THE HISTORY OF FAIRPORT CONVENTION

This is a good introduction to Fairport's early years, covering all albums from "What We Did On Our Holidays" to "Babbacombe Lee" - why the first album was skipped for this anthology? Is this a history or not? This problem apart, "History of FC" provides an overview for all Fairport's line-ups from the arriving of Sandy Denny to the quartet of Simon Nicol and the Three Daves (Mattacks, Pegg, Swarbrick), covering musical styles that range from blues ("Mr. Lacey") to traditional folk that made this band famous (like the medley). Three great epics are included: "A Sailor's Life", "Matty Groves" and "Sloth" ("Tam Lin" should have been included too!). The family tree printed at the inner sleeve is great, but a written history would be welcome, helping to understand why there were so many line-up changes. In short, if you are a casual listener, "History..." is a great place to start and probably will lead you to further explorations into Fairport's catalogue, but if you're already a fan, you won't need it. Maybe Island should re-release this album as a double CD, with an extended booklet.