Unhalfbricking [Extra tracks, Import, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Fairport Convention | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 10, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Island UK
• ASIN: B00007J36V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,709 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Imports > Folk
  • #38 in Music > Folk > British & Celtic Folk > British Folk

Track Listings

1. Genesis Hall

2. Si Tu Dois Partir

3. Autopsy

4. A Sailors Life

5. Cajun Woman

6. Who Knows Where The Time Goes

7. Percys Song

8. Million Dollar Bash

9. Dear Landlord (Bonus Track)

10. The Ballad Of Easy Rider (Bonus Track)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Fairport Convention was the most accomplished band in the late-'60s British folk-rock scene, and a combination of musical passion and whimsy makes Unhalfbricking one of its very best albums. Fairport's standout members were singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Richard Thompson. Both shine on Denny's haunting "Autopsy," with its sinuously melancholy melody making a perfect bed for a Thompson guitar solo. Denny shines on her most famous composition, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," which was quickly covered by Judy Collins. Denny and Thompson each contribute two songs to an album that includes three Bob Dylan songs, including joyful spins on "Million Dollar Bash" and "Si Tu Dois Partir," that conjure up a moment when bands didn't think about losing publishing income as much as how to best maximize the fun of playing music. --John Milward

Product Description

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1969 album including two bonus tracks: 'Dear Landlord' and 'The Ballad Of Easy Rider'. This edition of Unhalfbricking, the British Folk act's third album, includes sleeve notes by FC co-founder Ashley Hutchings. 10 tracks. Universal Island. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A memorable album. On my top 10 of the 1960s. Buy it., June 21, 2005

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unhalfbricking (Audio CD)

`Unhalfbricking' by the original Fairport Convention is the album with which they caught everyone's attention, as it has three exceptionally strong components going for it. First are the two songs by Sandy Denny, `Autopsy' and the memorable `Who Knows Where the Time Goes'. Second are the two songs by Richard Thompson. Third are the performances of three Bob Dylan songs which Mr. Dylan rarely performs himself.

After this great start with modern compositions and with such great chemistry between the principles in this group, it is surprising why they went off to do classic English folksongs in their most famous album, `Liege and Leif' and why Denny and Thompson spun off to do their own thing. I'm sure that they had their reasons, but that meant they never quite duplicated the quality of work on this album and the others the original group did together. So, the reincarnations of `Fairport Convention' have been making a career out of performing `Matty Groves' over and over again.

Getting back to `Unhalfbricking', I can still remember running into the British Import LP when I was under the spell of both `The Incredible String Band' and `The Pentangle' plus Bert and John and all those British folkies. So, the promise of more of the same was too good to pass up, before I happened to notice the heavy presence of Bob Dylan songs on the album. I do confess that the great cover photo of the walled lawn and the church tower in the background had a lot to do with my purchase.

I can't remember my exact impressions upon first hearing the album, except that I was tickled by the Dylan pieces and very much moved by the `Who Knows Where the Time Goes'. Listening to the album now, after 36 years, I wonder why no one does this kind of stuff anymore. I am not as much in tune with popular music today as I was in the 1960s, but I really miss having no fresh faces which strike me now as strongly as Dylan, Phil Ochs, Richard Farina, Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Robin Williamson, Denny and Thompson, and so on did at that time.

I really envy you, fair reader, if you are discovering the original Fairport Convention for the first time. They successfully capture a part of the Zeitgeist of the 1960s, which is so precious to those who lived through it. I hope you love these performances as much as I do.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention albums, January 8, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unhalfbricking (Audio CD)

Fairport Convention was far and away the best British folk-rock band of the late Sixties, combining elegant covers of other artists, such as Bob Dylan, who wrote three of the ten tracks on this album, with exquisite original compositions, most notably by Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny. The group's problem has been the ever-changing lineup. On "Unhalfbricking," the third of four albums the group released in 1969, the lineup is arguable the best Fairport Convention ever had to offer, but that same year powerhouse drummer Martin Lamble was killed in an accident involving the band's equipment van.

Fairport Convention's style of harmony-based folk-rock was obviously influenced by American groups like the Byrds, mixing electric and acoustic guitars. With the addition of Sandy Denny, known for both her solo work and briefly as a member of the Strawbs, the group added the premier British folk-rock singer of her generation. Denny offers up two of her finest works on this album, "Autopsy" but my clear cut favorite on "Unhalfbricking" is Thompson's 9-minute "Sailor's Life." This it the group's epic work, the one song on which their musical legacy should be judged. The only things that really work against this album are the fact that, by contemporary standards, it is so "short," with only 10 tracks. There is also the question of how well you like the Dylan covers; I do not find them to be anything special, especially in light of the other offerings. "Si Tu Dois Partir" is the best of the trio, even if you find doing Dylan in French to be a bit odd.

Final Note: This is one occasion where I would argue for the purchase of a specific album rather than a greatest hits collection. This is mainly because I have not see a Fairport Convention collection that has the four above referenced songs on it. Oh, and, no, I have no idea what the title for this album means.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem of the 1960s, October 26, 1999

By 

Chris Baggett (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unhalfbricking (Audio CD)

There are more focused records in their catalog ("Liege & Lief") and even more 1960s type offerings (the self-titled debut) but this one stands out to me as the calling card for the Richard Thompson-era FC.

There are too many covers and some really long arrangements here but, to me, this is Fairport's best. On "Sailors Life" and "Genesis Hall" you get two of the most eerie songs on record. On the three Dylan songs you get real weird homages to their idol. Some how it all works.

Thompson's future strength as a songwriter is evident on "Genesis Hall" and the band's eventual gravitation to straight English folk becomes partially realized here.

Additionally, "Unhalfbricking" is to Fairport Convention (and Richard Thompson's career) as "Led Zeppelin III" is to Led Zeppelin: a stepping stone to what would be the path to wonderful things to come.

As a stand-alone work, it is still strong due to its otherworldly sound and diversity. It is a hidden late 1960s classic and some of Sandy Denny's finest moments.