This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1971 Island Records UK release in gatefold sleeve, inner sleeve with lyrics, 8 page booklet, promotional poster and sticker; it is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl Babbacombe Lee was Fairport Conventions foray into the concept album so loved by groups in the 70s. Instead of looking at something fantastical or progressive, the group went back to the tale of John Babbacombe Lee, the man they couldnt hang: The gallows failed three times after he was convicted of the murder of Emma Keyse in Torquay in 1885. Dave Swarbrick found details of the trial in a junk shop, and the band worked up the story into an album. Released at the end of 1971 with ephemera from the day telling the story, Babbacombe Lee had episodes listed rather than tracks. It contained the most original material of a Fairport album to date, and was seen as taking folk-rock a huge step forward. Within weeks of the albums release both Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol left the group, leaving Swarbrick and bassist Dave Pegg to lead Fairport on through their next chapter. Today, Babbacombe Lee is one of the groups most enduring albums.
