Today we start looking at the splendid people who appear on this LP in support of Sandy Denny, almost all of whom have their faces depicted in a circle round the text on the right side of the inside of the gatefold cover.
The most instantly recognisable of these is of course the still young Richard Thompson, who is shown at top left. His input on this record is of the utmost significance, and the importance of it cannot be overstated. It may be recalled that there were three classic Fairport Convention albums released in 1969, and these were the only three ever to feature both Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson in the line-up. On the first of these, “What We Did On Our Holdays”, the essential sound was attributable to Ian Matthews as well as Sandy and Richard, and on the third, “Liege & Lief”, Dave Swarbrick’s violin was a key element along with them. However, on the summer LP “Unhalfbricking”, the definitive sound of Fairport Convention was uniquely down to the magical combination of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. So, what we have here is a sort of partial recreation of the “Unhalfbricking” Fairport Convention. Astonishing, and of great comfort in those dark days of the summer of 1972.
All of the chaps from Fotheringay are also there, and more or less readily identifiable; but the names were not attributed to the pictures until the release of the extended CD version. More of all this in later posts.
I was 16.5 years old in the summer of 1972, which saw girlfriends 22/27 and 23/27, with the usual misery, and much teenage angst doggerel. Things looked truly awful, but there were still these glimmers of hope, of which this record was amongst the best.
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