Fairport Convention was formed in 1967 in the London Borough of Haringey. The band initially played a style of folk rock with American influences, blending blues, country and Cajun. On their third album, Unhalfbricking (a play on words), the group moved further away from their American influences and turned towards a more traditional British folk sound. It was recorded between January and April 1969 at Sound Techniques, London and released in early July 1969 on Island Records. At the time of recording, the band consisted of Sandy Denny (voc, hps), Richard Thompson (g, dulc, acc, org, voc), Simon Nicol (g, dulc, voc), Ashley Hutchings (b, voc) und Martin Lamble (dr). Previous lead singer Ian Matthews left the group and Sandy Denny took over the lead vocals. The album, co-produced by the band and Joe Boyd with support from Dave Swarbrick (vl, mand), still contains some nods to American folk – notably through three Bob Dylan cover versions – but is sonically more oriented towards traditional English folk music.

It is noteworthy that the cover features neither the album title nor the band name, but instead an unusual photograph showing Sandy Denny’s parents standing in front of their house, while the band is visible in the background, seen through the garden fence having tea. The integration of rock music elements, thanks to Richard Thompson’s brilliant electric guitar passages, was decisive to the revolutionary sound of this album at the time, which is now regarded as a milestone in the development of progressive folk rock.