What We Did on Our Holidays

Infobox Album |
Name = What We Did on Our Holidays
Type = studio
Artist = Fairport Convention


Released = January 1969
Recorded = June-October 1968
Genre = Rock
Length = 38:07
Label = Island ILPS 9092
A&M SP-4185 (USA)
Hannibal (reissue)
Producer = Joe Boyd
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4x6ompp39ffo link]
*Review-Christgau|A-|cgurl=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Fairport+Convention
Last album = "Fairport Convention"
(1968)
This album = "What We Did on Our Holidays"
(1969)
Next album = "Unhalfbricking"
(1969)
Misc = Singles
Name ="What We Did on Our Holidays"
Type =studio
Single 1 =Meet on the Ledge" b/w "Throwaway Street Puzzle
Single 1 date =December 1968, Island Records WIP 6047
Single 2 =I'll Keep It With Mine" b/w "Fotheringay
Single 2 date =1969, USA-only

"What We Did on Our Holidays" is the second album release by the band Fairport Convention and was the first to feature Sandy Denny, whose "haunting, ethereal vocals gave Fairport a big boost", according to Allmusic's reviewer.cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0iftxqy5ld6e | title = What We Did on our Holidays | accessdate = 2008-05-04] The album also showed a move towards the folk rock for which they became noted, including tracks later to become perennial favourites such as "Fotheringay" and the song traditionally used to close live concerts, "Meet on the Ledge". [cite web | url = http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/sandy.denny/songs/meetontheledge.html | title = Meet on the Ledge | accessdate = 2008-05-04]

History

Following the departure of Judy Dyble, the band conducted auditions for a replacement singer, and Sandy Denny became the obvious choice. Simon Nicol has said "it was a one horse race really...she stood out like a clean glass in a sink full of dirty dishes". [cite web
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/whoknows.shtml
title=Sold on Song - Song Library - Who Knows Where The Time Goes |publisher=www.bbc.co.uk
accessdate=2008-08-03]

The album has been described by author Richie Unterberger as "a near-ideal balance between imaginative reworkings of traditional folk songs ... quality covers of contemporary folk-rock singer-songwriters, some quite obscure ... and original folk-rock material by various members". [cite web | url = http://www.richieunterberger.com/fairport.html | title = THE BIRTH AND HEYDAY OF FAIRPORT CONVENTION | accessdate = 2008-05-04] Simon Nicol has cited the album as his favourite. [cite web | url = http://www.musicomh.com/interviews/fairport-convention_0805.htm | title = Fairport Convention - Keeping Cropredy in the Happy Family | accessdate = 2008-04-05]

The cover features a sketch of the band performing, described in the album credits as "from a blackboard assaulted by Fairport Convention"Liner notes] and the reverse of the original sleeve a photograph of the band performing. The Island Masters 1990 re-release IMCD 97 also features a portrait of Sandy Denny.

In the USA, the album was released by A&M Records (SP-4185), containing an identical track listing but featured new cover art, and was retitled "Fairport Convention."

Track listing

ide one

# "Fotheringay" (Sandy Denny) - 3:06
# "Mr Lacey" (Ashley Hutchings) - 2:55
# "Book Song" (Iain Matthews, Richard Thompson) - 3:13
# "The Lord Is in This Place...How Dreadful Is This Place" (Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny) [based on "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" by Blind Willie Johnson] - 2:01
# "No Man's Land" (Richard Thompson) - 2:32
# "I'll Keep It With Mine" (Bob Dylan) - 5:56

ide two

# "Eastern Rain" (Joni Mitchell) - 3:36
# "Nottamun Town" (Trad. arr. Sandy Denny, Iain Matthews, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Lamble) - 3:12
# "Tale in Hard Time" (Richard Thompson) - 3:29
# "She Moves Through the Fair" (Trad. arr Sandy Denny, Iain Matthews, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Lamble) - 4:14
# "Meet on the Ledge" (Richard Thompson) - 2:50
# "End of a Holiday" (Simon Nicol) - 1:07

Bonus tracks on reissue

#"Throwaway Street Puzzle" (Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson)
#"You're Gonna Need My Help" (McKinley Morganfield) [recorded live for BBC Radio's "Symonds on Sunday" show, producer John Walters and engineer Tony Wilson; first transmission: February 9 1969]
#"Some Sweet Day" (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)

Personnel

* Sandy Denny (as Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny) - Vocals, Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Organ, Piano, Harpsichord
* Iain Matthews - Vocals, Congas
* Richard Thompson - Electric, Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Piano Accordion, Vocals
* Ashley Hutchings - Bass, Backing Vocals
* Simon Nicol - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Electric Autoharp, Electric Dulcimer, Backing Vocals
* Martin Lamble - Drums, Percussion, Violin, Tabla & Footstepswith:
* Bruce Lacey & his Robots on "Mr. Lacey"
* Claire Lowther - Cello on "Book Song"
* Kingsley Abbott - Coins on "The Lord Is In This Place...," Backing Vocals on "Meet on the Ledge"
* Paul Ghosh, Andrew Horvitch & Marc Ellington - Backing Vocals on "Meet on the Ledge"
* Peter Ross - Harmonica on "Throwaway Street Puzzle"

Production and other credits

*Recorded at Sound Techniques, London and Olympic Studio No. 1, London (except "The Lord Is In This Place..." recorded at St. Peter's Church, Westbourne Grove, West London). Further work recorded at Morgan Studios
*Engineered by John Wood, Sound Techniques, London
*Photography by Richard Bennett Zeff & Annie Brown
*Design by Diogenic Attempts Ltd.

References

* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fcfansite/album-wwdooh.htm Fansite]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0iftxqy5ld6e Allmusic.com]