Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief

Fairport Convention were one of the more renowned and critically acclaimed English folk bands to come out of England in the late 60's. Just as Dylan, The Band, and the Byrds among countless others were bringing about a revised recognition for American folk music to teenagers at the time, Fairport Convention was doing so across the sea with jolly English folk songs. On Liege and Lief, the band all but scraps writing any new material in favor of traditional ballad folk tales, with heroes, villains, and lots and lots of forests. Sandy Denny does a beautiful job bringing audiences back to the old stone villages in the English countryside by singing wandering tales of romance and adventure. The scene is set by the fiddle, viola, and 12-string guitars. Richard Thompson will always be one of the best and he does a phenomenal job accompanying the other musicians, never really letting er' rip like other guitarists tend to do, but rather layering onto the songs with subtle touches of genius string bending. This is an excellent album and the very first Fairport album I heard, so it still remains a favorite. Very relaxing and perfect with a cup of tea.