History
Following the departure of Judy Dyble,the band conducted auditions for a replacement singer,and Sandy Denny became the obvious choice. Simon Nicol has said "it was a one horse race really... she stood out like a clean glass in a sink full of dirty dishes". [4] According to author Richie Unterberger Denny's "haunting,ethereal vocals gave Fairport a big boost". [2]
The album has been described by Unterberger as "a near-ideal balance between imaginative reworkings of traditional folk songs ... quality covers of contemporary folk-rock singer-songwriters,some quite obscure ... and original folk-rock material by various members". [5] In 2008 Simon Nicol described the album as his favourite, [6] and it was voted number 281 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). [7]
The cover features a sketch of the band performing,drawn on a blackboard by Martin Lamble and Sandy Denny in a classroom at the University of Essex [8] and the reverse of the original sleeve shows a photograph of the band performing. The Island Masters 1990 re-release IMCD 97 also features a portrait of Sandy Denny.
In the US,the album was released by A&M Records (SP-4185) with an identical track listing but featuring new cover art,and was re-titled Fairport Convention. [9] The album was also released in Australia and New Zealand by Festival Records with the 'blackboard' front cover and an entirely different back cover to both the US and UK releases. The Discogs website gives no fewer than 54 different versions of the album. [10]
Reception and influence
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice ,American critic Robert Christgau deemed Fairport Convention the "most interesting unknown group" he had listened to in some time,highlighting their take on "Pentangle-style ballads" and Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It with Mine". [13] Neal Casal,of Ryan Adams &the Cardinals,later listed What We Did on Our Holidays as one of his favourite albums of all time. [15]
Reviewing the 2008 re-issue of the album Pitchfork.com said:"The album mixes new interpretations of traditional ballads like 'Nottamun Town,' here rendered almost as a raga,with much newer songs,such as their soulful take on Dylan's 'I'll Keep It With Mine' and their ponderous version of Mitchell's 'Eastern Rain.' The best material on Holidays,though,may be their own—the stomping blues-rock of 'Mr. Lacey,' the racing 'No Man's Land,' and the stirring afterlife anthem 'Meet on the Ledge.'" [16]
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