With an approach strongly influenced by
Jefferson Airplane's first two albums, as opposed to the electric traditional folk for which the group later became famous, the debut album features songs by
Emitt Rhodes,
Joni Mitchell and
Jim & Jean, adaptations of poems by
George Painter and
Bob Dylan, and some original material.
This is the only Fairport Convention studio album on which
Judy Dyble sings. She left in 1968 and was replaced by
Sandy Denny but during her short time with the band she made an impression. A later article commented on her on-stage habit of knitting dishcloths and scarves when not actually singing.[4]
The album should not be confused with the A&M Records' Fairport Convention, the USA release/re-titling of their second UK album, What We Did on Our Holidays. The first album, listed as a product of Polydor-England, was finally released in the U.S. on
Cotillion Records in 1970.