Liege And Lief

CBA

To these ears it's more rock than folk, albeit raga rock. Sandy Denny had the perfect voice for this sort of material, being a little bit husky with the right amount of shrill. I love the sound of Dave Swarbrick's violin interchanging with Thompson's lead guitar. Folk music is a lot more dark than its given credit for ("Matty Groves" and "The Deserter").The only misstep is the diddly jig Medley: it just doesn't belong on an album like this. PS I have to admit that I didn't really like this (get this?) on first listen, but multiple listens through the years revealed a truly rewarding album. Great stuff.

Yeah man loved it, wanted to put on morris gear and go round haystacks.

Evoked happy Cropredy festival memories. I liked the memory more than the music itself though.

My teenage big sister loved this at the height of me hating my big sister. I grew to love her, but not Fairport Convention. Fiddly diddly dee dee medieval knights and tragic love oh-I nonny no. Flutes, gong and tambor play-ed in time, Sentence like Yoda for to scan the rhyme.

It's a funny one, I'm glad I listened to this, I'm glad it exists, I'm sure folks love it, do I like it? No. Well, maybe a little.

More boring British hippie dippy tripe from this sad sack lot. The album cover is an artless assault on my eyes too.

Folk can go either way with me. It either hits hard or I bounce right off it. This is glorious. So warm. Especially for an album recorded in the wake of tragedy by a band following the death of one of their own.

This was a really hard one for me to get through. Really strongly disliked the vocals, the lyrics, and the instrumentation. I was surprised how electrified the sound was versus the overall Ren Faire vibes. Hard to parse. Very hard to parse.

It was fine. Mostly charming. I'd go to a tavern to see it live. Another case of "I'm sure several artists I enjoy cite them as an influence."

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would! “Matty Groves” was fun, and I liked what they did with the time signature in “Tam Lin”. And her voice was fantastic. There were just a couple instrumental parts that went on for too long.

wasn't able to give this my full attention but this was really good working music. enjoyed the parts i noticed!

Yeah I'm adding this to my library

The opening song does this album a disservice. Not that I particularly like the rest of the album, but I really hated the opening song.

Not something I'd typically put on for myself but I did enjoy it, Matty Groves was a wild story

Joooonge, was hab ich da verpasst / Jefferson airplane vibes - prog-parts, die nach Rush klingen /. Mega Texte / Legendäre Bass und Gitarren Riffs / Teils stark folkloristische Elemente 5/5

2.5

Kinda nice, kinda interesting with all of the traditional folk songs, kinda boring. 5/10

Un increíble LP de Folk británico liderado por la increíble voz de Sandy Denny, quien complementa sumamente bien las atrapantes melodías de la banda con un timbre casi ritualístico. Un disco muy cautivante que corona el año debut de la banda con un sonido que puede considerarse sumamente influyente para el panorama de la trova europea.

Didn't do much for me, but it was fine.

That ham at the end of Marty Groves mesmerizes. This album is haunting and comforting all in one.

Can def see how this album and band influenced a lot of music to follow. Not my cup of tea but still solid. Also, GVF should cover Tan Lim

so fun!

Sandy Denny is amazing and the musicianship is great, but just not something I would sit around and listen to.

I'm guessing this would be pretty dope if I liked British folk rock, but I don't.

It was lovely & soothing, but I'd have to be in the mood for this.

Was somewhat decent background music. But not really my thing.

3.5

Decent folk rock. Great vocals when they’re not buried too deep in the mix.

An enjoyable surprise

I'm going to echo a sentiment made by a previous reviewer... I've had an extremely rocky relationship with folk music for a long time. I came into this review EXTREMELY apprehensive. For the first time doing this list, I actually regret not being in the right environment for my first listen. I feel like I'm missing the feeling of what I'm supposed to be invoked to feel. That's not the album's fault at all, that had to everything to do with me. I feel like this is something I need to go outside and explore unforeseen territory and simply experience a different aspect of life. Maybe come to terms with what exactly I learned before I come back to this. This was an extremely tranquil listen, yes, but it was also a sonically rejuvenating. And unfortunately I don't think I was in the right space to fully enjoy it. I shall return to Fairport Convention in the future but as of right now.... 4 out of 5 stars.

When will i get a good album

Authentic Renaissance Faire energy! Fairport Convention have dwelled in my musical blind spot for decades, but no more. Rough-hewn and enchanting, highlighted by lithe and mystical vocals from Sandy Denny. It's fascinating to hear the music than influenced so many Led Zeppelin songs!

Some good songs but a very grating voice

nice folk, reminds me of fleetwood mac. mom liked this album too.

Very Jefferson Starship, Mamas and the Papas

I don't think I think this album. Just doesn't tickle my fancy.

Thought this was going to be easy to dismiss, but it is actually a really pretty strong english tavern folk album that is pretty engaging. Really like Come All Ye and the first part of Matty Groves. Tam Lin sounds like the inspiration for Aqualung by Jetho Tull. Pretty interesting overall.

I went into this expecting some decent hippy-dippy, brit-folk. What I got was some damn fine hippy-dippy, brit-folk. I was not only not disappointed, but was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the hell out of that.

This is better than Jefferson Airplane. Great female vocals and haunting melodies. Could've done with out the Celtic style stuff

First Listen Folk Rock Band From England 1969 Standouts: Matty Groves, Tam Lin, Crazy Man Michael, Come All Ye Not a fan of Folk music, but this was better than expected. 3/5

Solid album - easy to listen to. 3/5

Early thoughts: An interesting sound, about 3 tracks in. Not really my vibe unfortunately. Final thoughts: Didn't end up finishing album, may get back to it

Celtic/english traditional songs, but good jammy background. Folky. 3.5

this was just ok. however, i can’t help but think how bands like this helped bridge the gap from ethnic folk music to modern day folk rock/punk hybrid bands like flogging molly and dropkick murphys.

There's a lot I like about this but it feels just a little unfinished. I'd see this band at a local bar/venue regularly if they played.

This had its moments for sure but it also had…..its moments. Why did I HAVE to listen to this?

Expertly blends the delicate intricacies of British folk music with the modern fidelity of rock music. Fairport Convention is really only worth listening to once so whether you get Liege And Lief or Unhalfbricking, you'll know what to expect when you get the other. Still a nice listen.

This was incredible! How have I never heard of this before! It feels like I'm in an old dusty Irish pub listening to the house band play for the whole night while everyone switches between sharing stories and singing along, Love this to bits. Hard to recommend every song is 9 minutes long and they all sound fairly similar, but love it none the less

It was just there. I felt nothing. It's actually a bit hard to rate something that leaves neither a positive or negative impression.

This album never gets old, and is no doubt the best folk rock album ever made - I am not a major British folk rock fan, but it is one of these albums that exceeds their genre.

I had a little bit more trouble getting into this one than Unhalfbricking, but it was still very good.

I quite like this medieval stuff.

Not as horrible as some other Folk I've heard. Still I'm not a fan. 2.5/5

I would be interested to know if the track Reynardine stands inspirations for Lingua Ignota's work in some way, very interesting track. Otherwise the albums some old white people bops I'm content in leaving in the past. Good enough but I'm not heading back to it.

This was a snoozefest.

Godawful shite, just like the people who like this, in their raggedy jumpers and pints of cider with horse piss covered straw sticking out of it - and that's just the ladies

breezy f baby and the f is for feeble and lovelty

The thinking man's Fleetwood Mac.

Really liked it. Cool blend of folk and rock. Rating: 4.4

I’ve never heard of Fairport Convention before. In honesty, I initially thought that this may a live album that took place at this named place, but indeed I was wrong. The album art doesn’t give much away, so I’m unsure what to expect here. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Come All Ye, Medley: The Lark In The Morning I quite enjoyed this. If I was to close my eyes, I could imagine myself sat on an Irish hill in a white frock looking at fairy circles, and this be the soundtrack. I found it to be quite Druidic in feeling, and I suspect this may have been an album loved by the hippies of the 60’s. Anyway, I’m going to get naked and start a drum circle. Seeya.

Niet al te interessant, prima folk album maar is niet per se mijn smaak. Weinig over te zeggen verder

Lovely background album. Nothing that grabbed me, per se. Well worth a listen

Late 60s folk rock sound but not enough snap

I like Unhalfbricking way more, but this was still pretty neat 8/10

I am not having the best day today and unfortunately didn't really have the energy to give this album my full attention. It had everything I liked on paper, but just didn't really grab my attention. Also it was a little off-putting for me that most of the tracks were covers of traditional songs. I don't have a problem with traditional songs themselves, I just am not the biggest fan of covers artists. Favourite track: Come All Ye

Folky as a renaissance fair, the vocals are the saving Grace. However, the tracks tend to drag on.

Not my bag but a pleasant sound.

4/5

I thought I would be more interested in an album like this, but the main thing i would say is that i just cant get into it. It's certainly not actively bad or anything remotely like that, it just doesn't hold my interest in any way. Just not my thing I think the first track is fine, the rest of the tracks are fine. But overall, i just couldn't get into it. Can't imagine that I'd ever revisit it. 2/5

more british folk blah blah blah

Do NOT like her voice. Folk

I’ve always like Richard Thompson but had never listened to this album. Worth another listen.

Fairport Convention definitely knew what they wanted to do and executed their vision brilliantly. Is the result an actually enjoyable record? Tough to say. 'Matty Groves' is awesome, the medley with non-stop fiddle not so much, and the whole schtick of Sandy Denny's gorgeous vocals over non-standard scales does get old a bit too fast.

The voice of Sandy Denny was was probably the best thing to happen to traditional British folk music since the songs were originally written. Especially the longer, traditional songs are beautiful and well-arranged. But while Swarbrick’s fiddle was essential in giving live to this entire genre, I just can not enjoy the times he is given too much control as on “Medley”.

I don't mind myself some folk music and fairy tales and this is a gently flowing album that takes you on a journey. Fave tracks: Matty Groves, Tam Lim

Enjoyed this! Fairport Convention is one of those bands from the 60s & 70s where I know the name, but don't have a clear idea of what they do, and they're all lumped together with a bunch of other dimly perceived bands from the era. Ah, I see members of Fairport Convention went on to be in Steeleye Span - that helps orient me! This was an interesting listen - not so much "folk rock" as an established genre of its own, but folk and rock, separate but intertwined, coming close but never intermixing, like the canopy shyness of trees. Fave tracks - "Matty Groves" and "Tam Lin" were both standouts for me...

Great - I still really like Fairport Convention's folk rock having only listened to this and the following LP as recommended by this 1001 list.

Loved this, had never listened to it before. I only knew a few Fairport Convention songs from Spotify, but will definitely be listening to more of theirs now. Interesting to see what was going on across the Irish sea around the same time that Planxty, Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy were doing similar experiments with trad/rock fusion.

A superb album - an album that everyone should own. The standout tracks for me are "Matty Groves" and "Tam Lin", plus the hauntingly beautiful "Crazy Man Michael". Sandy Denny's vocals are sublime and her untimely death was a tragedy.

3.5/5

Its not for me, but I see how this is good for its genre

Matty Groves was an excellent song, especially the psychedelic jam to close it out. The rest of the album was a little too Renaissance fair for me. 2 quill pens out of 5, for writing bards and tales of yore. 🪶🪶

Unglaublich langweilig

Folk and whatnot that overwhelmingly sounds fresher than expected.

I’ve gone back and listened to this album a few times so far and have been enjoying it a lot

Rating:6/10

Pretty nice, 4 stars

Incredibly meh listen.

One of the great English folk albums. Classic ballads are lovingly given a modern twist, heightened by the ethereal voice of Sandy Denny (gone far too soon).

Folkmuziek, altijd leuk. Opvallend hoe modern het stiekem allemaal is. Ondanks alle teksten over koningen en prinsesessen uyt den ouden doosch zijn electrische gitaar en drumstel immers nadrukkelijk aanwezig. De muziek van Fairport is altijd wat bedachtzaam, het zijn wat minder inhakers à la de Dubliners. Vandaar dat ook dit album de neiging heeft om te kabbelen. De warme stem van Sandy Denny stuwt het cijfer nog een puntje naar boven.

Muziek die past in films die spelen in vervlogen tijden. De vrouwelijke minstreel die de verhalen vertelt. De band voegt af en toe een flinke kracht toe, wat bijvoorbeeld zorgt voor een feestnummer over een liefdeskoppel dat wordt neergestoken. Niet elk nummer heeft die kracht. Er staat wat saaier materiaal tussen, maar telkens van een goede kwaliteit. Resultaat: 3 sterren voor de algemene kwaliteit en een bonusster voor uitschieters als Matty Groves.

Wel apart dat ik nog werkelijk waar nooit van deze band had gehoord, dat blijft toch het mysterieuze achter deze lijst en de reden waarom het leuk is om de lijst te volgen en te blijven ontdekken. En dat terwijl ze toch bijna 30 albums uitgepoept hebben. Fascinerend. Dan naar de muziek. In eerste instantie is het folky Fleetwood Mac met een frivool viooltje. Vervolgens een soort Jefferson Airplane met Joni Mitchell op zang. Een Dylanesque verhalend epos passeert de revue. En zo wisselt het zich een beetje af. Onderhoudend, zweverig, folky. Ik vind het wel leuk om hier kennis van te nemen.

Wonderful 1969 LP. Good vocals and the band plays well together.

I prefer this to the last Fairport Convention album we received, which had a split personality, due to a handful of Bob Dylan covers, whereas this LP is 100% British Folk. Sandy Denny’s singing is wonderful, especially in ballads like “Crazy Man Michael”, as is David Swarbick’s ever-present violin over the understated guitar of Richard Thompson. My favourites are the traditional pieces, led by “Maddy Groves” and “Tam Lin”, though they run on a bit – but it was 1969 after all.

I'm not a fan of folk music, but I acknowledge that Fairport Convention is one of the pre-eminent folk bands. Lead vocalist Sandy Denny's voice is the main draw here and she indeed has a lovely voice. However, I really couldn't get into this and it simply did not resonate with me.

Folk off, mate rooted in British and Celtic folk tradition which made it more interesting than the normal Laurel Canyon adjacent USA folk that usually pops up on here

First impression upon seeing the album cover and that it's another goddamn British band - "oh no not again" My impression after listening to the album - "Can this play on repeat forever?" Maybe it's the sort of rainy gloomy day here but I was completely transported by every single track here.

Folk

The woman who does lead vocals has a really pretty and distinctive voice, and she was the forefront of all these songs which was a plus. There was an element of like older folk tunes here and even some Celtic influence at times, and this was a nice folk rock album that served as a huge influence to many future bands.

I went into this with some trepidation when I saw "British folk rock". And while I'm not super into the vocalist's traditional folk-style vocals a lot of the time, I do love the mix of rock and traditional music from the backing band.

A little bit dreary but still nice

Banging choons

Really enjoyed this album

This was like a chill Gaelic folk vibe.

Hell yea fiddles It all started to sound the same at the end, the songs kind of drug on

liked the vibe

This would be the 2nd of this band’s albums on this list, and much like the last one, I was pleasantly surprised. Psychedelia and folk music are not for me, so when it sounds like honky-tonk and the blues, I’m appreciative.

I wasn't sure whether or not to think this was only fit for a renaissance fair, but I ended up enjoying it immensely. That's a renaissance fair I'd be game to attend.

Didn't listen

S-tier folk rock!

Kinda bored me a lil bit

Boring

Such low energy. Not in a good way. Usually into folk rock

5.5/10 brit folk, rien de spécial. bruit de fond principalement

Knock-off Peter, Paul, and Mary from across the pond. It’s fine, but not a stand-out. If I’m going to listen to folk, I might as well support my fellow Americans (eagle screeches in background).

Hey nonny yeah.

Not quite as lovely as Unhalfbricking but still an amazing collection of songs, Matty Groves in particular is incredible

Moving in the direction of Sailor's Life (the best song on their previous album) was a good call, because overall I like this a lot more. The vocals are really gorgeous and the instrumentation is much more interesting and varied.

Highlights: "Reynardine," "Farewell, Farewell," "Medley: The Lark in the Morning" This may be several years after S&G's iconic cover of "Scarborough Fair," but that performance should have invited many deserving acts like this. More than the American duo, this compelling lead vocalist is in touch with traditional style. This also has to be one of the most graceful and grounded approaches of Indian affect in '60s pop, appealing to hippie aesthetic by establishing simple commonalities between two distinct traditions. The original opener is weak, and the other original marrs strong instrumentals with contrived adolescent drama, but the album is otherwise a great success at everything it seems to be trying to do: bridge traditional styles to new audiences and persuasively express a romantic hippie pastoral.

ну вообще не моё))

3/5. The first half of the album is really good but it falls off a little on second half. The heaviness and other-worldly nature is what drives this. Some beautiful songs mixed with a little drawn out songs. Best song: Matty Groves, Reynardine

Það er eitthvað svo voðalega sveitó við þessa plötu. Svona krútt-sveitó.

Boring folk music is fairly boring.

PREFS : Come All Ye, Matty Groves, The Deserter, Medley, Tam Lin MOINS PREF : Reynardine

Intriguing guitar playing and instrumentation, but I'm not a big fan of the middle-range plain vocal keening that the singer chick does all over these songs. Maybe ya gots to be Bri'ish to really appreciate this kind of song.

It was pretty cool, I'll have to listen to it more.

Soothing.

Solid folk album.

At first listen: Nope! Tried to hear more... Nope!

The production and song-crafting was good, but it was pretty corny and boring.

I respect and like a lot of this, but the meeting of folk and rock is an uneasy one. Reminds me of the coffee house trip hop covers of rock classics prevalent at the turn of the century. The best parts sound like the Velvets or Jefferson Airplane, while the overly folky embellishments have the air of a bugler at a historical reenactment taking a crafty vape. Look, if Kevin Rowland is not singing, it’s very hard for a fiddle player to please me on record without exiting to the sound of gunshot. Sandy Denny’s voice is exquisite, but feels constrained by the form. Of course, turns out I have four FC albums in my library. Three; two would be miserly.

Love this, I sometimes think there is no better sound in popular music than Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson together. Fairport basically invented the modern folk genre on this record (for better or worse!), their third of 1969 (and they're all great!), and it's highly entertaining throughout. So many classics on here, esp. Matty Groves which is fucking savage. I could play this all day long. A good week so far!

Quite disappointed to be honest, the only song I knew of their discography was meet on the ledge (which isn’t this album) and that song’s a 5/5 but this album as a whole was just alright 3/5.

English folk by Oaky's favourite band. Perhaps it's surprising that such an innovative blue sky thinker would favour something so traditional, but if there's one thing we know about Oaky, it's that he's passionate about maintaining the very highest of standards, and this is extremely competently and professionally arranged and recorded. Lovely vocals too. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Matty Groves Date listened: 24/04/23

Las vibras de este disco lo son todo 9/10 y nada más para agregar.

Encapsulates everything I hate about folk music. Why can't I choose zero stars.

I no longer beLiege and Lief after love.

and lieve

This reminded me a lot of Joni Mitchell. However I think it was a little king and similar to itself in that I could have gone just a half hour with it. It was nice and pretty though.

Somehow I've bypassed Fairport Convention all these years. And based on the concept/description I did not think I was going to like this - but damn, this is weirdly interesting to me. I feel like I might have the complete opposite reaction/analysis from many on this but it ends up being less-meandering than I'd suspected. Having said that - yeah, in a way it's *exactly* as-advertised. Weird (absurd?) lyrics about fawns, kings, and sorcerers and if I were to close my eyes and imagine a fair maiden in a sundress prancing through an English meadow tossing flowers left and right while a flautist and mandolin player were mounted on large mushrooms playing accompanying music all while viewed through a soft-focus lens.... that seems spot-on. Sandy Denny's vocals are the perfect and perhaps only accompaniment possible for this music. TL;DR: British folk that actually has a bit of a light rock feel and doesn't have songs that go on for too long; nice old-timey recording. Highlight: "Come All Ye" 7/10 4 stars.

Trash

Pretty good actually, didn't think I'd enjoy this, but it took me to a magical place. Fuck it, benevolent 4

You know this list has done a number on you when you’re looking forward to British folk records from the late 60’s and early 70’s. How beaten down am I that I wake up on a Sunday, check in to this website and think, “Fairport Convention…sweet, this should be good”? Seriously, though. The British folk on this list has been the most consistently enjoyable genre that I was previously unfamiliar with. It’s surprising because I typically don’t have the time of day for American folk music. The British folk I’ve been exposed to because of this list tends to be less tied down by tradition and more willing to experiment than their American counterparts. Fairport manages to strike a great balance between tradition and modern, with atmospherics and progressive song structures weaved into these traditional songs. The amazing guitar work of Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny’s exceptional vocals are standouts, but, really, the entire group is firing on all cylinders. Leige and Lief is an engaging and exciting folk rock record; highly enjoyable on a grey spring morning.

I was scared but this was the best folk band album I’ve heard. Matty Groves, Medley, they folking rocked! 4 stars

Helt ok

This came up on a strange day where I went on a 40ish-mile round trip after work to pick up a record player. It was a beautiful sunny evening at the very beginning of Spring, and the long country drive helped clear my head. This folk-rock record was absolutely the perfect companion for all that. Leige And Lief is a beautiful blend of rock music with adaptations of classic British and Celtic folk ballads, with a few original compositions added in also. Sandy Denny's beautiful voice ties everything together and creates a chill, moving album that never gets boring. Very good album with a few songs I will certainly come back to. Favourite: Matty Groves

Sandy Denny. Such a gorgeous voice. She died way too young.

i don't think i get it

Folk music is free and beautiful. Listening to traditional folk music makes me a bit sad. The culture which created this sort of music doesn't exist anymore.

Wel aardig opzich, maar niet helemaal mijn ding. Vooral de stem vind ik niet heel prettig om naar te luisteren, zo hoog. Doet me heel erg aan Jefferson Airplane denken, vind ik ook niet super chill. De muziek is daarentegen wel goed, dus we pakken de middenweg met 3 sterren.

Åh, Sandy!

Good

Was expecting some elevator-type easy listening until I hears Sandy Denny on the first track. I first heard her going back and forth on The Battle of Evermore with Robert Plant, but haven't heard much of her otherwise. Fairport Convention's Liege And Lief was a surprisingly good listen. It may be that I'm getting this album so close to St Patrick's day, a day filled with Celtic music that this album's traditional track on English music with a 60's musical twist, but I enjoyed it. Fun listen. 4/5.

A very interesting folk/Irish album that even included some odd 6/8 to 7/8 time signatures. Kudos to the drummer, this sounded way advanced for the 1960s

Liked Songs: Matty Groves Medley: The Lark in the morning I like the jam sessions. I like the singers voice. I like folk music it turns out.

Meh, but not meh enough?

first listen great sound tho the violin sounds like there's a wool blanket between the instrument and the microphone

Folk rock garbage. Reminded me of that family guy episode where Peter and Lois get super high and make folk music and in their high minds it sounds awesome but to everyone else it’s terrible.

If you like folk songs and songs that tell a story are your thing, you might like this album. That being said, I'm not the biggest fan of folk music and this was a bit dry to me and just not my thing. The singer's voice is beautiful and it has fine instrumentation, though. I also normally love songs that tell a story, but the ones told by the songs on this album are just boring, in my opinion. I didn't care for their Shakespearean tales of primarily lovers trysts gone awry, and a fan of this "old English" of which they use, I am not. Like Yoda, the singer speaks. Hmm, yes.

Ok folk album, not my thing, but it was a relaxing listen

Meh.

hippie++ The singer is pretty good, but she leans too much into the same style/rhythm and it gets old pretty quick. I love the vibes of the music though, it's got me head bobbin' for sure.

Maybe it's not as ✧･ﾟsophisticated ･ﾟ✧ as Tool, but it's still good.

I only know of this band because of Sandy Denny's duet with Robert Plant on "The Battle of Evermore." This album is the exception to the adage "never read a book by its cover." The title tells you exactly what to expect from this record. It's actually not bad, just that folk is almost rarely my jam. I enjoyed it more than I expected to though. Good compositions, recording quality is pretty good, and there are some hooks there.

🌼 ✌️ 🙂 I like the folky vocal melodies a lot -- the guitar noodling not so much. Leaning a little bit more into the folk thing or more into the crunchy, raw rock thing would have made the album more intriguing.

Not sure how this album made anyone's top list of anything.

Kind of interesting, didn't quite hit the mark for me but decent

Genres: British folk rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 10 songs, 55 min 6 sec Many traditional English folksongs with an electric twist and a number of their own compositions with a traditional English folksong feel. The songs are all beautifully crafted and executed. The result is a very chilled album to listen to. I could imagine live, it would be a whole lot more raucous with a large degree of audience participation.

The band you book when Jefferson Airplane are busy.

5 Волшебный голос.

Cet album est clairement un 5/5, je le connaissais et c'est tellement bon que ca pas de sens. Je crois que j'ai 3 albums en 3 jours qui sont 5/5 je suis bel et bien sortit de l'enfer des moyens/mauvais albums.

I like the traditional folk songs with a bit of rock to spruce them up. Not incredibly original, but enjoyable if you’re in the mood. 3/5

Very nice album.

Appeals to the male fantasy of being a 13th century knight and visiting the local pub with your squire after a hard day of hunting the village goblin. Hoity fucking toity, sire.

Jää aika köykäiseksi tämäkin. Kaipais jotain, en nyt osaa perustella. 2/5

Ihan jees, vaikkei yhtä hyvä kuin näiden edellinen levy. Tasaisempi ja varmempi ilman samanlaisia huippuhetkiä. Tässäkin silti hieman hupsu (ja ironinen?) viulurevittely viihdytti suuresti.

Ihan jees folkkia, tykkään laulajan äänestä. Matty Groves on ehkä levyn kohokohta. 3/5

Pleasant listening, but didn't grip me at all so I end up neutral on this album.

I’m not particularly a fan of folk music, but i am a fan of psych rock from the 60s so, that’s what saved this one for me (in some moments). But overall I probably won’t listen to it again Saved tracks: Matty Groves, Tam Lin, Crazy Man Michael

Celtic-esque and passionate crooning. Pretty pleasant listen overall, if far from my normal listen.

Folks rock, I enjoyed some of the shifts from song to song but it was a bit too dreamy for my liking. Still, not unpleasant

I’m going to cave and give this a 3. Folk-rock is not my genre, but I think this was well done and is significantly better and thoughtful than some of the aggressively mediocre trash I’ve given a 2. Tam Lin is noteworthy and Crazy Man Michael is beautiful, I’ll be coming back to them. Also, based on the photo provided on Spotify, I want to grab a pint with these guys, they seem like an absolute riot. I would also like to point out I was listening to this while prepping and roasting potatoes. Do what you will with that.

Simultaneously better than I thought and worse than I thought. I am averse to female vocalists which would always hurt this album here. Smack in the middle at 3 stars.

I tend to like my folk music infused with more rural american depression, more romanticism and symoblism and nature, more rugged storytelling. MORE COWBELL. This was giving more english medieval fall harvest festival. It wasn't bad, and I definitely liked it a lot more than most entries, but, much like a tiger mom, I'm going to be comparatively harsh on the ones I love because they should be the best. 3 stars.

It wasn’t horrible to listen to but it’s not exactly full of returners. Didn’t hate it didn’t love it. While at times I loved the singers voice this didn’t have enough to it worth a 3. Marty Groves and Tam Lin went hard though

I’d rather listen to Plantasia 13.21 times, but I don’t have that choice. Already know this album, eye roll. Yeah, I typed out eye roll, go f*** yourself. Textbook 3. Sounds good enough, but makes me feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. If this album were a psychiatrist, it’d be out of a job. Singer’s voice sounds identical to that of Carole King. Absolutely identical. If those two were twins, they’d be in a job. Honestly, I’m going down to a 2. I found myself waiting for it to end, which is indicative of a score lower than 3. Sorry fake Carole, eat sh**!

Ren Fayre Jam Band

Sandy Denny er flott, hljóðheimurinn töff, lögin áheyrileg. Mjög fínt, hlustið endilega.

Not into this at all, but it did blend into the background and wasn't impossible to get through.

Zzz

Fantastic

This felt simultaneously haunting and calming. It certainly feels like one of the more cohesive albums from this experimental sort of era. Maybe a little campy at times but it mostly kept my attention

Super folky. Quite fun. Fiddle me sideways

Light and folky, whispered away on the wind.

When I was younger, my impression of Fairport Convention was more or less traditional Irish folk music. (Little did I know they weren't even Irish.) Just in the last year or two I've really started getting into their music. Yes, there was a strong folk influence, but there's so much more than that. These are great songs, and Sandy Denny's voice is just beautiful. Some of the guitar work strangely reminds me of Neil Young. Excellent album. 4 stars.

Better than I thought

Highlights: Medley: The Lark In The Morning, Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood (Take 1)

Trochę naciągane 4, ale dawno nie było nic lepszego, a słucha się nie najgorzej. 3.5+

Good folk album, killer vocals

This was kind of boring for me. It wasn't bad, but I was waiting for it to end the whole time. It was a bit too folky for my tastes. Don't really know what else to say. My favourite song was Matty Groves.

Good folk rock. The lead singer's voice was nice.

such a great execution of this cool ass genre

Nah not my thing

The album started off with what was clearly and easily the best track on the album for me and I thought I might be in for a treat. The rest didn't quite deliver on the first track's promises though. Liege And Lief generally contains more traces of psychedelic rock influences than I expected on an album so relevant to the folk rock genre (according to Wikipedia) and. These tracks are also the strongest ones on Liege And Lief. Unfortunately, it's not all we get though. We also need to slog through some real snoozers such as Reynardine and Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood.

Hmmm

Like a 60s Ren faire

I am not a fan of folk/country music, though this album felt like a movie soundtrack of a country-themed movie haha. It's been a nice experience listening to a genre I'm usually not into.

Somewhat close to Jethro Tull, but with violins instead of the flute 1. Started off old-school, but actually sounds contemporary. I like the violin 2. Vocal... sounds unfinished 3. Love the violin!!! Awesome! Guitar is even better!!! Some songs faster, some slower. Very big difference, funny. All in all, I would come back to this album

Wel ja, dit is origineel

Dit is muziek voor hippies. Ooit als geuzenaam omarmt, maar inmiddels zie ik dit dus gewoon als muziek voor gare lamzakken.

Ik weet niet hoor, dit begon nog wel aardig maar het werd meer en meer country-line-dance-a-gogo.

Ik kom dat Keltische wel hebben, maar het duurde te lang.

love folk.

I think my dad saw these guys live about a dozen times, so I told him this album had come up and was not surprised to learn that he bought it on the day of release. I’m only partly familiar with their output though (now, Richard Thompson solo, that’s a different matter altogether. I hope he’s lurking on the list somewhere). The propulsive, guitar-driven tracks like Tam Lin and Matty Groves are classic English folk-rock, Crazy Man Michael is a great early Thompson composition, and Sandy Denny’s voice on Farewell, Farewell is particularly lovely. So, plenty of great moments, but the album as a whole is a mixed bag. 3 / 3.5

Interesante

Some very nice compositions and skilled players. But what really sold me on this one is the vocals; they're an excellent fit for folk rock, remind me a bit of Comus.

A good album which well represents the style and mood of a underrated British folk-prog-rock group. Sandy Denny is brilliant. My girlfriend introduced me to her and she was right to it's not a complete album though and has some flat areas, or patches where it touches on cliche. Their best album far and away is unhalfbricking, which would have gotten five stars

Boring

Vecchio? Vecchio

4.5

muito bom, baita som

Unhalfbricking is iconic, but this is just as excellent, just a less memorable cover. They truly are the definitive British folk rock band, with Thompson's guitar taking lead with parts that hit hard or soft, fast or slow, incorporating elements of psychedelia that reinvent folk tunes to be more engaging, whether more fun to dance to, or more imaginative in its storytelling. Of course Sandy is a wonderful vocalist, memorable and dynamic: the perfect narrator of these folk tales. We start with the singalong pop tune "Come All Ye", an accessible track to pull in newcomers. Next we have an exact opposite track with "Reynardine": a patient, psychedelic, and imaginative play. "Farewell Farewell" is the most calming beautiful track on the album, thanks Sandy. "Tam Lin" - with its inventiveness, hard sound, and length - is almost on the verge of heavy metal or prog rock. The earlier "Matty Groves" has some prog-like segments too, and is also a patient track that brings your attention to its creative instrumental. "Medley" is a nice break that showcases their impressive skill at musicians. Really, all the tracks are great in their own way, a fantastic companion to Unhalfbricking.

Estilo pop típico de los 60. En ocasiones un tanto psicodélico. Bonita voz femenina

Eenvoudige folk. Vond het wel tof

quite nice and folky. it went on a but towards the end would've definitely benefitted from being a little bit briefer. Fav song: matty groves least fav song: tam lin

Nice folk album, all good tracks.

Rollicking nice British folk pop. Great mix of talent and musicianship, vocals especially stand out

Love this album.

So pleasant to listen to. Another late 60's gem I found out in here. I think this is the strongest 4 starts I have given yet, almost inclined to 5.

I'd never heard of this band, but the cover art had me excited for a psychedelic and folksy 60 minutes. I was not disappointed, but surprised to hear a Celtic folk rock group. Never heard something exactly like this before. Sometimes sounding like Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane and Yes all had a supergroup - I really enjoyed it. It wasn't until I read the notes that I discovered the lead singer, Sandy Denny was featured on Led Zeppelin's song The Battle of Evermore and was the only non-member of the band to get her own symbol on Zep's album IV (maybe it should be called 5 symbols). Overall this hits a chord for me, and I'm happy to have discovered it.

Three stars seems too generous but two stars seems too harsh.

Hippyville. Fascinating story on the lead singer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Denny

Best Song: Crazy Man Michael. Really dialing up the fantasy, medieval elements here. Worst Song: Reynardine. A four and a half minute intro to a song that never arrives. Overall: It's better than the majority of its contemporaries. The vocals are nice, as is the tendency towards folkish sounds. Feels equal parts 1869 and 1969.

Not my thing, it definitely is 60s folk simple chords and such. Just doesn't do anything for me

English flex their version of folk rock. Sandy Denny's vocals are as pure as a mountain stream and Richard Thompson's guitar is as sinewy and strong as the branches of an oak tree. Best Tracks: Come All Ye; Matty Groves; Farewell Farewell

Yes, I can see that this is good but I don't feel that it's as good now as it was revolutionary at the time.

nah

Quite folksy as I’d expect but enjoyed it nonetheless. 3*

Liked some of it (Matty Groves), some was not so good.

Decent folky music. It was fine. Nothing really to write home about. I could and did listen to it as background music.

Had a nice vibe and vocal performance but the medieval lyrics were pretty bad. 6/10

6/10. I am not in love with British folk, but I do like the opportunity to hear more traditional songs, feels historical.

Not a fan. 4/10

This is one convention I won't be attending. I just can't get into this, but I won't bash because it's music. Just not music I enjoy. Hoping this is last time we hear from Fairport. 1

1.5 I really didn’t care for a lot of this one. It’s like psychedelic country with a yodeling singer. I’m not a lyric person so maybe they were saying some cool stuff but musically this did not hit for me. The build up on Matty Groves was really neat to hear though. Favorites: Come All Ye, Matty Groves

3 Surprised to see a second album from this group here considering I had never heard of them before the first. Sandy Denny sounds as great here as she does on Unhalfbricking, though this album as whole comparatively feels like more of the same, but not quite as good. I still enjoyed the overall sound, but the songs lack a certain individuality as compared to the previous album, and the whole thing just kind of feels like it runs together without a lot of standout moments. A decent companion piece, but I'd opt to listen to Unhalfbricking instead. Favorite songs: Reynardine, Matty Groves, Tam Lin

Brilliant album, easy listening. Wor lass has a beautiful voice

Not my kind of music.

Yeah, I enjoyed this a lot.

Swaaaaag och såsat

Folk and rock combined a way I haven’t quite heard before: Faithfully sung folk narratives with a solid rock groove underneath. Nifty

Lit stark 4

Could not get into it at all. Made it about 3 songs and gave up.

Another album I bought some 15 years ago and didn't give much time to. On a listen in the car it swells with joy and rhythm. Very fond of Matty Groves. Sandy Denny sounds gorgeous and I will explore their other (2?) albums with her. 3.75

It's quite beautiful, and nicely performed. But are the songs on this album striking enough to make the latter an *essential* listen? As of now, the jury's still out on this one. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 800, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far  Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

2.5

Kinda cool. Some trad stuff in there that was nice to hear. I'd say more than 3.5 but less than a 4.

Matty groves goes hard

Folk rock británico. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

British folk rock. Venga, un 5.

Sandy Denny is a legend! I was slightly obsessed with learning all about her for the day we had this album. Her voice is beautiful and she lived dramatically. I feel her story has parallels to Janis Joplin, but I had never heard of Sandy Denny. I loved this album, especially Matty Groves!

I'm sure there are people who love this, and maybe it's a great example of the genre. It's just not my favorite style of music and didn't really do anything to persuade me to engage more with it.

This was great. Loved it.

This is one of my favorite albums. I love that the idea of English "folk" is so different - and so much more ancient - than ours. Richard Thompson's guitar work is awesome, and Sandy Denny has one of my favorite voices.

Jefferson Airplane but British, pretty good but kind of boring at times, not my style.

I liked this! I’ve never heard of this band before but this was really pleasant.

Bravo pour la voix madame Denny

par moments un peu trop folklorique à mon goût

Jefferson Airplane-lite. Really liked Come All Ye and the end of Marty Groves was really cool. Not sure how often I’ll return to this but this is one of my favorite albums so far that I hadn’t heard of before

Quite out of my usual listening but enjoyable for that sort of folky 60s thing

Didn't really expect to like this. Don't really like this kind of music. But it was a really good example of this genre. Mostly bored but a couple of songs had me riveted.

Solid traditional folk.

Just boring

good folk rock, folk rock isn’t my favorite genre though, unfortunately.

big ren fair vibes. pretty chill

Really liked this, didnt think I would

nah

Some good songs, not something I would listen to all the time, but has a good sound, and has found a place on my lists.

It was a short album. It was very folksy. I did not care for it.

Liege And Lief is very much styled to sound like it's from ye olde times, which is a good choice because the singer's voice is perfect for it; haunting but charming and carries some otherwise very ordinary compositions along to something that's listenable but not really that substantial. 2/5, okay, nothing more.

Well, this is odd. I'm kinda glad that I've listened to it, it's definitely interesting, but I can't imagine ever going back to it again. It's very much harking back to ages past, the style is very folky (with a strong hint of Celtic in there) and the stories the songs tell feel almost medieval. The singer's voice is fantastic, haunting when it needs to be and gets mroe upbeat to. Overall a 3/5 - it's definitely worth a listen but I'm not going to rush to seek out more of their stuff.

60’s rock + traditional folk music. Reminds me of Joan Baez, whose debut album we had on this list a few months back. But while the songs on the Baez album were stripped down and minimalistic, these songs have complex music and a full band sound. “Come All Ye” and “Tam Lin” were highlights for me.

It was fine. Kinda boring. But fine.

I enjoyed it- nice folk album with good songwriting and performances. Not a lot of it stood out to me but nothing was too bad. 3.1/5.

Usually, I like folk music, and it was fascinating to listen to these pioneers of folk music in the way I want. However, almost 1-hour long of the indistinguishable songs is pretty much even for me. 2.5 stars

Ok, but not really a fan of English folk. Great voice though.

Meh

As a Scot, the idea of english folk music sounds a bit strange to me - who do they sing about being oppressed and invaded by? Or do they sing about doing the invading and oppressing? Turns out it's like Scottish and Irish folk music, but with less politics and more soap opera stories! Tunes are good though, and I enjoyed the album even though I would probably never have chosen to listen to it. Matty Groves and Crazy Man Michael were my favourite tracks. 3 🌟

I like some folk music but this didn't really grab my attention or pull my interest, it was just there. Never heard of this band before. Just meh overall

Folk rock británico. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

4.5 stars, a previously unheard gem.

This is the fourth album from British folk rock band Fairport Convention. It is claimed to be the first British folk rock album, and this popularity allowed the band to continue making music for this genre. The music was beautiful and relaxing, but folk is not my vibe. Fans of folk rock or British music will love this album.

Goodness me. How did this make it to the list?

I'm not a big folk fan, but that was really good.

FOLK AT ITS FINEST

Really beautiful English folk. Sweet and elegant. You really can't go wrong with the pure talent of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, but everyone on here is exceptional. Fave Songs: Tam Lin, The Deserter, Crazy Man Michael, Reynardine

60s folk was huge and Fairport Convention were a big part of the scene. Over 50 years, numerous line up changes and almost countless albums, they must have been doing something right. This is pretty and gentle. I had it playing in the background as I sorted paperwork and it was soothing and pleasant.

Odd mix of folk music and prog rock

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Unhalfbricking