The Strawbs and Fairport Convention are conveniently linked by their past importance in modernizing the British folk scene (and their use, at different times, of Sandy Denny as lead singer). Both bands have been racked by extensive personnel changes—Fairport is now working with their ninth distinct line-up (no original members remaining) and only leader David Cousins goes back to his group's Strawberry Hill Boys era.

Changes in musical direction have naturally accompanied the personnel switches, and it now appears that the Strawbs have grown shaky while Fairport, after a two-year slump, has regained substantial musical strength.

The Strawbs moved from folkier days to a lush, stately and mellotron-dominated sound (perhaps best termed "melotraumatic"), with similarities to Yes (whose Rick Wakeman was a Strawb), King Crimson and the Moody Blues. They wrote more compelling songs than the former two and possessed more lyrical/musical substance than the latter. After earning some British hit singles, they developed an inclination toward hard rock (best displayed on the recent single "Lay Down" from Bursting at the Seams).

But the rock hasn't been effectively integrated with their other styles, and Hero And Heroine is accordingly unbalanced and irresolute. Guitarist Dave Lambert's rocker, "Just Love," jolts when following pastoral tunes like "Deep Summer's Sleep" and "The Winter Long." "Sad Young Man" tries to bridge the gap between them, and winds up dissatisfyingly piecemeal in the process. In addition, Cousins now lyricizes in murkily moralistic tracts, much less impressively than the allegorical epic narratives which have been his forte.

Nonetheless, Hero And Heroine is still a very listenable album, particularly for its normally over-pretentious and tedium-inducing genre. The title track may be a hopeful sign for the future, compressing a mythic tale into a bouncy rocker while still retaining some intriguingly folk-flavored dimensions.

Fairport Convention, in turn, began as a folk/rock/jug/pop eclectic-electric grab bag, then focused on traditional British folk balladry and dance music and have gradually moved toward combining that heritage with original material influenced by the same sources. Nine is an impressive reaffirmation of old skills with intriguing new developments, as well.

The opening notes of the traditional "Hexamshire Lass" serve as a fresh reminder of the potential impact of the rocked-up British folk genre which Fairport founded in 1968 and 1969—the hard-edged riffing stacks up with the top contemporary rock bands (listen to Steeleye Span's Parcel Of Rogues for further confirmation of the style's excitement). "Polly on the Shore," also traditional, features a fascinating melody line and more sterling instrumental work. Other high-lights include the lightning-paced Orient-tinged bluegrass instrumental "Tokyo," Jerry Donahue's exquisite closing guitar work on "To Althea from Prison" and the ominous anti-war original "Bring 'Em Down." Low points are scarce, but "Big William," the quasi-typical C&W workout "Pleasure And Pain" and the mandatory jig-and-reel outing pall in comparison to the stronger songs.

The closing, "Possibly Parsons Green," is illustrative of the new Fairport strength, melding Trevor Lucas's Gordon Lightfoot-like vocal, a country-sounding tune and exuberant rock riffing (occasionally reminiscent of ler," of all things) into one of the more strikingly diverse fusions in recent memory. Fairport is in healthy shape—even more so with the elegant vocals of Sandy Denny once again added to the roster (after the LPs release), and Nine is a consistently high-quality, expertly crafted record. (RS 159)

KEN BARNES