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**Fairport Convention - Full House**
★★★★☆

By the time Fairport Convention entered Sound Techniques studio in early 1970 to record their fourth album, they'd already survived more tragedy and triumph than most bands endure in a lifetime. The previous year had been a brutal crucible: the devastating M1 motorway crash that claimed the life of drummer Martin Lamble and left the band physically and emotionally shattered, followed by the departure of vocalist Sandy Denny just as they were hitting their creative stride. Yet from this wreckage emerged Full House, an album that stands as perhaps the most ferocious and uncompromising statement of British folk-rock ever committed to vinyl.

The origins of Full House lie in the ashes of 1969's Liege & Lief, the album that essentially invented English folk-rock and established Fairport as the genre's undisputed pioneers. But with Denny gone to form Fotheringay and the band still reeling from the accident, many wondered if Fairport Convention could continue. The answer came in the form of Dave Mattacks behind the kit and a newfound determination to prove that their vision extended far beyond any single voice, no matter how golden.

What emerged was an album that stripped away the pastoral prettiness often associated with folk-rock and replaced it with something altogether more muscular and unforgiving. Full House is Fairport Convention unleashed, a band flexing their instrumental prowess with the confidence of seasoned session musicians and the fire of punk rockers avant la lettre. The absence of a lead vocalist – save for the occasional harmony or call-and-response – forced the band to communicate through pure musical telepathy, and the results are frequently breathtaking.

The album opens with "Walk Awhile," a Richard Thompson composition that immediately establishes the new dynamic. Thompson's guitar work here is nothing short of incendiary, weaving traditional melodies through a framework that owes as much to blues-rock as it does to Cecil Sharp's field recordings. The interplay between Thompson, bassist Dave Pegg, and fiddler Dave Swarbrick creates a conversation that's both ancient and thoroughly modern, like overhearing a discussion between medieval troubadours and rock gods in some interdimensional pub.

It's Swarbrick, however, who emerges as the album's secret weapon. His violin work on "Dirty Linen" transforms what could have been a straightforward folk instrumental into something approaching heavy metal, his bow attacking the strings with a violence that would make Jimmy Page weep with envy. The track builds to a crescendo that feels less like a folk dance and more like a call to arms.

The album's centerpiece, "Sloth," showcases the band's ability to stretch a single musical idea across nearly ten minutes without losing momentum or focus. Beginning as a gentle acoustic meditation, it gradually accumulates layers of instrumentation and intensity until it becomes something resembling a medieval war chant performed by electric warriors. It's here that Fairport's unique genius becomes most apparent – their ability to make centuries-old musical traditions sound not just relevant but urgent.

"Sir Patrick Spens" finds the band tackling one of the great traditional ballads, but their arrangement strips away any hint of drawing-room politeness. This is folk music with dirt under its fingernails and blood on its knuckles, a reminder that these old songs were born from real human drama and genuine emotion, not academic preservation societies.

The album's production, handled by the band themselves along with engineer John Wood, captures every nuance of their interplay while maintaining the raw energy of their live performances. There's a clarity here that allows each instrument to occupy its own space while contributing to the collective power of the whole.

Full House didn't achieve the commercial success of its predecessors, perhaps because it demanded more from listeners than the relatively accessible Liege & Lief. But time has been kind to this fierce, uncompromising statement. It's an album that influenced everyone from Led Zeppelin to Steeleye Span, proving that traditional music could be every bit as powerful and relevant as any contemporary form.

Today, Full House stands as a testament to Fairport Convention's resilience and vision. It's the sound of a band refusing to be defined by tragedy or limited by expectations, instead choosing to forge ahead into uncharted territory armed with nothing but their instruments and an unshakeable belief in the power of music to transcend any boundary. In an era when folk-rock too often means acoustic guitars and earnest whispers, Full House remains a thrilling reminder of just how