Full House - FAIRPORT CONVENTION****

Walk Awhile/Doctor Of Physick/Dirty Linen/Sloth/Sir Patrick Spens/Flatback Caper/Poor Will & The Jolly Hangman/Flowers Of The Forest

Full House was the first album release from Fairport Convention after the departure of vocalist Sandy Denny. The remaining members appear to have overcome this setback more than might have been expected. (UK:13)

"Recorded amidst chaos on the personnel front, Full House was erratic, but had its share of greatness. Following Sandy Denny's departure and finding themselves forced to shoulder the creative burden, Thompson and Swarbrick demonstrated that they had developed into a capable writing team. Highlights included the nifty Walk Awhile, the lyrically intriguing Sir Patrick Spens and the extended anti-war paean Sloth. Unfortunately several tracks sounded like Liege & Lief outtakes."

"In 1970, Fairport Convention lost a founding king (the remarkably talented Ashley Hutchings) and a lead singing queen (the transcendent Sandy Denny), so you can forgive most people for thinking they would just fold. But they still had their ace (Richard Thompson), went to the deck, and came up with Full House. This is a fantastic album. Where Liege & Lief kicked the door open, this one comes storming through. Superb singing and incredible playing."

"Although Liege & Lief gets all the accolades, for me Full House is the ultimate British folk rock album. Richard Thompson really comes into his own on this album as both a songwriter and guitarist. The duelling between his guitar and Dave Swarbrick's violin is superb. Sloth is just about the only nine minute song I never tire of. The more recent line-ups of Fairport lean more towards straight folk, but this particular ensemble really could rock."

"Full House was the fifth album by Fairport Convention but represented a significant new chapter in the group's history because for the first time it was without a female singer. At this point Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings had left the group and you would have thought that losing the premier folk singer of her generation would have been a fatal blow. Full House disproved that without much problem, as Fairport Convention continued to prove themselves as the premier folk-rock group in England. The new singers were Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick who wrote most of the songs. Along with Dave Pegg and Simon Nicol they do some nice harmonies, especially on the traditional songs. Granted, the vocals are a bit less, in terms of the leads, but the instrumentation is certainly superior with this incarnation of the group."