- Liege & Lief
Infobox Album |
Name = Liege & Lief
Type = studio
Artist =Fairport Convention
Released = December 1969
July 1970 (USA)
Recorded =October 16 , 19, 22, 29 andNovember 1 1969 , Sound Techniques, London
Genre =Electric folk
Length = 40:33
Label = Island ILPS 9115
A&M SP-4257 (July 1970)
Producer =Joe Boyd for Witchseason Productions Ltd.
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:rlua6j4271l0 link]
*Robert Christgau (B-) [http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=fairport+convention link]
*Rolling Stone (4/5) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/fairportconvention/albums/album/225999/review/5942064/liege__lief link]
Last album = "Unhalfbricking "
(1969)
This album = "Liege & Lief"
(1969)
Next album = "Full House"
(1970)"Liege & Lief", released in 1969, is the fourth
electric folk album released byFairport Convention and established British folk-rock as a distinct and influential genre.Following the motorway accident which had killed
Martin Lamble , the band were left without a drummer after the release of "Unhalfbricking ".Dave Mattacks took over the role and having previously been a drummer at Mecca Ballrooms, had to "learn a whole new style of drumming"; cite web | url = http://www.fairportconvention.com/simon_nicol_on_fairport.php | title = Simon Nicol writes about Fairport Convention | accessdate = 2008-05-05]Dave Swarbrick , a little older than the rest of the band, had already been in a successful duo with guitaristMartin Carthy ; after his appearance on "Unhalfbricking ", he too joined Fairport full-time.History
The band rehearsed and put together "Liege & Lief" over the summer of 1969 at a house in
Farley Chamberlayne , nearWinchester , launching it with a sell-out concert in London'sRoyal Festival Hall late in 1969.Gone were the covers of songs by
Bob Dylan and others, replaced by electrified versions of traditional English folksongs and the first of a long line of instrumental medleys of folk dance tunes driven by Dave Swarbrick's violin playing. Much of this material had been found by Ashley Hutchings inCecil Sharp 's collection, maintained by theEnglish Folk Dance and Song Society .The title is composed of two
Middle English words. [cite web | url = http://www.thefreedictionary.com/liege | title = Liege | accessdate = 2008-05-05] [cite web | url = http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lief | title = Lief | accessdate = 2008-05-05] The cover, a gatefold in grey and purple, featured cameo images of the band along with tracklisting and credits.Soon after the release of "Liege & Lief",
Ashley Hutchings left to further pursue traditional music in a new band,Steeleye Span ;Sandy Denny also left to formFotheringay .In 2007 a double album "Liege and Lief Deluxe Edition" was released. The second album consisted mainly of BBC radio live performances. Uncharacteristically, two outtakes, the
Frank Sinatra songs "The Lady Is a Tramp " and "Fly Me to the Moon ", were included. [cite web | url = http://www.netrhythms.co.uk/reviewsf.html#fc | title = Netrhythms : A to Z Album and Gig Reviews | accessdate = 2008-05-05 ]Reception and influence
"Liege & Lief" was promoted by
John Peel on his Top Gear radio programme [cite web |url = http://www.fairportconvention.com/the_liege_and_lief_story.php | title = Features: The Liege & Lief Story | accessdate = 2008-05-05 ] and the album spent fifteen weeks in the UK album chart, reaching number 17. [UKChartHits|2106]AllMusic 's reviewer summed the album up as "while [it] was the most purely folk-oriented Fairport Convention album to date, it also rocked hard in a thoroughly original and uncompromising way".The album has come to be regarded as having a major influence in the development of British
folk rock . It was voted the 'most important folk album of all time' byBBC Radio 2 listeners in 2002, and at the 2006BBC Radio 2 Folk awards "Liege and Lief " won the award for "Most influential Folk Album of all time". At the event, the original line-up ofSimon Nicol , Richard Thompson,Ashley Hutchings ,Dave Swarbrick ,Dave Mattacks , withChris While replacingSandy Denny , performedMatty Groves . Georgia Lucas, the daughter of Sandy Denny andTrevor Lucas , accepted the award on behalf of her late mother. This commemoration was repeated on10 August 2007 at Cropredy, when the complete album was performed.In June 2007,
Mojo magazine listed "Liege & Lief" at number 58 in its list of "100 Records that changed the world". [cite web | url = http://troubleeveryday.sosyomat.com/blog/959232 | title = MOJO - (June 2007) 100 Records That Changed the World | accessdate = 2008-05-05]Track listing
ide one
# "Come All Ye" (
Sandy Denny ,Ashley Hutchings ) - 4:55
# "Reynardine " (Trad. arr Fairport) - 4:33
# "Matty Groves " (Trad. arr Fairport) - 8:08
# "Farewell, Farewell" [this is the music to Child Ballad 100Willie O Winsbury with new lyrics or possiblyFause Foodrage - Child #89 - the melody of which was used byAndy Irvine for his (& subsequent) readings of Willie O' Winsbury.] (Richard Thompson) - 2:38ide two
#"
The Deserter " (Trad. arr Fairport) - 4:10
#Medley (Traditional, arranged by Dave Swarbrick) - 4:00
##"The Lark in the Morning"
##"Rakish Paddy"
##"Fox-Hunter's Jig"
##"Toss The Feathers "
#"Tam Lin " (Trad. arr Swarbrick) - 7:20
#"Crazy Man Michael" (Thompson, Swarbrick) - 4:35CD bonus tracks
(previously unreleased)
# "Sir Patrick Spens " [sung by Sandy Denny, unlike the later version that appears on "Full House"] (Trad. arr Fairport)
# "The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood" (Take 1) [alternate take from the one used on the Sandy Denny— "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" box set] (words byRichard Fariña ; traditional music arranged by Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Dave Swarbrick, Dave Mattacks)Production
*Recorded at
Sound Techniques Ltd., London
*Engineered by John Wood
*Cover photography - Eric Hayes
*Sleeve concept & design - Fairport & Roberta Nicol
*Design coordination - Diogenic Attempts LtdPersonnel
*
Sandy Denny - vocals
*Dave Swarbrick - fiddle, viola
* Richard Thompson - electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
*Simon Nicol - electric, 6-string & 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals
*Ashley Hutchings - bass guitar, backing vocals
*Dave Mattacks - drums, percussionReferences
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wiftxqy5ld6e Liege & Lief at Allmusic.com] ]
* [http://www.fairportconvention.com/the_liege_and_lief_story.php Fairport Website]
* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fcfansite/album-liege.htm Fansite]
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