Search - Fairport Convention :: What We Did on Our Holidays

TIMELESS !

P. D. Laffey | Hitchin | 02/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the Beatles , the best band in Britain in 1969 was Fairport Convention. The group had already released its debut album prior to this release , but the legend starts here . This was the first Fairport album that the wonderful singer Sandy Denny appeared on , and, even at this early stage the astounding chemistry between the band members is clearly evident. Sandy was the catalyst that propelled the band into recording a trilogy of classic albums that should have made them superstars , but , alas , it was not to be. The LP is a folk/rock mixture of self composed songs, covers, and old traditional folk tunes that gel together beautifully .The biggest compliment I can give about the self composed songs is that they are as good as the magnificent covers of the Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs that the band excel at on this album. "Fotheringay " and " Book song " are classics in any language but the most prescient and poignant song is Richard Thompson's " Meet on the ledge ", it's almost as if he could see the tragedies that lay ahead for some of the band members.Richard Thompson's virtuoso guitar performance matches Sandy Denny's stunning vocals, and to add icing to the cake, the rest of the band are on top form . The extended improvisational tracks that would be the highlight of their next two albums are missing here , these vibrant tracks are short but sweet . Fairport Convention are still performing and have become something of an English institution , but for me , the magic that is in this LP and the other two seminal albums that they recorded in 1969 will never be surpassed . These albums are the equal to anything that was recorded in the sixties ! Oops, I nearly forgot ! The other two albums are " Unhalfbricking " and " Liege & Lief " . If you're tired of the music industry's bland rubbish that it dishes out to the public , these albums will be a revelation !"

The grand, shining peak of this band's career

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 03/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fairport Convention celebrates its 35 anniversary this year, it has released dozens of albums...and this, the band's second album, is the best of them all, spilling over with perfect moments and climaxing with Richard Thompson's ultimate Fairport anthem "Meet on the Ledge". The songs are not as innocent as on the first album: Thompson's "Tale in Hard Time" starts with the line "Take the sun from my heart, let me learn to despise", while Sandy Denny's medieval-sounding "Fotheringay", which sounds at first like the story of a princess running away to escape the smothering palace life, turns out to be about Mary Queen of Scots awaiting her execution. Denny shares lead vocals with Iain Matthews, who left after this album, and both are in fine voice. Denny's singing on Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It with Mine" will leave your jaw hanging open. The band begins its journey into British traditional music with "She Moves Through the Fair". The musicianship and arrangements are first-rate, mixing rock and folk touches with expert balance, and the production is remarkably clear for a 1968 album."

Wow!

Junglies | Morrisville, NC United States | 05/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you think about it most artists make one good album and that is usually their first. Afterwards things may go downhill or they adopt a formula or in some cases they record almost the same thing with different words and only slightly different tunes. In very rare cases the second and subsequent albums just keep getting better. Such artists are rare indeed.In the case Fairport had made a great debut with the album of the same name but the singer had left and was replaced with Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny, who later became known and loved as Sandy.'What We Did On Our Holidays' in many ways is different to the first album. It is an album which displays a growing confidence and maturity far beyond the years of it's players and yet retains the links to the first of bringing the works of Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Nico to a wider UK audience.What is also different about this album is the shift away from folk-rock to a more traditional style at least in sound, mainly throughthe influence of Denny and Hutchings.The album begins with the wonderful 'Fotheringay' later to be the name of the band that she formed upon leaving Fairport. A self-penned song by Sandy this set the tone for the whole album. As the album progresses it is interesting to note a variety of styles which came under the Fairport umbrella which assumed a mantle of folkiness which led one commentator to pronounce that whatever they played Fairport made it sound like folk music.Also of interest is the development of Richard Thompson's playing. The listener is offered tantalising glimpses of what was to come, in the studio and on the road, but there are no real opportunities on this album for him to let loose. His songwriting too was growing in maturity with 'Meet on the Ledge' now an almost permanent part of the band's repetoire, a poignant reminder of all those members who are no longer with us.The songs themselves provide a discipline that helps to keep the band in focus. Although these would prove to be the springboards for live extended performances, here they seem to force the best singing and playing within a limited timeframe.This album is superb. To think that such strides could be made in only a short time is itself outstanding. The best was yet to come."