Fairport Convention is credited with inventing British folk-rock, but at first, its roots were more American than British. On Fairport Convention, their 1967 debut album, the earliest Fairport covers American songwriters like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, and strives for a sound resembling American groups like the Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield. The band here consisted of Ian Matthews and Judy Dyble on vocals, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson on guitars, Ashley Hutchings on bass, and Martin Lamble on drums. Things got more interesting on the second album, 1968's What We Did On Our Holiday (confusingly, this album was called Fairport Convention in its initial American release). In the first of many personnel changes, singer Sandy Denny joined the group, replacing Judy Dyble. Sandy's haunting voice and sophisticated songwriting, along with the developing writing of guitarist Richard Thompson, help make this a solid collection. The album also features the first traditional folk songs Fairport would record, "Nottamun Town" and "She Moves Through The Fair". But there are still Dylan and Mitchell covers. The third album, 1969's Unhalfbricking, features Denny's most famous composition, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes," but another track made the British folk scene sit up and gasp - "A Sailor's Life" turns an ancient ballad into a twelve-minute rock epic, building from a keening Denny vocal to a lengthy call-and-response jam between Thompson and guest violinist Dave Swarbrick. The track was more electric, more raucous and more harrowing than anything Fairport had attempted before. British folk songs had been definitively introduced to rock and roll.

More personnel changes : after Martin Lamble died in a car accident, Dave Mattacks an experienced rock drummer (he played Glockenspiel for Jethro Tull ), joined the group. And violinist Dave Swarbrick joined the band on a permanent basis. The album that came after these changes is considered by many to be the group's masterwork. Liege and Lief presents hard-edged, electric versions of traditional folk songs, from jigs and reels to murder ballads, alongside original material in the same style. The result sounds both ancient and contemporary, and therefore timeless.

Yet more personnel changes : Sandy Denny left to pursue a solo career; rather than replace her, Thompson and Swarbrick took turns stepping up to the microphone. Ashley Hutchings left to form Steeleye Span, and bassist Dave Pegg was brought in. 1970's Full House presents the band as a hard-drinking, hard-rocking boys' club, playing (as they put it) "the fastest jigs and reels in captivity". A live album, House Full, captures the band in fine form at this time. Then Richard Thompson decided to pursue a solo career, and the band's heydey was over.

Last update: Thursday, December 27, 2001 at 2:53:19 PM