Week 45: 50 Albums That Changed Music

[Swish]

The pickins' are getting slim, but there's still time for a couple more relevant choices with on 6 more weeks to go, and they chose a pretty good one this week. Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief (1969).

The birth of English folk-rock. Considered an act of heresy by folk purists, this electrified album fragmented the band. No matter, the opening cry of 'Come all you roving minstrels' proved galvanic. Without this...no Celtic revivalist like the Pogues and Waterboys or decendants like the Levellers.

While they didn't exactly invent electric-folk (Bob Dylan, The Byrds), I would concur they inspired many to follow, especially the two bands he mentioned, the Pogues and the Waterboys. I guess we could throw the Strawbs and Steeleye Span in there, but I look forward to seeing some others add to the list. There have been dozens of changes to the lineup of FC over the years, but I would submit their best was during Richard Thompson's run with them.

Grandpa Swish

[SlumpBuster]

I won't even front: I've never heard of Fairport Convention.

[Swish]

Can I get at least a few damn pity clicks?

Grandpa Swish

[nobody]

I've got this one and pull it out from time to time. I enjoy it, but it's really hard for me to see the influence of it since I don't really listen to a lot of similar music. I can kinda see the Pogues/Waterboys connection. But, like often in these types of lists, it seems to me a bit of an overstatement. I mean, the album was from the UK and fused traditional folk with rock. Does that mean that from here to the end of time, every time someone fuses the two, they are directly influenced by Fairport Convention?

I still need to pick up some Richard Thmpson solo stuff.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Well, I don't have any FC but I've meant to pick-up at least something since I do enjoy Richard Thompson's solo work. I've passed this one by many times, waiting instead to find a copy of Unhalfbricking, (which apparently is their best). Anyway, I guess this is influential in some way - more so in it's narrow scope than say, The Strawbs or Steeleye Span? I really couldn't say. Probably should not have made the list, in my opinion.

[3-LockBox]

the album was from the UK and fused traditional folk with rock. Does that mean that from here to the end of time, every time someone fuses the two, they are directly influenced by Fairport Convention?

It does if you're trying to justify an article, and all your dad had left was this Fairport Convention LP laying around, Leige and Leaf in particular. Of course, had they grown up in the US, they might have used the Byrds or Dylan or even The Grateful Dead as examples. I doubt the writer of this article has heard more than one FC album.

I do hope this writer's internship with this article went well though.

[BradH]

I love this album, it's effing brilliant. It deserves to be on this list moreso than half of what they've already picked.