mojo magazine readers. [37]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Genesis Hall" Richard Thompson 3:35
2."Si Tu Dois Partir" Bob Dylan 2:18
3."Autopsy" Sandy Denny 4:20
4."A Sailor's Life"Traditional; arranged by Denny, Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings and Martin Lamble 11:08
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Cajun Woman"Thompson2:42
6."Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"Denny5:08
7."Percy's Song"Dylan6:46
8."Million Dollar Bash"Dylan2:54
Bonus tracks on CD reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Dear Landlord"Dylan4:06
10."Ballad of Easy Rider" (Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider". [38] [39] ) Roger McGuinn 4:55

Release history

Unhalfbricking has been released on several occasions and in several formats: [2] [40]

YearCountryLabel and catalogue numberFormat
1969UK Island ILPS 9102 LP
1969US A&M SP-4206LP
1969US Hannibal 4418 cassette
1969GermanyIsland 849302LP
1969ItalyInternational Ricordi SPA SLIR-ILLP
1969Canada Polydor 543-098LP
1970AustraliaFestival/Island SFL 9333512LP
1972JapanKing/Island ICL-36LP
1973AustraliaFestival/Island SFL 9333512LP (reissue)
1974NetherlandsIsland Ariola 88163XATLP
1969New ZealandFestival Records SFL-933512LP
1985USCarthage CGLP 4418LP
1987UKIsland CID 9102CD
1987JapanPolystar P32D 25025CD
1990USCarthage CGCD 4418CD
1990UKIsland IMCD 61 (Island Masters series)CD
1991USHannibal 4418LP & cassette
1991JapanPolystar P32D 1125CD
1995USSammel 8424982CD
2000UKSimply Vinyl SVLP 164LP
2003UKIsland IMCD 293 (Island Re-Masters series)CD
2007USSimply Vinyl 00030726LP
2008USWater 212CD
2008US4 Men With Beards 158LP

Personnel

Fairport Convention
Additional personnel
Production

Source: [42]

Certifications

Certifications for Unhalfbricking
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Silver60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Swarbrick</span> English folk-rock musician (1941–2016)

David Cyril Eric Swarbrick was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second British folk revival, contributing to some of the most important groups and projects of the 1960s, and he became a much sought-after session musician, which led him throughout his career to work with many of the major figures in folk and folk rock music.

<i>What We Did on Our Holidays</i> 1969 studio album by Fairport Convention

What We Did on Our Holidays is the second studio album by the English folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in 1969. It was their first album to feature singer-songwriter Sandy Denny. The album also showed a move towards the folk rock for which the band became noted, including tracks later to become perennial favourites such as "Fotheringay" and the song traditionally used to close live concerts, "Meet on the Ledge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Lucas</span> Musical artist

Trevor George Lucas was an Australian folk singer, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay. He mainly worked as a singer-songwriter and guitarist but also produced many albums and composed for the film industry toward the end of his career. He married three times, his first wife was Cheryl, his second wife was fellow folk musician Sandy Denny (1973–1978), and his third wife was Elizabeth Hurtt (1979–1989). Lucas died on 4 February 1989 of a heart attack in his sleep, in Sydney, aged 45. He was survived by Elizabeth Hurtt, his daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, and his son, Daniel 'Clancy' Lucas. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, Lucas "was one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters Australia ever produced and although he was held in high regard in UK folk rock circles, he remained virtually unknown in his homeland".

"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" is a song written by the English folk-rock singer and songwriter Sandy Denny.

<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>No Roses</i> 1971 studio album by Shirley Collins and The Albion Country Band

No Roses is an album by Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band. It was recorded at Sound Techniques, and Air Studios in London, in the summer of 1971. It was produced by Sandy Roberton and Ashley Hutchings. It was released in October 1971 on the Pegasus label.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Nicol</span> Musical artist

Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band. He has also been involved with the Albion Band and a wide range of musical projects, both as a collaborator, producer and as a solo artist. He has received several awards for his work and career.

<i>Tipplers Tales</i> 1978 studio album by Fairport Convention

Tipplers Tales is a 1978 album by Fairport Convention, the band's thirteenth studio album since their debut in 1968. Recorded in only ten days, it was the last album the band recorded for Vertigo. Simon Nicol later wrote

"We secured a deal with Vertigo, the one that ended up with them paying us not to make records. It seemed a novelty, like that Marx Brothers line: "How much for you NOT to rehearse?" "Oh, you can't afford it." We did Bonny Bunch and Tipplers Tales then didn't make the other four contracted albums"

"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.

<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.

"A Sailor’s Life" is an English language folk song which describes the attempt of a young woman to find her lover, a sailor. Eventually she hears that he has drowned and mourns him.

<i>Gottle OGeer</i> 1976 studio album by Fairport Convention

Gottle O'Geer is the eleventh studio album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention. The album was released through Island Records in May 1976.

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

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

The Sandy Denny discography chronicles the output of British folk rock singer Sandy Denny. Her brief career, spanning 1967 to 1978, saw the release of 4 solo albums and 4 singles on several record labels.

<i>By Popular Request</i> 2012 studio album by Fairport Convention

By Popular Request is a 2012 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in January 2012 on the band's own Matty Grooves Records label. The band have released over 30 albums since their debut, Fairport Convention, in 1968. The album consists of studio re-recordings of previous material as selected by popular request via the band's website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Swarbrick discography</span>

The discography of Dave Swarbrick, an English folk musician and singer-songwriter, consists of 11 solo studio albums, and many other albums with other bands and musicians, most notably with British folk rock band Fairport Convention, with whom he was a leading member and violinist for over fifteen years. He also appears as a guest musician on the albums of a large number of other artists.

References

  1. ↑ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Melody Maker. 26 July 1969. p. 18. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Unterberger, Richie. "allmusic ((( Unhalfbricking > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  3. ↑ Deming, M. (2011). "Liege & Lief [Bonus Tracks] – Fairport Convention | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Harris, John (20 June 2004). "Unhalfbricking, Fairport Convention". The Observer. London. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  5. 1 2 Unterberger, Richie. "THE BIRTH AND HEYDAY OF FAIRPORT CONVENTION". richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Baines, Mike (August 2010). "Fairport Convention: English folk rock's prime movers". Mojo . 201: 139.
  7. ↑ "Biography". iainmatthews.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  8. ↑ "Sold on Song – Song Library – Who Knows Where The Time Goes". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  9. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard (22 November 2014). "A Sailor's Life". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Genesis Hall". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Fountain, Nigel (1988). Underground: the London alternative press, 1966–74. London: Routledge. pp. 84–85. ISBN   0-415-00728-3 . Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  12. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Cajun Woman". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Young, Rob (7 June 2012). Fairport Convention and Electric Folk: Faber Forty-Fives: 1967–1970. Faber & Faber. ISBN   9780571296552 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Unhalfbricking, Fairport Convention". The Guardian. London. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  15. ↑ "Ghost Game and other game resources". fun.familyeducation.com. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  16. ↑ Greenberger, David. "Metroland Online – Recordings: Playing Games". Metroland . Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  17. ↑ Colwell, Stacey (5 March 2003). "Shooting Stars". Bridgewater Bulletin. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  18. ↑ Irvin, Jim (1998). "Angel of Avalon: Sandy Denny". Mojo . Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  19. ↑ 51°25′43.03″N0°12′37.67″W / 51.4286194°N 0.2104639°W (best viewed using "StreetMap" option)
  20. ↑ "Who Knows Where the Time Goes? – The Sandy Denny Story". 22 April 2008. 18 minutes in. BBC Radio 2. Archived from the original on 27 April 2008.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  21. ↑ Powell, Aubrey (July–August 2002). "Pavement to penthouse – The aesthetics of folk". Frieze Magazine (68). Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  22. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "allmusic ((( Martin Lamble > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  23. 1 2 "History: Simon Nicol writes about Fairport". fairportconvention.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
  24. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 24 February 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  25. ↑ Deusner, Stephen (2 May 2008). "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". Pitchfork . Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  26. ↑ Ranta, Alan (27 June 2008). "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  27. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  28. ↑ Mendelsohn, John (11 June 1970). "Fairport Convention". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 17 February 2007.
  29. 1 2 "FAIRPORT CONVENTION – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  30. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Si Tu Dois Partir". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  31. ↑ "Fairport Convention Fansite " Expletive-Delighted!" – Discography : SI TU DOIS PARTIR / GENESIS HALL". musikfolk.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  32. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 222. ISBN   0-7535-0493-6.
  33. ↑ "Q Magazine – 3 Special Editions Jan, Feb, March 2004". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  34. ↑ "The list in full". The Guardian. London. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  35. ↑ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2005). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell. ISBN   978-0-7893-1371-3.
  36. ↑ "BBC – Press Office – Radio 2 Folk Awards 2007 winners". BBC. 6 February 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  37. ↑ Baines, Mike (August 2010). "Fairport Convention: English folk rock's prime movers". Mojo . 201: 138–139.
  38. ↑ Rogan, Johnny (1997). Ballad of Easy Rider (Media notes). The Byrds. Columbia Records.
  39. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard (13 June 2011). "Fairport Convention: Ballad of Easy Rider" . Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  41. ↑ "Fairport Convention: Si Tu Dois Partir". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  42. ↑ Hutchings, Ashley (2003). Unhalfbricking (Media notes). Fairport Convention. Island Records. pp. 3, 16.
  43. ↑ "British album certifications – Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 October 2023.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.