Liege & Lief (studio album) by Fairport Convention

Oozes of the sound of a band playing a mid afternoon set at Woodstock. (Not that they did.) Great English Folk Rock. Sandy Denny is the vocalist queen of folk rock. Outstanding

This group has one of the most interesting and unique dynamics amongst any folk group I have listened to and that keeps this record engaging even during the slower moments. To start with there is the fantastic vocal performance which is classically British and leads the instrumentation perfectly. It fits the style of music so well and the energy and rawness she can put into her voice is simply stunning. She absolutely dominates songs like Tam Lin and Matty Groves where she makes those songs fill with life and emotion. Then there is the stellar cast backing up Sandy Denny with Dave Swarbrick and Richard Thompson being the most significant. The instrumental performances these two put in are simply phenomenal and they take some of the songs here to the next level. The viola especially is absolutely beautiful on this album and is so delicately played that you can only sit back and admire what you are listening to. Everything then comes together to form this unique classic sound that transports you back to an easier time and creates a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable album with some outstanding performances that are just a joy to be able to experience.

Great folk, not my kind of music.

I'm a weirdo; I do not see this as their best work, and I do not think it would have been better with "Poor Will." But it is quite good, a record of a great band not quite yet aware that everything would be changing on them all the time for years to come...

in the minority here. folk / rock

From Sandrof1969 02/13/2018 21:05

Disco che mi piace ma meno di "Unhalfbricking".Manca qui, rispetto al disco precedente, quel tocco di influenza americana che, per me, rendeva la musica dei Fairport di "Unhalfbricking" - come dire? - più universale.

From planetneutral 01/07/2018 22:04

I had a preconception of this group and it was wrong. Strong female vocals and dynamic instrumentation. I liked it.

I bought Liege & Lief by Fairport Convention on 13/04/1988 from on LP/MP3 for £- The version I have is on the record label Island catalogue number ILPM 9115 It entered the UK charts on 17/01/1970 and got to number 17 spending a total of 15 weeks on the chart.

Classic album from Fairport Convention. Liege and lief, is a lovely record full of traditional folk songs, beautifully played and sung. Great stuff from a great band.

From JoaoMoreira 04/20/2016 02:40

A nice album perhaps missing a great song. The middle of the album reaches its quality with The Deserter almost achieving greatness. But there's also something that makes parts of the songs redundant.