Fotheringay- S/T (1970) / 2 (2008) MP3 & FLAC

"What about me, me and my kind? If we're unknown, are we left behind?"

All it takes is one comparative listen between Fairport Convention's eponymous debut album and What We Did on Our Holidays, their first album with Sandy Denny, to grasp the effect Denny's presence had on the band. Previously, Fairport Convention had shown more of an inclination to incorporate American "west-coast" Folk-Rock into their sound than the Folk traditions of their homeland, but Denny's arrival changed this and proved a catalyst for Fairport's "invention" of British Folk-Rock. However, Denny's tenure with Fairport Convention was short-lived, as she jumped ship after three brilliant albums to pursue a more singer-songwriter-oriented career path. What's ironic about this is that her first post-Fairport venture, Fotheringay, mined very similar territory to her previous band but without the same level of free-wheeling talent on hand. Whereas Fairport was prone to experimentation and eclecticism, Fotheringay was slightly more rock-oriented, which, on their debut, results in a more fussed-over, less sprawling sound. Nevertheless, Denny contributes several gorgeous songs to Fotheringay, making the album close to essential for anyone partial to her work with Fairport Convention. One of the album's obvious highlights is the epic "The Sea," which features a breathtaking vocal performance by Denny backed by sumptuous acoustic guitars. While the song easily equals many of her finest moments in Fairport, the overly-tasteful production threatens to siphon off a bit of the song's emotional impact. Although it is true that Fotheringay suffers a bit when Denny steps out of the limelight leaving Trevor Lucas with vocal duties, his folksy performance on "The Ballad of Ned Kelly" is another of the album's highlights. Fotheringay broke up while recording their follow-up LP, leaving master tapes of the unfinished songs languishing in the vaults for nearly 40 years until the surviving members of the band released them as Fotheringay 2. While obviously not as fully conceived as the previous album, it is an interesting and occasionally brilliant addendum to one of the forgotten gems of British Folk-Rock.

Fotheringay (2004 Remastered and Expanded Edition)
 1. Nothing More  (4:35)
 2. The Sea  (5:29)
 3. The Ballad of Ned Kelly  (3:31)
 4. Winter Winds  (2:10)
 5. Peace in the End  (4:02)
 6. The Way I Feel  (4:44)
 7. The Pond and the Stream  (3:16)
 8. Too Much of Nothing  (3:52)
 9. Banks of the Nile  (8:04)
-Bonus Tracks-
10. Two Weeks Last Summer (Live, Holland Pop Festival, June 28, 1970)  (4:28)
11. Nothing More (Live, Holland Pop Festival, June 28, 1970)  (4:35)
12. Banks of the Nile (Live, Holland Pop Festival, June 28, 1970)  (7:38)
13. Memphis Tennessee (Live, Holland Pop Festival, June 28, 1970)  (2:47)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320)

MU: Lossless (FLAC)

Fotheringay 2

 1. John the Gun  (5:06)

 2. Eppie Moray  (4:44)

 3. Wild Mountain Thyme  (3:50)

 4. Knights of the Road  (4:10)

 5. Late November  (4:39)
 6. Restless  (2:48)
 7. Gypsy Davey  (3:41)
 8. I Don't Believe You  (4:45)
 9. Silver Threads and Golden Needles  (4:30)
10. Bold Jack Donahue  (7:38)
11. Two Weeks Last Summer  (3:51)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320) 

MU: Lossless (FLAC)