When Fairport Convention’s touring van swerved down a motorway embankment near Birmingham in May 1969, taking the lives of the band’s drummer (Martin Lamble) and guitarist Richard Thompson’s girlfriend (Jeannie Franklyn), who could have possibly entertained a thought that these beleaguered musicians would release a new set of material before the end of the year? One guesses that by immersing themselves in their passionate vocation the trauma and tragedy would somehow subside to a place only opened during restless contemplation. Not only were the band crafting new songs, but in addition were enveloping themselves in historical music from centuries before and employing this knowledge to create a brand new, harder edged electric folk. Lamble’s replacement Dave Mattacks and the fiddle playing Dave Swarbrick certainly contribute towards the new direction. There’s a foreboding darkness and melancholy that’s wholly understandable given the emotional aftermath from earlier events. The re-interpretations of traditional songs along with rousing new creations brings timeless and mostly compelling results to a collection that is regarded by many as one of the most quintessential and influential folk recording.

Superbly produced by Joe Boyd, there’s much to immerse the listener into the shadowy reflections of betrayal, lost love, the consequences of desertion and murder. New material mixes seamlessly with the traditional songs as the band stretch themselves with frenetic guitar, fiddle and rhythm jams that lighten the tension, all encapsulated in the superb opener “Come All Ye”. The bracing, electrically charged instrumentation is a call to arms, a convincing message that the “rolling minstrel” is better employed creating magic than wallowing in self pity. The historic murder ballad “Matty Groves” tells a very English story of class battles and ultimately blood thirsty brutality, and is delivered with a delicate vocal simplicity that Sandy Denny seemed to utilise with unerring consistency. The finale of the song sees Thompson and Swarbrick musically jousting, intertwining their solo’s to add another, yet heard dimension to a song that hadn’t fundamentally been aired for centuries. The sound isn’t revolutionary, but what Thompson and his entourage achieve is that true English folk music could be released from acoustically tight structures of early tradition and amplified and rearranged to sound wholly fresh, original and most of all intriguing. Other highlights include the dramatic “Reynardine”, the superb recreation of the conscientious objector’s fate on “The Deserter”, and the vast mystical epic “Tam Lin”.

“Liege And Lief” is a vivid collection of brave experimental electric folk, masterfully performed, and a perfect example of triumph over adversity.

9/10

A1 Come All Ye 4:55
A2 Reynardine 4:33
A3 Matty Groves 8:08
A4 Farewell, Farewell 2:38
B1 The Deserter 4:10
B2 Medley: 4:00
The Lark in the Morning
Rakish Paddy
Foxhunters’ Jig
Toss the Feathers
B3 Tam Lin 7:20
B4 Crazy Man Michael 4:35

Come All Ye

The Deserter