Fairport Convention is often credited with being one of the first English f… Read Full Bio ↴Fairport Convention is often credited with being one of the first English folk rock bands. Formed in 1967, Fairport rapidly developed from playing cover versions of American 'west coast' music to an individual style which melded rock music with traditional English folk tunes and songs.
Like their peers The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane they were blessed with several considerable individual talents and produced music that -at least initially- was eclectic, as well as exploratory. This side of the band may best be heard on Heyday, a collection of tracks broadcast by the BBC. The move to a more British form of folk rock came primarily as a result of the enthusiasm of bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Original singer Judy Dyble was replaced on their second LP What We Did On Our Holidays by Sandy Denny, an experienced folk singer and excellent composer in her own right. Fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, initially as sessioneer, on their third, Unhalfbricking. That LP has arguably their first two bona fide masterpieces. One is their version of the Sandy Denny song, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, popularized by Judy Collins, but characterised on their version by a perfect balance between Denny's vocals and the exquisite support of the group as a whole, and lead guitarist Richard Thompson in particular. The other is A Sailor's Life, the first to demonstrate the potential power of folk rock, the song exploding in an improvised and sophisticated instrumental coda that reaches beyond the words through the impassioned interplay of the whole band, led by the virtuosity of Thompson and Swarbrick in particular. Thompson also soon showed that he could create his own distinctive songs, notably the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, on Holidays.
The following LP Liege and Lief is perhaps Fairport's finest hour. Liege and Lief is generally remembered for its virtuoso versions of traditional folk songs but it also contains beautiful originals by Thompson and Denny. However the next, Full House -deliberately rockier in tone- has its particular gems, most notably Sloth, for its extended guitar/ fiddle duel and Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman, a perfect expression of Thompson's mordant humour; along with the sleeve notes, surely amongst the strangest and funniest ever.
The band continued with a series of personnel changes and albums, all with at least some high points, until it was temporarily disbanded in 1979, but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.
In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organizes. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and can attract upwards of 20,000 fans.
In 2002 the band was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2006 Radio 2 listeners voted their 1969 album Liege & Lief as the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time. A mass reunion of living Fairport members performed at the ceremony.
Like their peers The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane they were blessed with several considerable individual talents and produced music that -at least initially- was eclectic, as well as exploratory. This side of the band may best be heard on Heyday, a collection of tracks broadcast by the BBC. The move to a more British form of folk rock came primarily as a result of the enthusiasm of bassist Ashley Hutchings and producer Joe Boyd. Original singer Judy Dyble was replaced on their second LP What We Did On Our Holidays by Sandy Denny, an experienced folk singer and excellent composer in her own right. Fiddle virtuoso Dave Swarbrick joined, initially as sessioneer, on their third, Unhalfbricking. That LP has arguably their first two bona fide masterpieces. One is their version of the Sandy Denny song, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, popularized by Judy Collins, but characterised on their version by a perfect balance between Denny's vocals and the exquisite support of the group as a whole, and lead guitarist Richard Thompson in particular. The other is A Sailor's Life, the first to demonstrate the potential power of folk rock, the song exploding in an improvised and sophisticated instrumental coda that reaches beyond the words through the impassioned interplay of the whole band, led by the virtuosity of Thompson and Swarbrick in particular. Thompson also soon showed that he could create his own distinctive songs, notably the anthemic Meet on the Ledge, on Holidays.
The following LP Liege and Lief is perhaps Fairport's finest hour. Liege and Lief is generally remembered for its virtuoso versions of traditional folk songs but it also contains beautiful originals by Thompson and Denny. However the next, Full House -deliberately rockier in tone- has its particular gems, most notably Sloth, for its extended guitar/ fiddle duel and Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman, a perfect expression of Thompson's mordant humour; along with the sleeve notes, surely amongst the strangest and funniest ever.
The band continued with a series of personnel changes and albums, all with at least some high points, until it was temporarily disbanded in 1979, but played annual reunion concerts until it reformed in 1985. Since then, it has enjoyed stability and continues to tour and record regularly.
In part, the continuing success of Fairport Convention is due to the annual music festival it organizes. Cropredy Festival has been held every year since 1974 near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and can attract upwards of 20,000 fans.
In 2002 the band was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2006 Radio 2 listeners voted their 1969 album Liege & Lief as the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time. A mass reunion of living Fairport members performed at the ceremony.
Hiring Fair
Fairport Convention Lyrics
I went down to the hiring fair for to sell my labor
And I noticed a maid in the very next row and I hoped she'd be my neighbor
Imagine then my delight when the farmer picked us both
I spoke not a word in the cart to the farm
But my heart beat in my throat
My lodging was dry and my master fair and I gave him full measure
But my envy grew like the corn in the field for in his house was my treasure
And I'd watch her carry water, or drive cows from the byre
And the heat from the sun made the corn grow strong and with it my desire
Well I'd see her in my dreaming and in my dreams caress
Her eyes, her lips and her dark brown hair, the curves beneath her dress
But harvest time it came at last, so heavy was the task
That the women and the men worked side by side and I had her near at last
And I swung harder with my scythe, few words between us passed
And I cursed my tongue-tied youthfulness and I hoped that she'd hear my heart
When all was safely gathered in and we sat down to rest
My trembling fingers touched her arm, and she placed them on her breast
And then she turned to me as the sun went down
And all my senses reeled
As we lay there on the scented ground
And the moon rose over the field
She was safely gathered in my arms when from the barn
Drifted the sound of a violin and we hurried back to the farm,
And all were dancing in the lantern light and music filled the air
And I thanked my stars for the harvest moon and the girl from the hiring fair
Oh all were dancing in the lantern light
And music filled the air
And I thanked my stars for the harvest moon
And the girl from the hiring fair
And I noticed a maid in the very next row and I hoped she'd be my neighbor
Imagine then my delight when the farmer picked us both
I spoke not a word in the cart to the farm
But my heart beat in my throat
My lodging was dry and my master fair and I gave him full measure
But my envy grew like the corn in the field for in his house was my treasure
And I'd watch her carry water, or drive cows from the byre
And the heat from the sun made the corn grow strong and with it my desire
Well I'd see her in my dreaming and in my dreams caress
Her eyes, her lips and her dark brown hair, the curves beneath her dress
But harvest time it came at last, so heavy was the task
That the women and the men worked side by side and I had her near at last
And I swung harder with my scythe, few words between us passed
And I cursed my tongue-tied youthfulness and I hoped that she'd hear my heart
When all was safely gathered in and we sat down to rest
My trembling fingers touched her arm, and she placed them on her breast
And then she turned to me as the sun went down
And all my senses reeled
As we lay there on the scented ground
And the moon rose over the field
She was safely gathered in my arms when from the barn
Drifted the sound of a violin and we hurried back to the farm,
And all were dancing in the lantern light and music filled the air
And I thanked my stars for the harvest moon and the girl from the hiring fair
Oh all were dancing in the lantern light
And music filled the air
And I thanked my stars for the harvest moon
And the girl from the hiring fair
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ralph McTell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@marshlanderdumarais264
Not often I listen to a song for the first time wondering, with baited breath, “What’s going to happen next?" This is beautiful and I am sitting here in tears. Now I shall have to seek out the album … “The Hiring Fair" and the Richard Thompson song, “How Many Times” are quite enough to part with the money for "Gladys’ Leap". Thank you for posting this.
@suzannelawson9215
What a great song, great story written by one of the finest British folk songwriters, Ralph McTell.
@Mortimer50145
It's a shame that this version misses out the dramatic pause for a beat, after "She turned to me as the sun went down / And all my senses reeled" that some Fairport Convention versions have, which conveys the heart-stopping effect that her look had on him.
@andrewganley1443
One of the great Fairport epics. Well conceived and a wonderful modern version of folk music!
@andycuthbert2763
Beautiful piece of music!
@roghabhrideradioshow
❤️🎶🦋🎶❤️
@ANISTAZImetal
pretty !..very cool..
@aapesos
song is by Ralph McTell
@keithkeller4156
Thanks and Sharing soon.....