‘Unhalfbricking’ by Fairport Convention.
If you’d of told me five years ago that’d I’d be buying a folk album, I would of waved a copy of ‘The Man Machine’ at you with one hand whilst issuing a one-fingered salute with the other. I quietly regarded Folk-Music as ‘Hey-nonny-nonny’ stuff, y’know - grown men dancing round campfires in big jumpers…just like the end of the ‘Lament’ video in fact. However, that was before I read ‘White Bicycles’ by Joe Boyd; the memoirs of the producer behind Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan ,very early Pink Floyd and the lot I’m listening to now – Fairport Convention.
The album’s a hybrid of Folk, 60s rock, Dylan and well…I swear I can hear drone in there as well (I like done!) in the 11 minute epic ‘A Sailor’s Life’ - the traditional folk song is carved hollow by the band and filled with new ballast. Always a good sign when the CD finishes and you press play straight away again.
I’m off to get some chunky knitwear.
I went to see them (by accident)last year, on the same tour that Alex went to. They are / were better than most people thought.
