Liege & Lief (Vinyl)
Out of stock
£24.00
Out of stock
This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1969 Island Records UK release with gatefold sleeve and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.
The trajectory that Fairport Convention took in the space of four albums and two years is one of the most remarkable in British popular music – these records contain some of the most storied names not just in British, but world music. From a bunch of school friends setting out to be ‘the British Jefferson Airplane’, over the course of their first quartet of releases, the group metamorphosed into the leading exponents of British folk rock. In the way American folk and blues had looked back to gospel songs and spirituals, Fairport mined a seam a traditional English folk song, and then combined them with rock rhythms to create something ground-breaking and quickly emulated. For many, this is the frst time the considerable talents of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, Ian Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks would have been heard on record
In May 1969, the band were involved in a fatal car accident which killed their drummer Martin Lamble and Thompson’s girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn. In a state of obvious shock, Fairport decided to carry on, making Swarbrick a permanent member and adding drummer Dave Mattacks. Ashley Hutchings submerged himself in traditional British music and, as a result, fourth album Liege And Lief contained five traditional tracks, and three originals in the folk style. It established the template that Fairport would follow and is one of the most influential albums in British rock. The eight- minute masterpiece Matty Groves built On A Sailor’s Life and gave Fairport another long-lasting anthem. By the time the album was released, Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings had both left the group, and another chapter was to begin.
Fairport Convention are still playing to this very day, still with original member Simon Nicol in the line- up. Their annual Cropredy Festival has become a reassuring landmark in the UK concert calendar – and many of these songs here feature in their set today.
You may also like...
- Quick ViewAdd to basket
A La Sala (Gold Vinyl)
£26.00Khruangbin
Khruangbin’s fourth studio album. Indies only Limited Edition Gold vinyl.
Pungent Effulgent (Vinyl)
£26.00Ozric Tentacles
The Ozric’s first ‘official’ album released in 1989. Black vinyl featuring the 2020 Ed Wynne remaster.
- Quick ViewAdd to basket
Head Over Heels (Vinyl)
£19.00Cocteau Twins
2016 remastered reissue of the band’s second album, originally released 1983.
The NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972 (Vinyl)
£29.00Various Artists
A collection of early Indian electronic music. For fans of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. 2 x LP, one side etched.
- Quick ViewAdd to basket
Landed (Vinyl)
£22.00Can
The band’s seventh studio album, originally released in 1975. Remastered 2014 vinyl reissue, with download code.
- Quick ViewAdd to basket
Inner Roads and Outer Paths (Green Vinyl)
£21.00Vic Mars
Vic Mars critically acclaimed LP from 2019. Green Vinyl re-press + download.