FULL HOUSE

With Sandy Denny departed for her Fotheringay project and Steeleye Span emerging to present a more traditional-sounding version of the sort of electric folk that was Fairport's forte, Richard Thompson and friends responded by steering Fairport in a slightly rockier direction this time around. There's just a shade more groove in their step and a dash more fuzz to their guitar than in the preceding albums which makes this an interesting one to round off Richard Thompson's tenure in the band. The lack of female vocals on the album - Fairport having turned into a boys' club at around this time - is a particular shift in their sound which demonstrates that, far from trying to reclaim the glory of the preceding three releases, they were intent instead on pressing on to find a new sound, which they just about grasp the coattails of here.