Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years (1967-1975)

Performer: Fairport Convention
Artist: Linda Thompson
Distributor: Redeye Music Distribution

Notes: Fairport Convention includes: Simon Nicol (vocals, acoustic & electric 6 & 12-string guitar, banjo, dulcimer, violin); Dave Swarbrick (vocals, acoustic guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, fiddle, viola, autoharp); Dave Pegg (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, mandolin, violin, viola, bass); Richard Thompson (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, electric dulcimer); Jerry Donahue (vocals, acoustic, electric & slide guitar); Sandy Denny (vocals, acoustic guitar, acoustic & electric pianos); Richard Thompson (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, electric dulcimer); Judy Dyble (vocals, acoustic & electric autoharp, piano); Dave Mattacks (piano, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion); Ashley Hutchings (vocals, bass); Linda Peters (Linda Thompson) (vocals); Martin Lamble (violin, drums, percussion). Includes liner notes by Patrick Humphries. Digitally remastered by Chris Herles (PolyGram Studios). A superlative double-disc set, MEET ON THE LEDGE is the best Fairport Convention compilation, and one of the few that focuses entirely on the ever-shifting band's most musically fruitful period. Although subtitled THE CLASSIC YEARS (1967-1975), the collection largely overlooks the original, semi-psychedelic pop lineup featuring singer Judy Dyble, including only their soaring electric cover of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning." With track two, Dyble replacement Sandy Denny's ballad "Fotheringay," the group's signature blend of traditional British folk forms and electric rock & roll is already in place, and that combination remains on display through the next 30 tracks. The personnel changes every few songs, with fiddler Dave Swarbrick joining early, and Denny and lead guitarist Richard Thompson (who first revealed his immense songwriting gifts with the haunting title track) eventually leaving, but the soul of Fairport Convention remains constant. The set includes several rarities, but no previously unreleased tracks; those with the augmented CD reissues of the classic albums have the lot, making MEET ON THE LEDGE best for relative newcomers.

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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