Who Knows? The Woodworm Archives Series, Vol. 1

Performer: Fairport Convention
Distributor: Infinity Entertainment Gr

Notes: Personnel: Sandy Denny (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); Dave Swarbrick (vocals, fiddle); Jerry Donahue (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dave Pegg (bass guitar, background vocals); Bruce Rowland (drums, percussion). Photographers: Donya Brockway; Jorgen Angel. Arranger: Fairport Convention. For Sandy Denny fans, anything involving her is worthwhile, and fewer and fewer scraps turn up. This, however, found as Woodworm Studios was being cleared, is a lo-fi gem. Recorded at a gig in 1975, it presents Denny in wonderful form, with Fairport on tour after releasing Rising for the Moon (a vastly underappreciated disc). There's plenty of the familiar in the set, be they Fairport songs or Denny originals, and the band is in good form, dashing around curves just prior to falling apart -- which would come not long after. The sound is bootleg quality, but the performance more than makes up for that. There's a passion to Denny's voice that the studio never captured, and a sense of the blood being up, with a new drummer (Bruce Rowland) and Jerry Donahue wringing amazing passages from his guitar -- he's especially good on "Sloth." But newer and vintage material is equally fiery, with "One More Chance" a standout and "Rising for the Moon" far more beautiful in this live version. And, of course, they close with the anthemic "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" Given the sound quality, this isn't for everyone, but all Fairport and Sandy Denny fans should grab it fast. ~ Chris Nickson

The definitive British folk-rock band, Fairport Convention took the traditional music of England and injected it with electricity and rock energy, sparking a whole musical movement in the U.K. in the late 1960s and early '70s. The late-'60s incarnation of the band was bursting with talent, including singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Richard Thompson, both of whom went on to lauded solo careers. Even after Denny and Thompson's departures, though, Fairport never slowed down. Through numerous personnel changes, they soldiered on for decades with their singular brand of folk-rock, becoming the Grand Old Men of the genre.

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