Liege And Lief - Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention’s groundbreaking 1970 album “Liege and Lief” is not just a seminal album it can be argued to have launched the whole concept of folk-rock. It is above all still a hugely enjoyable and relevant work which as a listener I return to time and time again. The reason is simple, it is the work of highly skilled musicians at the height of their careers.

The band had started as a West Coast and Dylan admiring band who put ...
...interesting without setting anything alight. The second album “What We Did On Our Holidays” was rather more interesting. Having been joined by Sandy Denny, surely one of the best singers the pop/rock scene ever spawned, an inspired songwriter and boasting one of the most “English” voices imaginable. Richard Thompson, still a highly-regarded and highly individual singer/songwriter. The album featured songs such as Thompson’s wistful paean to friendship ... more

Fairport Convention’s groundbreaking 1970 album “Liege and Lief” is not just a seminal album it can be argued to have launched the whole concept of folk-rock. It is above all still a hugely enjoyable and relevant work which as a listener I return to time and time again. The reason is simple, it is the work of highly skilled musicians at the height of their careers.

The band had started as a West Coast and Dylan admiring band who put out a first eponymous record with singer Judy Dyble, mildly interesting without setting anything alight. The second album “What We Did On Our Holidays” was rather more interesting. Having been joined by Sandy Denny, surely one of the best singers the pop/rock scene ever spawned, an inspired songwriter and boasting one of the most “English” voices imaginable. Richard Thompson, still a highly-regarded and highly individual singer/songwriter. The album featured songs such as Thompson’s wistful paean to friendship “Meet on The Ledge” and Denny’s haunting “Fotheringay”, together with their first forays into traditional song “She Moves Through The Fair” and “Nottamun Town.

It was the third album “Unhalfbricking” which sowed the seeds of what was to come. The usual Dylan versions, including a jokey French version of Dylan “Si Tu Dois Partir surely incomprehensible to French-speakers. Some excellent new songs by Sandy, especially “Genesis Hall” and “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” but most importantly the first folk-rock masterpiece. “A Sailor’s Life” is a monster of a song, starting with a gentle swirl of guitars, a violin weaving in and out in the background, shimmering cymbals and Denny’s voice quietly telling the story of a girl who loses her man to the sea….the guitar picks up, the bass and drums set the foundation and Denny’s voice soars as the tragedy unfolds.Then that violin, played by folk hero Dave Swarbrick, guest-starring here, clashes with the guitar and they tell in music the story whose words we have already heard. Awesome.

But Fairport always had a touch of bad luck about them. Shortly after the release of the album drummer Martin Lamble died in a car crash together with Richard Thompson’s girlfriend.

Swarbrick was asked to join the band for what was seen as a one-off project an album and a tour recovering old English folksongs with modern instrumentation and thus the album and the movement were born.

“Come All Ye” is the first song, a traditional calling song but actually written by the band where all the musicians are acknowledged and show off their skills. With the rock instruments driving the song, the violin intervening at will and Denny’s crystal-clear song backed by strong backing vocals it tells us the way the album is going.

The tempo changes completely for “Reynardine”. Based on the old legend of Mr. Fox or Reynardine, a fox with the ability to transform itself into a man, normally a well-dressed gentlemen, to lure its human female prey the song is delivered with a chilling calm, the vocals almost whispered, softly, the instruments poised and controlled….the inflection in Denny’s voice the only clue as to what will happen to the girl as he “led her home through the mountains….did that sly, bold Reynardine”.

“Matty Groves” has become a Fairport classic, and rightly so. The song tells the story of a young girl married to an older lord who falls in love and goes to bed with a young guy, “little Matty Groves”. A servant spies on them and gets the lord back. He challenges the naked Matty to fight, who refuses as he just has a pocket knife whilst the lord has two long beaten swords. He gives Matty the better sword and gives him first strike, Matty woundss him but is promptly killed by the lord who then asks his wife whom she prefers now. She replies that she would ratherhave “one kiss from dead Matty’s lips than you or your finery”…upon which she is killed by him and buried on top of as she was of noble kin. Throughout this, the music has embellished and sometimes driven the song, highlighting Swarbrick’s idea of dramatic storytelling. The end of the words brings some virtuoso playing from all the band as they bring the song to a long and thumping climax.

The mood quietens with Denny’s “Farewell, Farewell”, a song about friends parting which sadly was sung at Sandy’s own funeral at a desperately early age from falling down the stairs at home.

The second side, as would have been in the old LP days, starts with “The Deserter” another traditional song of a young man who is press-ganged into the army, continually deserts with worse punishments and is sentenced to death until Prince Albert pardons him

A medley of jigs, reels follows. These became a staple of Fairport and whilst they are enjoyable in their own way and allow for astonishing pyrotechnics, particularly from the violin, they are not the highlights of the albums for me.

“Tam Lin” a long Scottish ballad about a young buck, his lover and the queen of thefairies follows. It was considerably abridged but still clocks in at over eight minutes, the music is more repetitive as it is mainly an accompaniment to the singing, other than the solos of course. Still a great track though.

The first joint composition between Thompson and Swarbrick ends the album. “Crazy Man Michael” is another dark and tragic tale of a young man who thinks he is talking to a raven which tells him he will murder his love, gets annoyed and kills the bird only to find it was his lover. Again the song leans on violin, guitar and vocals telling the story to a strong backing.

And that was that. After that bassist Ashley Hutchings and Sandy Denny left, the band confirmed its folkiness and delivered some great albums. There was even a return by Denny for one album with her husband Trevor Lucas, also sadly dead at an early age. Dave Swarbrick is one of the lucky few to have lived to read his own obituary, which appeared in the Telegraph in 1999. Luckily, he is still with us.

The band arguably never hit this peak again, but then how many bands can rightfully claim to have started a whole genre?

If this review has gone on, I apologise. I hope my enthusiasm rubs off on someone and makes them discover this record. If I make one convert it will have been worth it!

 

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