Photo: Tony 1212 [CC BY-SA 4.0
The other challenge about covering Fairport Convention is the insane amount of lineup changes the band went through over the years. Fairport Convention has changed their lineup over twenty times over the course of their fifty plus year career. Twenty Five different musicians have been part of the Fairport Convention Band.
We hope you enjoy this top 10 Fairport Convention songs list. We tried to cover as much ground as we could but the earliest material was by far their most popular.
# 10 – Come All Ye
We open up our Top 10 Fairport Convention songs list with a track from one of the band’s greatest records. The song “Come All Ye,” was released on the album Liege and Lief. The album was released in 1969. The great song “Come All Ye,” was the album’s opening track. It’s easy to hear the Jefferson Airplane comparisons in the song especially on the song’s chorus. The song was written by Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings. At the time of this famous album release Fairport Convention consisted of Sandy Denny on lead vocals, Richard Thompson on guitars, Dave Swarbrick on fiddle, Simon Nicol on guitars, Ashley Hutching on bass and Dave Mattacks on drums.
# 9 – Myths and Heroes
We take a mighty jump in time here with Fairport Convention. Their song “Myths and Heroes” was the title track to their Myths and Heroes album. The record was released in 2015. It was the band’s twenty seventh studio album. This folk music Celtic-infused song sounds like it could have been written in any decade which is quite simply the hallmark of a great song.
The band on the Myths and Heroes album included Simon Nicol on vocals and guitars, Dave Pegg on vocals and bass, Chris Leslies on vocals and multiple string instruments, Ric Snaders on violin and keys and Gerry Conway on drums. With the exception of Simon Nicol this is a completely different band than the group that released the Liege and Lief album in 1969.
# 8 – Percy’s Song
In the number eight spot, we now turn to another legendary Fairport Convention album. Released in 1969, Fairport Convention’s album Unhalfbricking is considered to be one of the band’s most important records and also one of their best. The album showcased Fairport Convention’s interpretations of the three great Bob Dylan songs including the song listed here entitled “Percy’s Song.”
Fairport Convention members in the band on the Unhalfbricking album release consisted of Sandy Denny on lead vocals, Richard Thompson on guitars, Simon Nicol on guitars, Ashley Hutching on bass and Martin Lambel and Dave Mattacks on drums. Additional musicians on the album also included Dave Swarbrick, Iain Matthews, Trevor Lucas and Marc Ellington.
# 7 – Jewel In The Crown
As we continue our Top 10 Fairport Convention songs list we turn to the 1980s and an album that is considered to be one of the band’s bests for the particular lineup at the time, In the band for the Jewel In The Crown album was Simon Nicol on lead vocals and guitar, Maartin Allcock on guitars, Ric Snaders on violins, Dave Pegg on bass and Dave Mattacks on drums. The album is represented on this list by the record’s great title track “Jewel In The Crown.”
# 6 – Angel Delight
The Fairport Convention song was the title track for their 1971 album Angel Delight. It was the first Fairport Convention to be released without founding member Richard Thompson. The Angel Delight album was the band’s highest-charting album of their career in the United Kingdom. The album peaked at number eight on the United Kingdom album charts. The band was down to a four-piece at the time consisting of Dave Swarbrick, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks, and Simon Nicol.
# 5 – Tam Lim
For the second time on this top 10 Fairport Convention songs list we turn to the great Liege & Lief album. We could have easily filled this entire list with songs from this fantastic legendary album. The song “Tam Lim,” is a Scottish folk song based on a mythical character. The lead vocal was sung by Sandy Denny.
# 4 – White Dress
The beautiful song “White Dress,” may be the sleeper on this list. The song appeared on the album Rising For The Moon. The album was released in 1975. The song was written by Sandy Denny who also performed the lead vocal on the track. At this time in the band’s career, Fairport Convention consisted of Sandy Denny on vocals, Trevor Lucas on vocals and guitars, Dave Swarbrick on vocals, strings and guitars, Jerry Donahue on lead guitar, Dave Pegg on bass, Dave Mattacks and Bruce Rowland on drums.
# 3 – Meet On The Ledge
As much as we have tried to choose songs from across the band’s entire career, we keep being pulled back towards their late 1960s period and all the great albums the band released when they first started out. The great track “Meet On The Ledge,” was released on the album What We Did On Our Holidays. The album was released in 1969. It was Fairport Convention’s second album.
# 2 – Matty Groves
As we close in on our number one spot on our top 10 Fairport Convention songs list, we once again turn to the great Liege and Lief album. The song “Matty Groves,” was placed as the third track on the record. “Matty Groves,” was a traditional English folk song that told the tale of an adulterous affair and the tragedy that it resulted in.
# 1 – Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
This one was not tough to pick. The wonderful Sandy Denny original folk song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” is easily the most loved Fairport Convention song of all time. The song was released on the Fairport Convention album Unhalfbricking. The song has been covered by many artists including Judy Collins.
Updated June 6, 2023
Top 10 Fairport Convention Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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![Rob De Luca of Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach & UFO: 10 Albums That Changed My Life From humble East Coast origins to grandest stages worldwide, veteran bassist Rob De Luca has seen and done it all. De Luca first hit the local Boston rock and metal scene in the late 80s after meeting guitarist Paul DiBartolo, bonding over Van Halen before forming Bang. Regional success came quickly, but eventually, the members of Bang went their separate ways, with De Luca and drummer Tommi Gallo heading to NYC and hooking up with Ray West and, later, DiBartolo to form Spread Eagle. By 1990, Spread Eagle was on the fast track, with a contract through MCA Records and a self-titled debut album poised to crush skulls. But poor timing and MCA's sad indifference left Spead Eagle out in the cold despite being a hard-boiled answer to Guns N' Roses's West Coast sleaze. Spread Eagle's first chapter came to an end in '95. As for Rob De Luca, his nimble fingers and gift for melody and songwriting kept him moving forward. Soon, he found a gig with former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and the legendary outfit UFO. And in 2010, after coupling up with Ray West and his cousin Rik De Luca, Spread Eagle retook flight. During a break from Spread Eagle's increasingly busy touring schedule, Rob De Luca dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. But only after adding, "I made a playlist of these songs, including some I've written or co-written. Do you hear any of these albums' influence on me?" Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWJuhDrE8JmzhsmTeIDUq 10) Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs (1993) Here's an entry that was so important to me. This may be the darkest break-up album of all time. Greg Dulli has been in many projects, but I feel Gentlemen is his zenith. Somewhat undefinable at times but always profound and honest. 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When my mother heard the content, she turned off the album and said I had to exchange it. My mom was cool, but I was young and knew much more about life than she suspected. Anyway, the next day, she drove me back to the store. In the music section, promoted on an "endcap" was a Kiss Alive! display. I had never heard of Kiss, but that cover picture told me I had to have it! My first foray into hard rock. Check out “Strutter.” I went through my Kiss phase very quickly, I believe in a matter of months because I discovered the previous entry, Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. 2) Honky Chateau by Elton John (1972) When I was a wee lad, my parents bought a used Volkswagen camper van from my uncle Ozzie. My favorite Elton John album is Yellow Brick Road, but Honky Chateau is great and easily one of his best. It sent me down a lifelong rabbit hole of loving everything about the 1970s partnership between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The simple beauty of voice, the master songwriting, the perfect backing band, the clear, unobtrusive recordings, and always Bernie's incredible lyrics. The day this album was released, Elton became an unstoppable force that conquered the music industry. Check out "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man." 1) Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) Another tape that was included in the VW Camper. The van had a bunch of music tapes, and one was Sgt Pepper. I was too young to understand the sophistication of the music, but that was one of the many skills of The Beatles. They attracted listeners at every level, even little kids. I still feel that immediate connection to Sgt Pepper; now, I hear so much more. It's an album that changed the world and the world of music. Check out "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds," "A Day In The Life," and "Fixing a Hole."](http://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Shutterstock_1815495569-1-300x200.jpg)
Can’t disagree with the contents of the list, just the order. Meet on the Ledge should be at number 1. It closes Cropredy every year as a sing-along that brings tears to my eyes every time.
‘Ledge’ a great one no doubt but Time Goes on top