By far the most rock-oriented of
Fairport Convention's early albums, this debut was recorded before
Sandy Denny joined the band (
Judy Dyble handles the female vocals). Unjustly overlooked by listeners who consider the band's pre-
Denny output insignificant, this is a fine folk-rock effort that takes far more inspiration from West Coast '60s sounds than traditional British folk.
Fairport's chief strengths at this early juncture were the group's interpretations, particularly in the harmony vocals, of obscure tunes by American songwriters such as
Joni Mitchell,
Bob Dylan,
Emitt Rhodes, and
Jim & Jean. Their own songs weren't quite up to that high standard, but were better than many have given them credit for, with "Decameron" and "Sun Shade" in particular hitting wonderfully fetching melancholic moods. It's true that
Fairport would devise a more original style after
Denny joined, but the bandmembers' first-class abilities as more American pop-folk-rock-styled musicians on this album shouldn't be undersold.