--- product_id: 21632020 title: "Liege & Lief" price: "NT$1294" currency: TWD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.tw/products/21632020-liege-and-lief store_origin: TW region: Taiwan --- # Liege & Lief **Price:** NT$1294 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Liege & Lief - **How much does it cost?** NT$1294 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tw](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/21632020-liege-and-lief) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description No Description Available. Genre: Popular Music Media Format: Compact Disk Rating: Release Date: 7-NOV-1988 British hippies who started out emulating Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention escalated their homeland connections with each outing, culminating in this, their fourth album and a watershed for British folk-rock. Hindsight offers the ironic possibility that the Dylan covers of its predecessor, Unhalfbricking , opened a window onto the earlier Irish-English-Scots roots of the American music they loved, and Liege & Lief jumps through that window triumphantly. "Come All Ye" underscores their affinity for the Band yet is joyfully rooted in their own fertile folk traditions, echoed in a mix of classic songs from members Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, and Richard Thompson, and given direct homage in the extended ballads "Matty Groves" and "Tam Lin," which evoke Neil Young & Crazy Horse in kilts. Fiddler Dave Swarbrick's arrival as a fulltime member adds new richness and a wonderful foil for Thompson's superb guitar leads. A medley of jigs and reels showcases their flair for hot-wiring traditional British Isles dances, a fixture ever since. --Sam Sutherland Review: How the Hell?!? - In one year, 1969, Fairport Convention released three (!) great albums. This one changed R&R in the U.K. Though never achieving more than cult status in the States, those of us who ran into Fairport's music were duly impressed. And why not? Richard Thompson, acknowledged as one of the most brilliant & sustained artists of the 1970's right up through today (over 45 years!) was the lead guitarist as well one of the principal songwriters. Ashley Hutchings, a figure of substantial importance in the development of British folk-rock was the bass player. An artist of considerable talent, Ian Matthews was one of the lead singers through part of the year and one album (plus Percy's Song on Unhalfbricking). The drummer, Martin Lamble, died in a tragic accident and on Liege was replaced by Dave Mattacks, a drummer of immense talent & reputation. Simon Nicol was not yet the pretty darn decent folk singer he is today, but you can hear the value of having a rhythm guitarist a creative and talented lead can trust. Dave Swarbrick joined full-time by Liege. Swarb is a controversial figure in Fairport history. Because he seems to have little grounding in R&R, I'm amongst those Fairport fans who have always been iffy about him. But on Liege as well as his playing on Unhalfbricking's A Sailor's Life he was not singing, and there is no question about the Folk cred he carried. Fine and dandy. With a change or two (incl. Dave Pegg coming in to boost the physical power of the bass playing), an RT fronted Fairport could produce 1970's excellent Full House album. But the 1969 trilogy was special then and remains so because of Sandy Denny. I know the "first lady of folk" thing, but mere talk or writing fails to do her justice. For these three 1969 albums her star shone bright indeed. Her voice set to this music was incredible. Powerful, transfixing, ethereal are words that come to mind. For the three albums capped by Liege she was literally perfect. Really, I am not exaggerating. Her talent burn so bright during that year and on those three albums, and was really never repeated. Though Fotheringay definitely had potential as a band, just look at the musicians, her voice was never quite the same after Liege. And while Sandy wrote a number of memorable songs that deserve the Nick Drake rediscovery process, she could not fill an album with consistent, quality compositions. I believe it was in 1970 that Fotheringay toured a bit with a very young Elton John opening. The reviews were interesting, but also sad. One reviewer noted how this Elton John guy sounded like an artist going up, while Sandy and Fotheringay were at best treading water. But, oh what might have been! What if she stayed with a Fairport Convention containing RT and a Swarb whose vocals were limited to maybe one song per album? I would love to have heard a Full House that included Sandy's influence and presence. Three such superlative albums in a single year, capped by Liege? Yeah, and any music lover needs to get them all. And while you're at it spring for the 180 gram releases! Review: A classic folk album reissued with great results - A classic folk album that sounds even better with this 180 Gram vinyl reissue. I have an original copy from 1969, but this version surpasses it with superior sound quality and detail. Highly recommend! ## Images ![Liege & Lief - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31q3cu3AYJL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How the Hell?!? *by S***R on January 26, 2016* In one year, 1969, Fairport Convention released three (!) great albums. This one changed R&R in the U.K. Though never achieving more than cult status in the States, those of us who ran into Fairport's music were duly impressed. And why not? Richard Thompson, acknowledged as one of the most brilliant & sustained artists of the 1970's right up through today (over 45 years!) was the lead guitarist as well one of the principal songwriters. Ashley Hutchings, a figure of substantial importance in the development of British folk-rock was the bass player. An artist of considerable talent, Ian Matthews was one of the lead singers through part of the year and one album (plus Percy's Song on Unhalfbricking). The drummer, Martin Lamble, died in a tragic accident and on Liege was replaced by Dave Mattacks, a drummer of immense talent & reputation. Simon Nicol was not yet the pretty darn decent folk singer he is today, but you can hear the value of having a rhythm guitarist a creative and talented lead can trust. Dave Swarbrick joined full-time by Liege. Swarb is a controversial figure in Fairport history. Because he seems to have little grounding in R&R, I'm amongst those Fairport fans who have always been iffy about him. But on Liege as well as his playing on Unhalfbricking's A Sailor's Life he was not singing, and there is no question about the Folk cred he carried. Fine and dandy. With a change or two (incl. Dave Pegg coming in to boost the physical power of the bass playing), an RT fronted Fairport could produce 1970's excellent Full House album. But the 1969 trilogy was special then and remains so because of Sandy Denny. I know the "first lady of folk" thing, but mere talk or writing fails to do her justice. For these three 1969 albums her star shone bright indeed. Her voice set to this music was incredible. Powerful, transfixing, ethereal are words that come to mind. For the three albums capped by Liege she was literally perfect. Really, I am not exaggerating. Her talent burn so bright during that year and on those three albums, and was really never repeated. Though Fotheringay definitely had potential as a band, just look at the musicians, her voice was never quite the same after Liege. And while Sandy wrote a number of memorable songs that deserve the Nick Drake rediscovery process, she could not fill an album with consistent, quality compositions. I believe it was in 1970 that Fotheringay toured a bit with a very young Elton John opening. The reviews were interesting, but also sad. One reviewer noted how this Elton John guy sounded like an artist going up, while Sandy and Fotheringay were at best treading water. But, oh what might have been! What if she stayed with a Fairport Convention containing RT and a Swarb whose vocals were limited to maybe one song per album? I would love to have heard a Full House that included Sandy's influence and presence. Three such superlative albums in a single year, capped by Liege? Yeah, and any music lover needs to get them all. And while you're at it spring for the 180 gram releases! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A classic folk album reissued with great results *by J***N on November 13, 2025* A classic folk album that sounds even better with this 180 Gram vinyl reissue. I have an original copy from 1969, but this version surpasses it with superior sound quality and detail. Highly recommend! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fairport were great admirers of The Byrds *by J***E on July 27, 2014* I bought this record on vinyl back in 1974. It is still on my play list. You can't say enough about this record. It's simply a masterpiece. It defines the electric British folk genre the way that the Byrds' Turn Turn Turn defines the US electric folk, except moreso. Fairport were great admirers of The Byrds, by the way. This album is their coming out following a tragic auto accident which killed one of the members, as well as Richard Thompson's girlfriend. Rarely have three more talented musicians than Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick ever been assembled in a single band. The result speaks for itself. Not for nothing was Liege & Lief voted the best British folk rock album of all time. It opens with Sandy Denny's exuberant Come All Ye. Then, the very traditional Reynardine, which takes some getting used to, but Thompson's subtle guitar work is masterful and Denny's vocals pure and emotive. You can overlook Swarbrick's fiddle, but don't. The English traditional Matty Groves is the high point on the record. Thompson's distinctive off-the-melody staccato lead is brilliant, mature guitar playing. He was barely out of his teens. After about 38 years, I figured out that Matty Groves and the American tune, Shady Grove, are the same song. The side closes with the haunting and beautiful Crazy Man Michael. Side two opens with the ironic Victorian tune The Deserter, then Swarbrick shows off his virtuosity in a traditional jig and reel medley. Tam Lim is a traditional Irish tune with fairies and virgins and spells and no one could do it better than Sandy Denny. Just off the chart. The record closes with one of her most beautiful songs, Farewell. It was actually farewell for her. She left the band to pursue her solo career. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tw/products/21632020-liege-and-lief](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/21632020-liege-and-lief) --- *Product available on Desertcart Taiwan* *Store origin: TW* *Last updated: 2026-04-24*