MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: A TREE WITH ROOTS - FAIRPORT CONVENTION & FRIENDS - THE SONGS OF BOB DYLAN

When it comes to artists associated with Dylan covers, the ones that spring to mind are Joan Baez, The Byrds, The Band of course, Jimi Hendrix, and then lots and lots of hits such as Manfred Mann's The Might Quinn. But England's Fairport Convention had one of the most successful runs with Dylan songs, starting at the group's formation in 1967, and continuing to this day with the latest incarnations of the band. The group were one of the lucky ones to hear the first copy of the soon-to-be-infamous Basement Tapes songs as publisher's demos, and allowed to pick a couple of these unreleased gems to record.

Seventeen Dylan covers have been included here, 70-some minutes worth, from various Fairport ensembles in the '60's and '70's. These come from their albums, some live shows, and rare BBC recordings. Earliest ones feature the original group singer, Judy Dyble, including a John Peel BBC recording of Lay Down Your Weary Tune. The more famous Sandy Denny then took over the mic, and she famously loved Dylan. There are a host of tracks here, from her first group appearances, including another Peel session featuring the unreleased Dylan gem Percy's Tune, which he didn't put out until the Biograph set in 1985. Denny and group are able to highlight the traditional English folk sound that Dylan often leaned on, those old melodies and themes they shared. Denny is heard right up until her final show in 1977, just before her death which included a version of Tomorrow Is A Long Time found here.

Then there's the surprising and only hit single the group had, 1969's Si Tu Dois Partir, which was If You Gotta Go, Go Now sung in French. Richard Thompson thought it would make a cool Cajun song. After Thompson and Denny's departure, other Fairport leaders took on the Dylan mantle, including Trevor Lucas, who sings a fine live version of Days Of '49 here from 1973, and at the same gig Denny returned to guest on Down In The Flood, which rocks just as much as the Dylan/Band version. Any Dylan fan will appreciate getting all these fine covers under one roof, and Fairport fans will already know this is some of the very best work the group recorded over the years.