Unhalfbricking
Unhalfbricking | ||||
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Sound Techniques and Olympic, London | ||||
Genre | British folk rock | |||
Length | 38:51 | |||
Language | English and French | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer |
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Fairport Convention chronology | ||||
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1969 US release | ||||
Singles from Unhalfbricking | ||||
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Unhalfbricking is the third album by the British
The album features several Bob Dylan songs, which he had not yet released. It also features what is arguably Sandy Denny's most notable achievement as a songwriter with the song "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?", which has been covered by many other performers and is now regarded as a classic. The only traditional song on the album, "A Sailor's Life", is seen as pivotal in the development of English folk rock music.
Changes in the line-up of the band, due not only to its musical direction but also to external events, mark this album as a turning point in the band's history. 1969 was a prolific year for Fairport Convention; from What We Did on Our Holidays to Liege & Lief within twelve months represented a major development.
The album also gave the band their first UK chart success, reaching number 12 in the
Production
Fairport Convention had been invited to
The band's male vocalist Iain Matthews left during the recordings for Unhalfbricking to make his own album Matthews' Southern Comfort, after recording just one track, "Percy's Song".[7] Sandy Denny sang lead vocals on all the other songs, including her own compositions, "Autopsy", and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?".[6] The latter was covered by many artists and is now viewed to be a classic.[8] The lengthy "A Sailor's Life", a traditional English folk song collected by A. L. Lloyd, was already part of Denny's club repertoire.[6] In particular, the version on Unhalfbricking has been described as "the turning point of Fairport's history from earlier contemporary Americana to English songs"[9] and by AllMusic's Richie Unterberger as a "clear signpost to the future".[2]
Guitarist Richard Thompson contributed two compositions to the album. The opening track, "Genesis Hall", is a slow 3/4 waltz, on which Simon Nicol played dulcimer, while Sandy Denny provided the vocals; it was the B-Side of the single release.[10] Genesis Hall was the nickname of the former Bell Hotel in Drury Lane, which had become a squat in early 1969 and later became noted for a mass eviction by the police.[11] In the view of Mojo magazine reviewer Mike Baines, "Thompson's writing reached maturity on 'Genesis Hall'".[6] "Cajun Woman", which opens the second side of the album,[12] features Dave Swarbrick's fiddle-playing in his first work with Fairport; having no electric pick-ups, the band improvised by smashing open a telephone and attaching the microphone to the instrument with an elastic band.[13]
Title and cover
The title arose from the band playing the word game Ghost while travelling to and from gigs.[14] Its object was to "avoid completing a real word",[15] and "Unhalfbricking" was Sandy Denny's creation.[16]
Eric Hayes took the photo on the sleeve design for the UK release, which featured neither album title nor band name.[17] The photo captured Denny's parents, Neil and Edna Denny, standing outside the family home at 9B Arthur Road, Wimbledon, South London, with the band distantly visible through the garden fence.[18] St Mary's Church, Wimbledon, can be seen in the background.[19] Joe Boyd later said "Unhalfbricking, then, that cover shot was taken in the early spring, right before the crash, I think; and that record came out in June".[20]
Unhalfbricking's cover in the US, released by A&M Records, was even less informative. It consisted of a picture of circus elephants with a small inset image of the band, allegedly because "the group apparently so upset their American label that they replaced it with an image of trampolining elephants".[21]
Aftermath
On 11 May 1969,[22] two months before the album was released, drummer Martin Lamble and Jeannie Franklyn, the girlfriend of guitarist Richard Thompson, were killed in a road accident as the band was returning from a concert in Birmingham.[23] Simon Nicol later said:
That was a big watershed, I think. In the aftermath, we thought a lot about what to do, whether to call it a day. It had been fun while it lasted but it took a definite effort of will to continue. It had given us a lot but now it had taken away a lot: was it worth it if it was going to cost people their lives? Martin was only 18 or 19 years old. He would have gone on to have been so much more than just another drummer, another musician: there was something very special about him.[23]
Ashley Hutchings also said in relation to the album cover photograph:
My memory of it is bound up with the terrible car crash. On the back cover we're all eating around a table. The shirt and the leather waistcoat I'm wearing are what I had on when the crash happened. I can clearly remember them being bloodstained. You don't forget things like that.[4]
Unhalfbricking appeared, therefore, at a difficult time for the group, but was enthusiastically received. After a period of intense reflection about their future they decided to pursue the folk rock idea further and violinist Dave Swarbrick and drummer Dave Mattacks were invited to join full-time for the follow-up, Liege & Lief.[2]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [27] |
AllMusic's Richie Unterberger described Unhalfbricking as "a transitional album for the young Fairport Convention, in which the group shed its closest ties to its American folk-rock influences and started to edge toward a more traditional British folk-slanted sound".[2]
The album also gave the band their first UK chart success, spending a total of eight weeks in the
It was voted number 688 in the third edition of
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Genesis Hall" | Richard Thompson | 3:35 |
2. | "Si Tu Dois Partir" | Bob Dylan | 2:18 |
3. | "Autopsy" | Sandy Denny | 4:20 |
4. | "A Sailor's Life" | Traditional; arranged by Denny, Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings and Martin Lamble | 11:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Cajun Woman" | Thompson | 2:42 |
6. | "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" | Denny | 5:08 |
7. | "Percy's Song" | Dylan | 6:46 |
8. | "Million Dollar Bash" | Dylan | 2:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Dear Landlord" | Dylan | 4:06 |
10. | "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Bob Dylan is not officially credited as a songwriter on "Ballad of Easy Rider".[38][39]) | Roger McGuinn | 4:55 |
Release history
Unhalfbricking has been released on several occasions and in several formats:[2][40]
Year | Country | Label and catalogue number | Format |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | UK | Island ILPS 9102 | LP
|
1969 | US | A&M SP-4206 | LP |
1969 | US | Hannibal 4418 | cassette
|
1969 | Germany | Island 849302 | LP |
1969 | Italy | International Ricordi SPA SLIR-IL | LP |
1969 | Canada | Polydor 543-098 | LP |
1970 | Australia | Festival/Island SFL 9333512 | LP |
1972 | Japan | King/Island ICL-36 | LP |
1973 | Australia | Festival/Island SFL 9333512 | LP (reissue) |
1974 | Netherlands | Island Ariola 88163XAT | LP |
1969 | New Zealand | Festival Records SFL-933512 | LP |
1985 | US | Carthage CGLP 4418 | LP |
1987 | UK | Island CID 9102 | CD |
1987 | Japan | Polystar P32D 25025 | CD |
1990 | US | Carthage CGCD 4418 | CD |
1990 | UK | Island IMCD 61 (Island Masters series) | CD |
1991 | US | Hannibal 4418 | LP & cassette |
1991 | Japan | Polystar P32D 1125 | CD |
1995 | US | Sammel 8424982 | CD |
2000 | UK | Simply Vinyl SVLP 164 | LP |
2003 | UK | Island IMCD 293 (Island Re-Masters series) | CD |
2007 | US | Simply Vinyl 00030726 | LP |
2008 | US | Water 212 | CD |
2008 | US | 4 Men With Beards 158 | LP |
Personnel
- Fairport Convention
- Sandy Denny – vocals, harpsichord
- Richard Thompson – electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, piano accordion, organ, backing vocals
- Ashley Hutchings – bass, backing vocals
- Simon Nicol – electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, backing vocals
- Martin Lamble – drums, stacked chair backs on "Si Tu Dois Partir"[41]
- Additional personnel
- Iain Matthews – backing vocals on "Percy's Song"
- Dave Swarbrick – fiddle on "Si Tu Dois Partir", "A Sailor's Life", and "Cajun Woman" and Mandolin on "Million Dollar Bash"
- Trevor Lucas – triangle on "Si Tu Dois Partir"
- Marc Ellington – vocals on "Million Dollar Bash"
- Dave Mattacks – drums on "Ballad of Easy Rider"
- Production
- Recorded at Sound Techniques and Olympic Studios, London
- Engineer: John Wood
- Sleeve design: Diogenic Attempts Ltd.
Source:[42]
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Melody Maker. 26 July 1969. p. 18. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Unterberger, Richie. "allmusic ((( Unhalfbricking > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Deming, M. (2011). "Liege & Lief [Bonus Tracks] – Fairport Convention | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Harris, John (20 June 2004). "Unhalfbricking, Fairport Convention". The Observer. London. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "THE BIRTH AND HEYDAY OF FAIRPORT CONVENTION". richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- ^ a b c d Baines, Mike (August 2010). "Fairport Convention: English folk rock's prime movers". Mojo. 201: 139.
- ^ "Biography". iainmatthews.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ^ "Sold on Song – Song Library – Who Knows Where The Time Goes". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard (22 November 2014). "A Sailor's Life". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Genesis Hall". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ISBN 0-415-00728-3. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Cajun Woman". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ISBN 9780571296552– via Google Books.
- ^ "Unhalfbricking, Fairport Convention". The Guardian. London. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
- ^ "Ghost Game and other game resources". fun.familyeducation.com. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Greenberger, David. "Metroland Online – Recordings: Playing Games". Metroland. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Colwell, Stacey (5 March 2003). "Shooting Stars". Bridgewater Bulletin. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
- ^ Irvin, Jim (1998). "Angel of Avalon: Sandy Denny". Mojo. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
- ^ 51°25′43.03″N 0°12′37.67″W / 51.4286194°N 0.2104639°W (best viewed using "StreetMap" option)
- ^ "Who Knows Where the Time Goes? – The Sandy Denny Story". 22 April 2008. 18 minutes in. BBC Radio 2. Archived from the original on 27 April 2008.
{{cite episode}}
: Missing or empty|series=
(help) - ^ Powell, Aubrey (July–August 2002). "Pavement to penthouse – The aesthetics of folk". Frieze Magazine (68). Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "allmusic ((( Martin Lamble > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
- ^ a b "History: Simon Nicol writes about Fairport". fairportconvention.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen (2 May 2008). "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Ranta, Alan (27 June 2008). "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Mendelsohn, John (11 June 1970). "Fairport Convention". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007.
- ^ a b "FAIRPORT CONVENTION – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Si Tu Dois Partir". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Fairport Convention Fansite " Expletive-Delighted!" – Discography : SI TU DOIS PARTIR / GENESIS HALL". musikfolk.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ "Q Magazine – 3 Special Editions Jan, Feb, March 2004". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
- ^ "The list in full". The Guardian. London. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
- ^ "BBC – Press Office – Radio 2 Folk Awards 2007 winners". BBC. 6 February 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
- ^ Baines, Mike (August 2010). "Fairport Convention: English folk rock's prime movers". Mojo. 201: 138–139.
- ^ Rogan, Johnny (1997). Ballad of Easy Rider (Media notes). The Byrds. Columbia Records.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard (13 June 2011). "Fairport Convention: Ballad of Easy Rider". Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard. "Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Fairport Convention: Si Tu Dois Partir". mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Hutchings, Ashley (2003). Unhalfbricking (Media notes). Fairport Convention. Island Records. pp. 3, 16.
- ^ "British album certifications – Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 October 2023.