Fairport fans have been well-served with box sets, reissues and books during the past decade, so much so that the arrival of this new chronicle seems at first glance redundant. That is until you realise that as well as the main narrative surrounding 51 years of 'The English Grateful Dead', that the book also tackles Fairport’s internecine off-shoots and myriad side projects; quite some task when you consider that by 1970, four of its original members had already left and dropped six albums between them that year alone. Clinton Heylin leaves no stone unturned in pulling together these mulitfarious strands, following the ever-evolving, shape-shifting Fairport through its highs and lows until the early 80s.
