Fairport Convention FIRST LP Rare Polydor 1st Press

	£		55
	$		73

A BREAKDOWN OF THE ARTIST/S :-

The unchallenged inventors and high Kings of British folk rock have struggled through tragedy and changes, retaining the name that now represents not so much who is in the band, but what it stands for. The original 1967 line-up comprised Iain Matthews (Born Iain Matthews McDonald, 16 June 1946, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England; vocals), Judy Dyble (Born 13 February 1949, London, England; vocals), Ashley Hutchings (Born 26 January 1945, Southgate, Middlesex, England; bass), Richard Thompson (Born 3 April 1949, Totteridge & Whetstone, London, England; guitar/vocals), Simon Nicol (Born 13 October 1950, Muswell Hill, London, England; guitar/vocals) and Martin Lamble (Born 28 August 1949, St. Johns Wood, London, England, d. 12 May 1969; drums). The band originally came to the attention of the London "underground" club scene by sounding like a cross between the Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds. As an accessible alternative, people immediately took them to their hearts. American producer Joe Boyd signed them and they released the charming "If I Had A Ribbon Bow". On their self-titled debut they introduced the then little-known Canadian songwriter Joni Mitchell to a wider audience. The album was a cult favourite, but like the single, it sold poorly.

Judy Dyble departed and was replaced by vocalist Sandy Denny (Born Alexandra Denny, 6 January 1948, Wimbledon, London, England, d. 21 April 1978; ex-Strawbs). Denny brought a traditional folk-feel to their work which began to appear on the superlative What We Did On Our Holidays. This varied collection contained some of their finest songs: Denny's version of "She Moved Through The Fair", her own "Fotheringay', Matthews" lilting "Book Song", the superb "I'll Keep It With Mine" and Thompson's masterpiece "Meet On The Ledge". This joyous album was bound together by exemplary musicianship, of particular note was the guitar of the shy and wiry Thompson. Matthews left soon after its release, unhappy with the traditional direction the band was pursuing. Following the album's critical acclaim and a modest showing in the charts, they experienced tragedy a few months later when their Transit van crashed, killing Martin Lamble and their friend and noted dressmaker Jeannie Franklyn. Unhalfbricking was released and, although not as strong as the former, it contained two excellent readings of Bob Dylan songs, "Percy's Song" and "Si Tu Dois Partir" (If You Gotta Go, Go Now). Denny contributed two songs, "Autopsy" and the definitive, and beautiful, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes". More significantly, Unhalfbricking featured guest musician, Dave Swarbrick (Born 5 April 1941, New Malden, Surrey, England), on fiddle and mandolin. The album charted, as did the second Dylan number; by now the band had opened the door for future bands like Steeleye Span, by creating a climate that allowed traditional music to be played in a rock context.

The songs that went on the next album were premiered on John Peel's BBC radio show Top Gear. An excited Peel stated that their performance would "sail them into uncharted waters"; his judgement proved correct. The live set was astonishing - they played jigs and reels, and completed all 27 verses of the traditional "Tam Lin', featuring Swarbrick, now a full-time member, plus the debut of new drummer, Dave Mattacks (Born March 1948, Edgware, Middlesex, England). The subsequent album Liege And Lief was a milestone; they had created British folk rock in spectacular style. This, however, created problems within the band and Hutchings left to form Steeleye Span and Denny departed to form Fotheringay with future husband Trevor Lucas (ex-Eclection). Undeterred, the band recruited Dave Pegg (Born 2 November 1947, Birmingham, England) on bass and Swarbrick became more prominent both as lead vocalist and as an outstanding fiddle player. From their communal home in Hertfordshire they wrote much of the next two albums" material although Thompson left before the release of Angel Delight. They made The Guinness Book Of Records in 1970 with the longest-ever title: "Sir Born McKenzies's Daughter's Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancer's Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie". Full House was the first all-male Fairport Convention album and was instrumentally strong with extended tracks like "Sloth" becoming standards.

The concept album Babbacombe Lee, although critically welcomed, failed to sell and Simon Nicol left to form the Albion Country Band with Ashley Hutchings. Swarbrick struggled on, battling against hearing problems. With such comings and goings of personnel it was difficult to document the exact changes. The lack of any animosity from ex-members contributed to the family atmosphere, although by this time record sales were dwindling. Sandy Denny rejoined, as did Dave Mattacks (twice), but by the end of the 70s the name was put to rest. The family tree specialist Pete Frame has documented their incredible array of line-ups. Their swansong was at Cropredy in Oxfordshire in 1979. Since then, an annual reunion has taken place and is now a major event on the folk calendar. The band has no idea which ex-members will turn up! They have also continued to release albums, making the swansong a sham. With Swarbrick's departure, his position was taken by Ric Sanders (Born 8 December 1952, Birmingham, West Midlands, England) in 1985 who rapidly quietened his dissenters by stamping his own personality on the fiddler's role.

Some of the recent collections have been quite superb, including Gladys Leap, with Simon Nicol back on lead vocals, and the instrumental Expletive Delighted. With the release in 1990 of The Five Seasons, the band established the longest-lasting line-up in their history. The nucleus of Pegg, Nicol, Sanders, Mattacks and Allcock were responsible for Jewel In The Crown (named after their favourite tandoori takeaway). Nicol's voice sounded like it had been matured in a wooden cask and fuelled the suggestion that he should perhaps have been the lead vocalist right from the beginning. This was their bestselling and undoubtedly finest album in years and dispels any thought of old folkies growing outdated and staid. Who Knows Where The Time Goes?, although a lesser album, did include an excellent live version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", recorded at Cropredy in 1995. The "Cropredy" box set is an invaluable chronicle of the history of the band, narrated by the band itself it included the hilarious and now legendary "April fool" telephone conversation. The Wood & The Wire was yet another excellent recording with the 2000 line-up of Pegg, Nicol, Sanders, Gerry Conway (Born 11 September 1947, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England) and Chris Leslie (Born 15 December 1956, Oxford, England. Fairport Convention, in whatever shape they appear, are as much a part of the folk music tradition as the music itself.

Discography:
Fairport Convention (Polydor 1968)***, What We Did On Our Holidays (Island 1969)*****, Unhalfbricking (Island 1969)****, Liege And Lief (Island 1969)****, Full House (Island 1970)****, Angel Delight (Island 1971)***, Babbacombe Lee (Island 1971)***, Rosie (Island 1973)***, Nine (Island 1973)**, Live Convention (A Moveable Feast) (Island 1974)**, Rising For The Moon (Island 1975)**, as Fairport Gottle O'Geer (Island 1976)*, Live At The LA Troubadour (Island 1977)**, A Bonny Bunch Of Roses (Vertigo 1977)**, Tipplers Tales (Vertigo 1978)**, Farewell, Farewell (Simons 1979)***, Moat On The Ledge: Live At Broughton Castle (Woodworm 1981)***, Gladys' Leap (Woodworm 1985)***, Expletive Delighted (Woodworm 1986)***, House Full (Hannibal 1986)**, In Real Time - Live "87 (Island 1987)**, Red And Gold (New Routes 1989)**, Five Seasons (New Routes 1991)**, 25th Anniversary Concert (Wormwood 1994)***, Jewel In The Crown (Woodworm 1995)****, Old New Borrowed Blue (Woodworm 1996)***, Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (Woodworm 1997)***, The Cropredy Box 3-CD box set (Woodworm 1998)****, Close To The Wind (Mooncrest 1998)***, The Wood & The Wire (Woodworm 2000)****, XXXV (Woodworm/Compass 2002)***, Before The Moon (Pilot 2002)**, Cropredy 2002 (Woodworm 2003)***, The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood: Live At The Cropredy Festivals 1986 And 1987 (Shakedown 2004)***, Over The Next Hill (Matty Grooves 2004)***.

THE RARITY OF THE RECORD :- Rarest release from Fairport Convention and there only release on Polydor Records before moving to Island. Exremely Rare and harfly comes up for sale at all in any condition.

THE COVER :- Single fully laminated sleeve

THE LABEL :- 1960's Polydor label

THE VINYL VISUALLY :- On initial inspection the vinyl sits perfectly flat on the turntable!! and retains an original very deep glossy shine and looks beautifully clean for a 42 year old record!! I cannot see any areas of concern

THE VINYL PLAY GRADED :- On play grading this fantastic piece of vinyl I have found it to be a very clear and vibrant sound that hasn't lost any of it's magic over the past 42 years. It certainly hasn't been played much, there are only very small signs of static and crackle, but only heard inbetween tracks and very quiet areas, these will more than likely go away once the album has been played and cleaned a couple of times by its new owner. Overall I would say the vinyl plays to an Excellent condition

THE SLEEVE FRONT CONDITION :- This is the very earliest 1st press sleeve. There are no seam splits and only signs of shelf and rubbing wear at the corners and opening. Some signs of ringwear and moderate creasing but it still retains most of its original feel and sheen even after 42 years. I would rate the cover as Very Good condition

THE SLEEVE REAR CONDITION :- A laminated rear cover with  full track details and extensive production info, there are no stickers or writing which frequent albums of this age. It has the same ring and shelfwear as displayed on the front of the sleeve. Again i rate the cover as Very Good condition

THE LABEL SIDE ONE CONDITION :- Original Polydor label in near perfect condition free from stickers or writing and no damage at all, only slight signs of minimal plays around the spindle hole. Excellent condition.

THE LABEL SIDE TWO CONDITION :- Original Polydor label in near perfect condition free from stickers or writing and no damage at all, only slight signs of minimal plays around the spindle hole. Excellent condition.

THE SPINE CONDITION :- The writing on the spine is clear, no spine splits at all just signs of shelfwear in places

THE INNER SLEEVE CONDITION :- Plain issue polylined sleeve free from splits and tears

THE EXTRAS :- No extras were given with this album

THE CATALOGUE NUMBER :- 583 035

THE YEAR OF RELEASE :-  1968

THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN :-  UK

THE MATRIX NUMBERS :-  583035 A//1 420  &  583035 B//1 420

TRACK LISTING :-

SIDE ONE :-

1. TIME WILL SHOW THE WISER
2. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I STAND
3. IF (STOMP)
4. DECAMERON
5. JACK O'DIAMONDS
6. PORTFOLIO

SIDE TWO :-

1. CHELSEA MORNING
2. SUN SHADE
3. THE LOBSTER
4. IT'S ALRIGHT MA, IT'S ONLY WITCHCRAFT
5. ONE SURE THING
6. MI BREAKDOWN

WHAT WE PLAY THE RECORD ON :- 

We use a Project 6 Perspex Turntable to play grade our records which delivers a rich authoritative sound and achieves a rich and weighty vibrancy unrivalled by the majority of decks within its price range

HOW WE CLEAN YOUR RECORD :- 

We use a V.P.I. HW-16.5 record cleaning machine to clean your vinyl. "A highly recommended machine" as quoted by Stereophile magazine. This removes any excess dirt before playing

HOW WE PACKAGE YOUR RECORD :- 

Your record will be package very securely to minimise any risk of damage during transit. We remove the record from the outer sleeve unless asked not to do so. This helps to minimise the risk of seam spliting. We use a high quality record mailer which is designed to give superior protection for your vinyl record. We place stiffeners either side of the record for added protection. The album will also be placed in a 450 gram Poly outer sleeve for even extra added protection

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING CHARGES FOR UK CUSTOMERS :-

We advise that items reaching over £39.00 in price to be insured and sent by Special Delivery. This protects both of us and ensures better handling of the parcel during transit.We are in no way out to make money from postage. The postage price includes the record mailer, stiffeners and plastic sleeve. We just want your item to reach you in the best possible condition. A breakdown of insured postal services are listed below. Please choose to use the relevant postal service for your own protection as once these rare records are lost they can quite often seldom be replaced

FIRST CLASS RECORDED FOR RECORDS INSURED UP TO £39  :-   £3.75

SPECIAL DELVIVERY FOR RECORDS INSURED UP TO £500  :-  £6.40

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION :-    

All parcels sent to the European Union are sent by Registered Mail. We will not ship abroad without insured post

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR SMALL PACKETS INSURED UP TO £500 :-  £11.99

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE USA AND CANADA :- 

All parcels sent to the USA & Canada are sent by Registered Mail. We will not ship abroad without insured post

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR INSURED UP TO £500 :-  £16.00

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN :- 

All parcels sent to the Australia & Japan are sent by Registered Mail. We will not ship abroad without insured post

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR INSURED UP TO £500 :-  £16.00

BUYERS OF MULTIPLE ITEMS :- 

Postage prices and courier methods for multiple purchases will be calculated after the auction end. It is impossible for us at the pre auction stage to determine these prices as the final weight is unknown.If you are the winner of multiple items the please await contact from us or alternately contact us yourself for a breakdown of the shipping costs.You will only pay the stamp price + relevant packaging charges so there are big savings to be made with multiple purchases

HOW TO PAY FOR YOUR RECORD :-

We can accept the following payment methods

UK BUYERS :- 

• PayPal
• Personal cheque (Please allow to clear)
• Bankers Draft
• Postal Order

OVERSEAS BUYERS :-

• Paypal only

TERMS AND CONDITIONS :-

We always try to appraise the record for sale as openly and honestly as possible and provide plenty of pictures for you to look at but please be aware that errors however rare do occur and not everyone has the same audio  equipment. There is no problem that cannot be worked out in a civilised manner. We urge you to contact us so that we can discuss any small problems that may occur. We offer a refund of the purchase price for returned items within 7 days of purchase and are happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have during the auction

SAVE US TO YOUR FAVOURITES LIST AS WE INTEND TO LIST MANY MORE RARE VINYL TREATS OVER THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS