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.
Nottamun Town
Fairport Convention Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
Met the King and the Queen, and a company more
Come a-walking behind and a-riding before
Come a stark naked drummer a-beating the drum
Sat down on a hard, hot cold frozen stone,
Ten thousand stood 'round me, yet I was alone
Took my hat in my hands for to keep my head warm,
Ten thousand got drownded that never was born.
In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
The lyrics to Fairport Convention's "Nottamun Town" describe a journey to a town where no one pays attention to the singer's presence. The opening stanza repeats the phrase "not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down" to reinforce the idea that the people of Nottamun Town are indifferent or oblivious to the singer's presence. The singer is seeking directions to "fair Nottamun Town," but nobody is willing to help him.
The following stanza describes the singer's encounter with the King and Queen, who are accompanied by a company of people on foot and horseback. A drummer appears, beating his drum while standing naked with his hands on his chest. This imagery could be interpreted in many ways, but one possibility is that the naked drummer represents a form of rebellion or unpredictability that disrupts the order and respectability of the King and Queen.
The final stanza describes the singer's sense of isolation despite being surrounded by thousands of people. He sits on a hard, cold stone to keep warm and is left to his own devices to figure out how to get to Nottamun Town. The final line, "ten thousand got drownded that never was born," is enigmatic and difficult to interpret. It could reflect the singer's sense of isolation and despair, or it could be a metaphor for something else entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
In Nottamun Town, nobody wanted to make eye contact with me.
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
No one showed me any attention at all.
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
Still, not one person would acknowledge my presence whatsoever.
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
I was hoping someone would give me directions to Nottamun Town, but no one would pay me any attention.
Met the King and the Queen, and a company more
Despite my initial lack of success, I eventually ran into a group that included the royalty of the town.
Come a-walking behind and a-riding before
They were escorted by many people on foot and horseback.
Come a stark naked drummer a-beating the drum
Among their strange company was a completely naked drummer who was still playing his instrument.
With his hands on his bosom, come marching along.
He was moving his body to the rhythm of his own drumming as he continued to march forward.
Sat down on a hard, hot cold frozen stone,
Despite my continued efforts to find someone to help me, I eventually found myself alone and sitting uncomfortably on a stone that was both hot and cold at the same time.
Ten thousand stood 'round me, yet I was alone
In spite of the large crowd that had formed around me, I still felt completely isolated and disconnected from them.
Took my hat in my hands for to keep my head warm,
Trying to find some solace from the harsh environment, I used my hat to warm my head.
Ten thousand got drownded that never was born.
Despite my own discomfort and feelings of loneliness, I realized that there were many people who never even had the chance to experience life and all of its ups and downs.
In Nottamun Town not a soul would look up,
Once again, I found myself back at the beginning with no one willing to acknowledge me or help me in any way.
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
It seemed as though I had somehow become invisible to everyone around me.
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down,
No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not get anyone to pay attention to me or show me any kindness in this strange and unforgiving town.
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town.
Even after all of my struggles and attempts to find help or direction, I was no closer to finding what I was searching for than when I had first arrived in Nottamun Town.
Lyrics © ESTATE OF JEAN RITCHIE PICKOW, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAMPBELL, TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronno
on Book Song
Beautiful song, even if I can't understand what's going on: she's reading a book, he's writing one (and playing) .. I wanted it to be abouth former FC singer Judy Dyble , who would knit on stage if she wasn't singing. The girlfriend theory makes some sense, but if Ian said it was about his daughter...