FAIRPORT CONVENTION – UNHALFBRICKING LP – Nr MINT A1/B1 UK 1969 ORIG ISLAND BLOCK LABELS

Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking
(Island Records  1969  ILPS9102  Island Block Labels  Stereo)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
“Porky” in dead wax

EJ Day Sleeve in Excellent condition
– some wear to edges/corners (title not legible on spine) – back cover has some rubbing
Blue Island Inner Sleeve
– some discolouration but no splits

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are a few light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and electric folk band. Formed in 1967, they are widely regarded as a key group in the English folk rock movement.

Their seminal album Liege & Lief is considered to have launched the electric folk or English folk rock movement, which provided a distinctively English identity to rock music and helped awaken much wider interest in traditional music in general. The large number of personnel who have been part of the band are among the most highly regarded and influential musicians of their era and have gone on to participate in a large number of significant bands, or enjoyed important solo careers.

Since 1979, they have hosted the Cropredy Festival, which is the largest such annual event in England. Individually and collectively the members of Fairport Convention have received numerous awards recognising their contribution to music and culture. As of 2017, they continue to record and tour.

Unhalfbricking is the third album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and their second album released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences towards more traditional English folk songs that had begun on their previous album, What We Did on Our Holidays and arguably reached its peak on the follow-up, Liege & Lief, released later the same year.

Although featuring several at the time unreleased Bob Dylan songs, the album also marked Sandy Denny’s maturation as a singer and songwriter, including “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”, a song covered by many other performers and now regarded as a classic. The only traditional song on the album, “A Sailor’s Life”, is seen as pivotal in the development of English folk rock music.

Changes in the line-up of the band, due not only to its musical direction but also to external events, mark this album as a turning point in the band’s history. 1969 was a prolific year for Fairport Convention; from What We Did on Our Holidays to Liege & Lief within twelve months represented a major development.

The album also gave the band their first UK chart success, reaching number 12 in the UK album chart (the second highest position in the band’s entire career), while the single release, “Si tu dois partir”, achieved number 21 in the UK singles chart.

Track listing

Side one

1. “Genesis Hall” (Richard Thompson) – 3:41
2. “Si tu dois partir” (Bob Dylan) – 2:25
3. “Autopsy” (Sandy Denny) – 4:27
4. “A Sailor’s Life” (traditional, arranged by Denny, Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Lamble) – 11:20

Side two

1. “Cajun Woman” (Thompson) – 2:45
2. “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” (Denny) – 5:13
3. “Percy’s Song” (Dylan) – 6:55
4. “Million Dollar Bash” (Dylan) – 2:56

Personnel

• Sandy Denny – vocals, harpsichord
• Richard Thompson – electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, piano accordion, organ, backing vocals
• Ashley Hutchings – bass, backing vocals
• Simon Nicol – electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, backing vocals
• Martin Lamble – drums, stacked chair backs on “Si tu dois partir”

Additional personnel

• Iain Matthews – backing vocals on “Percy’s Song”
• Dave Swarbrick – fiddle on “Si tu dois partir”, “A Sailor’s Life”, and “Cajun Woman” and Mandolin on “Million Dollar Bash”
• Trevor Lucas – triangle on “Si tu dois partir”
• Marc Ellington – vocals on “Million Dollar Bash”
• Dave Mattacks – drums on “Ballad of Easy Rider”

Production

• Recorded at Sound Techniques and Olympic Studios, London
• Engineer: John Wood
• Sleeve design: Diogenic Attempts Ltd.