Given the number of books that have been written about the various members of Fairport Convention and the band itself, you might be forgiven for thinking that there’s very little left to say about them; but you’d be wrong, as Clinton Heylin’s excellent new book What We Did Instead of Holidays shows. What makes this different from other histories of Fairport Convention and its many members is that Heylin’s book sets out to chart what happened with the various founder members, and members of the early band line ups, when they went their separate ways. This is an excellent history of a band and its members that did much to craft a uniquely British sound in rock music. I would recommend it to any serious student of contemporary music. It’s also a thoroughly entertaining read.
