01	Genesis Hall						03:37
	02	Si Tu Dois Partir						02:21
	03	Autopsy						04:23
	04	A Sailor's Life						11:11
	05	Cajun Woman						02:45
	06	Who Knows Where The Time Goes						05:08
	07	Percy's Song						06:49
	08	Million Dollar Bash						02:57
	09	Dear Landlord						04:08
	10	The Ballad Of Easy Rider						04:55

Unhalfbricking is the third album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences towards more traditional English folk songs that had begun on their previous album, What We Did On Our Holidays[1] and arguably reached its peak on the follow-up, Liege & Lief, released later the same year.

Although featuring several at the time unreleased Bob Dylan songs, the album also marked Sandy Denny's maturation as a singer and songwriter, including "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?", a song covered by many other performers and 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 UK album chart (the second highest position in the band's entire career), while the single release, "Si Tu Dois Partir", achieved number 21 in the UK singles chart.


On 11 May 1969, two months before the album was released, drummer Martin Lamble and guitarist Richard Thompson's girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, were killed in a car crash as the band were returning from a concert in Birmingham. 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.

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.

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 was invited to join full-time for the follow-up, Liege & Lief.


Fairport Convention had been invited to Bob Dylan's London music publishers to hear then unreleased tracks from The Basement Tapes sessions. The band's bassist, Ashley Hutchings, said "We loved it all. We would have covered all the songs if we could." In the event, versions of "Percy's Song", "Million Dollar Bash" and "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (retitled "Si Tu Dois Partir") were used on the album. The French lyrics for the latter were created during the interval of a performance at the Middle Earth Club. "Percy's Song" and "Million Dollar Bash" had never been released before.[6] According to guitarist Simon Nicol "I think the boredom factor was one of the reasons we came up with this wacky idea. Three or four punters joined us in the dressing room; they were either French visitors or students of French working in London, and happened to be there that night."

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". Sandy Denny sang lead vocals on all the other songs, including her own compositions, "Autopsy", and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?". 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".[1]

Guitarist Richard Thompson contributed two compositions to the album. The opening track, "Genesis Hall", is a slow 3/4 waltz, on which he 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, features Dave Swarbrick's fiddle-playing in his first work with Fairport.

The title arose from the word-game, "Ghosts", played by the band while travelling to and from gigs.[13] Its object was to "avoid completing a real word",[14] and "Unhalfbricking" was Sandy Denny's creation.[15]

Eric Hayes took the photo on the sleeve design for the UK release, which featured neither album title nor band name.[16] The photo captured Denny's parents, Neil & Edna Denny, standing outside the family home in Arthur Road, Wimbledon, south London, with the band distantly visible through the garden fence.[17] St Mary's Church, Wimbledon can be seen in the background.[18] 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".[19]

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".[20]






Unhalfbricking [UK Bonus Tracks]
Date of Release Feb 25, 2003

Unhalfbricking was, if only in retrospect, 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. That shift wouldn't be definitive until their next album, Liege & Lief. But the strongest link to the American folk-rock harmony approach left with the departure of Ian Matthews, who left shortly after the sessions for Unhalfbricking began. The mixture of obscure American folk-rock songs, original material, and traditional interpretations that had fallen into place with What We Did on Our Holidays earlier in the year was actually still intact, if not as balanced. Sandy Denny's two compositions, her famous "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" and the far less celebrated but magnetically brooding "Autopsy," were among the record's highlights. So too were the goofball French Cajun cover of Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (here retitled "Si Tu Dois Partir," and a British hit) and the magnificent reading of Dylan's "Percy's Song," though the bash through Dylan's "Million Dollar Bash" was less effective. Richard Thompson's pair of songs, however, were less memorable. The clear signpost to the future was their 11-minute take on the traditional song "A Sailor's Life," with guest fiddle by Dave Swarbrick, soon to join Fairport himself and make his own strong contribution toward reshaping the band's sound. [The 2003 CD reissue adds historical liner notes and two decent bonus tracks: an outtake cover of Dylan's "Dear Landlord" and a cover of the Byrds' "The Ballad of Easy Rider" (actually recorded during the Liege & Lief sessions) that previously surfaced on Richard Thompson's Guitar & Vocal compilation.] - Richie Unterberger

1. Genesis Hall (Thompson) - 3:37
2. Si Tu Dois Partir (Dylan) - 2:21
3. Autopsy (Denny) - 4:23
4. A Sailor's Life (Traditional) - 11:11
5. Cajun Woman (Thompson) - 2:45
6. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Denny) - 5:08
7. Percy's Song (Dylan) - 6:49
8. Million Dollar Bash (Dylan) - 2:57
9. Dear Landlord [*] (Dylan) - 4:08
10. The Ballad of Easy Rider [*] (McGuinn) - 4:55

Dave Swarbrick - Fiddle, Mandolin
Sandy Denny
Fairport Convention - Arranger, Producer
Richard Thompson
John Wood - Engineer
Marc Ellington - Vocals
Ashley Hutchings - Liner Notes, Photography, Track Annotations, Sleeve Notes
Trevor Lucas - Triangle
Simon Nicol - Producer
Joe Boyd - Producer
Martin Lamble
Dave Mattacks - Drums
Ian Matthews - Vocals
Phil Smee - CD Package Design
Tim Chacksfield - Research, Project Coordinator
Paschal Byrne - Remastering, Tape Transfer

2003 CD Island Remasters 63596




Unhalfbricking
Date of Release Jul 1969

Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny shine throughout this record, which is considered by some to be their Fairport peak together. The second album by a tragically short-lived Fairport Convention lineup. It seems top-heavy with Dylan tunes, three of them included, but they're done with such verve and freshness that they seem perfectly appropriate. As for the rest, Denny's performance on "Autopsy" is outshone only by her work on the apocalyptic nine-minute "A Sailor's Life," which is one of the great English folk-rock showcases ever recorded, a rival to such works as Phil Ochs' "Crucifixion" and Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," as a song that just makes the listener "white out" inside, mouth open, when its over. Also highlighted by the definitive Denny recording of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes." And take in the powerhouse drumming, and realize what the band lost when Martin Lamble died. - William Ruhlmann & Bruce Eder

1. Genesis Hall (Thompson) - 3:41
2. Si Tu Dois Partir (Dylan) - 2:25
3. Autopsy (Denny) - 4:27
4. A Sailor's Life (Traditional) - 11:20
5. Cajun Woman (Thompson) - 2:45
6. Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Denny) - 5:13
7. Percy's Song (Dylan) - 6:55
8. Million Dollar Bash (Dylan) - 2:56

Dave Swarbrick - Fiddle, Mandolin, Violin, Vocals
Sandy Denny - Guitar, Vocals
Richard Thompson
John Wood - Engineer
Marc Ellington - Vocals
Ashley Hutchings - Bass, Vocals
Trevor Lucas - Guitar, Percussion, Triangle, Vocals
Simon Nicol - Guitar, Vocals, Producer
Joe Boyd - Producer
Martin Lamble - Violin, Drums
Ian Matthews - Vocals
Marc Wellington - Vocals

1991 CS Hannibal 4418
1991 LP Hannibal 4418
1969 CS Hannibal 4418
1969 LP A&M SP-4206
CD Hannibal 4418
CD Carthage 4418
LP Carthage CGP-4418




Genesis Hall
Composed By Richard Thompson
Performed By Fairport Convention

AMG REVIEW: Another exquisite adaptation of an old, Elizabethan folk-based melody with a modernist approach, Fairport Convention's "Genisis Hall" is a graceful, waltz-time folk-rocker, with some subtle psychedelic coloring. Songwriter Richard Thompson's elegent guitar lines neatly echo Sandy Denny's wonderful lead vocal, and this helps to tell the song's story with wit and emotion. The song's lyrics embrace the 1960's counterculture ethos, drawing a strong line between the old and new ways, but does so without preaching or moralizing. The group's ensemble playing on this track is also a great example of why the band had the well-deserved reputation that they do today. Now available on Universal's 2002 20th Century Masters collection. - Matthew Greenwald



Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
Composed By Sandy Denny
Performed By Fairport Convention

AMG REVIEW: Not only one of the greatest moments in the Fairport Convention catalouge, " Who Knows Where The Time Goes" is also one of the great British folk-pop ballads of the later half of the 20th Century. Filled with a gentle melancholy, the song's lyrics seem to accurately describe the feeling of the need for freedom and expression which was so much a part of the 60's ethos. A straightforward romantic statement masks this, and in this sense, the songs' duality is beguiling. Melodically, the song matches the subtlety of the lyrics perfectly, with a vaguely country-infused electric guitar from Richard Thompson, which echoes the twilight agenda that is the basis for Sandy Denny's poetry. The song may be better known by Judy Collins beautiful, faithful version from her exquisite 1968 album of the same name. The original version is now available on Universal's 2002 20th Century Masters collection. - Matthew Greenwald



Percy's Song
Composed By Bob Dylan
Performed By Fairport Convention

AMG REVIEW: One of Bob Dylan's greatest early obscurities, "Percy's Song" is cast in a classic folk melody and vague waltz-time tempo and arrangement. The song's lyrics are a variation on a theme that Dylan would explore in various other songs (such as "Seven Curses", among others), that being legal and social injustice. The song tells the story of a young man who was falsely accused of being involved in a tragic traffic accident, and who receives an impossibly severe sentence. Although the song was extremely relevant in the period that it was written in (early 1960's), it still remains valid to this day. Covered by Joan Baez, among others, Fairport Convention's excellent 1968 version (available on Universal's 2002 20th Century Masters collection) may be the finest, and gives the song an expansive feels and flavor, with Sandy Denny's expressive and passionate vocal reading doing this 'lost' classic extreme justice. - Matthew Greenwald













UNHALFBRICKING
(released by: FAIRPORT CONVENTION)

Year Of Release: 1969
Overall rating = 11

Some clever and moving folk rock on here - all listenable, but not all that exciting.
Best song: GENESIS HALL

The most popular album ever by Britain's most artistically successful folk rock band ever (okay, so this title can also be coveted by Steeleye Span; I won't really bother with trying to select the best o' the bunch). Probably so, although I have mixed feelings towards it - frankly speaking, I expected more, considering that folk rock, especially British folk rock, had always attracted me. Unfortunately, Unhalfbricking is not the kind of album that's immediately likeable - you have to have some patience and grow yourself some appreciation for that jangly, moody, lazy, almost lethargic style that holds the record in its grip. In a certain way it might remind you of a cross between the Velvet Underground and the Jefferson Airplane - the instrumentation is sometimes very close to the Velvets' spaced out viola jams, and Sandy Denny's voice bears an awkward resemblance to the one of Grace Slick, being just a wee bit higher. In this way, let me make an assumption: while the best stuff by the Velvets and the Airplane was better than almost everything Convention ever tried to smear on record, the latter beat these two bands by simply being more consistent - despite their initially 'unwelcoming' style, there isn't a single major stinker on record, and even the 'jams' are vastly superior to the kind of pseudo-artistic garbage that the Airplane and the Velvets were pouring out in loads on songs like 'Hey Fredrick' or 'European Son'.
Fairport Convention were at its emotional peak at the time, and the 1969 line-up was probably the most solid, including ace guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol and lead vocalist Sandy Denny (she's present on every track but Thompson's vocal spot 'Cajun Woman'). This also means that most of the songs are self-penned, two by Sandy, two by Thompson. Sandy's compositions are probably the weakest links in the chain (although it's debatable), particularly the dreary 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes?', a true ode to hypnosis. 'Autopsy', with its two different melodic parts, is better, particularly because of some untrivial vocal tricks that Sandy pulls off splendidly, but still not a masterpiece. Both, however, are embellished by her magnificent singing voice - she was unquestionably the best British female singer of the epoch, and, truly and verily, I rarely heard a voice so rich in emotions and undertones in rock music. (Well, Grace Slick really comes close, but she's more on the aggressive side of singing, and isn't really comparable to Sandy in many respects).
Thompson's contributions are a little more 'generic' - he was always the standard folk-writer, but that's okay by me. In fact, 'Genesis Hall' is downright great, with the ominous refrain about being 'helpless and slow' and not having 'anywhere to go' really sending shivers down the spine (and spines up the butt, because the song has just more than a little irony and sarcasm). 'Cajun Woman' is a throwaway, though, just a generic little country send-up, but the fiddle (played by guest Dave Swarbrick) is enthralling, and it's interesting to hear the band dabble in a genre that they are certainly no true experts in.
The rest of the record consists of one lengthy, eleven-minute jam based on a traditional folkie song and three (yeah, right) Dylan covers. Out of the covers, I count one splendid rendition of 'Million Dollar Bash' - along with the Byrds, FC had a talent to grab Bob's Basement Tapes material and transform it from raw, hardly accessible rehearsal material into minor masterpieces - the song, with its rollicking banjo, band members taking turns to sing the verses, and that mighty 'oo-wee baby, oo-wee' chorus, makes one terrific album closer. The two other covers are slight letdowns. 'Percy's Song' (I really don't know where they took that one from - maybe it was Bob's donation to the band?) is annoying in its repetitiveness, being saddled with a sticky 'turn, turn again' chorus, and the fact that it runs for almost six minutes is no consolation. And their cover of 'If You Gotta Go, Go Now' could be a real treat, if not for the stupid decision to have it translated and sung... in French! Which means that those who don't know French won't be able to sing along (wouldn't you look stupid if you sang along in English to a song in French?), and those who know French (like your humble servant) will be angered at the bad pronunciation - if you don't know how to spell French 'r', don't sing it. Not to mention the horrible quality of the translation that in most cases takes the original and just renders it literally, not bothering about preserving French grammar norms. Oh, and there are no rhymes, either. Why they didn't just stop their ballsiness and let Sandy sing this in English is beyond me. Maybe they were trying to mask the lyrical content, misogynic as it is?.. Oh well...
That leaves us with the already mentioned eleven-minute jam. 'A Sailor's Life' is one song that you'll either get wild about or just not get into at all. At first, it sounds just like one slow, monotonous musical phrase repeated over and over for thousands of times; but sooner or later, a great melody will pop out of it for you, and anyway, you just have to take it because it perfectly captures the essence of a traditional Celtic ballad. Not to mention Sandy who could ruin the song if she wanted to, but instead turns it into another showcase of the almost unlimited possibilities of her voice. Later on, however, the leading roles are assumed by Thompson and Nicol whose dual guitar battle is intoxicating: listen to their magical convoluted soloing and witness the greatness!
Ah, I feel that I seriously underrate the album by giving it a 'just very good' rating, but what can I do, after all? Let me take some time for it to grow on me, because right now I feel that the band still didn't have the real rockin' chops, nor enough imagination and fantasy to make something truly groundbreaking. But this is indeed as far out as professional folk rock ever gets. Beats Jethro Tull's Songs From The Wood all to Hell, if you ask me.