'BABBACOMBE' LEE

After several albums hit by lineup shifts, "Babbacombe" Lee came amidst a period of comparative stability for Fairport Convention, with the same four members recording this as had put together Angel Delight. Whilst the previous lineup had seen them not progressing their music that much, bar for gaining a little more confidence as vocalists, this finds them recovering their ambition, undertaking their first narrative concept album.

There's a touch more rock in their folk-rock formula this time around (usually it leans much more towards folk), perhaps as a consequence of them taking a deliberate "rock opera" approach, and by and large the band do a good job of putting together the compelling narrative of "the man they couldn't hang", with solid original material and well-chosen traditional songs putting together the narrative.

Consisting of five clutches of songs - one for John's boyhood, one for his naval days and him finding employment as a household servant, one to cover the discovery of the murder for which he was accused, one for his trial and imprisonment, and one to tell the tale of how his failed execution led to his sentence being commuted to life - the album reveals that despite any fears to the contrary, Fairport Convention still had something to contribute in the world of British folk rock in the early 1970s, despite acts like Steeleye Span having largely gained more momentum.