Fairport Convention - Reynardine (1969)

Guitarist Simon Nicol and bassist Ashley Hutchings (male) first met in 1966 while playing in the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra in North London. They practiced together in Nicol’s father’s house, named “Fairport,” in the same part of town that The Kinks’ brothers, Ray Davies and Dave Davies, had grown up in. Soon uniting with Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater, the musicians borrowed the name of the home in which they practiced and called themselves the Fairport Convention. At their very first live performance, their drummer Frater was challenged by an audience member claiming to be able to do a better job. Martin Lamble, the accuser, permanently took Frater’s spot. With the addition of female vocalist Judy Dyble, the first solid incarnation of the band was formed. As mentioned in our previous post featuring this group, it would be unwise to try and list all the personnel changes over the coming years, as over twenty-five members’ names would need to be explained.

This song, which was released on the band’s 1969 Liege & Lief album, is a traditional English ballad. The song, dating back to before the 1800s, deals with a main character, Reynardine, who attracts beautiful women back to his castle. In 1904, a new version of the song was arranged that included a new aspect to Reynardine, the ability to transform himself into a fox. The 1904 version, now the most widely known, is commonly overlooked as a “new” version, as people generally believe, incorrectly, that the werefox aspect of Reynardine was a part of the original song. The album which this particular version of the song appears on, Liege & Lief, is disputed as one of the first in the English folk rock genre (not to be confused with the American folk rock genre started by bands such as The Byrds years prior).



Fairport Convention - Reynardine (1969)

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Lyrics:

One evening as I rambled among the leaves so green
I overheard a young woman converse with Reynardine

Her hair was black, her eyes were blue, her lips as red as wine
And he smiled to gaze upon her, did that sly, old Reynardine

She said, “Kind sir, be civil, my company forsake”
“For in my own opinion, I fear you are some rake”

“Oh, no,” he said, “no rake am I; brought up in Venus train”
“But I'm seeking for concealment all along the lonesome plain”

“Your beauty so enticed me, I could not pass it by”
“So it's with my gun I'll guard you along the mountains high”

“And if, by chance, you should look for me, perhaps you'll not me find”
“For I'll be in my castle; inquire for Reynardine”

Sun went dark, she followed him, his teeth did brightly shine
And he led her over the mountains, did that sly old Reynardine

Fairport Convention - Suzanne (1968)

Twenty-six people have been able to claim to be in this band; far too many to start listing. Some members have done work with Jethro Tull, Cat Stephens, and even Led Zeppelin. They’re widely regarded as launching the entire folk rock movement in England and still perform today.

This song, written and recorded by Leonard Cohen, has been covered by many artists. It’s said to be about the wife of a sculptor in Montreal, whom Cohen knew.



Fairport Convention – Suzanne (1968)

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Lyrics:

Suzanne takes you down to the place by the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night forever
But you know that she's half crazy
That's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you want to tell her
That you have no love to give her
She gets you on her wavelength
She lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you think that maybe you'll trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
He spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men shall be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think you'll maybe trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind

Suzanne takes you down to a place by the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night forever
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look
Amid the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
And they’re leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you think you'll maybe trust her
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind