Fairport Convention

Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

Song Review by Matthew Greenwald

Not only one of the greatest moments in the Fairport Convention catalouge, " Who Knows Where The Time Goes" is also one of the great British folk-pop ballads of the later half of the 20th Century. Filled with a gentle melancholy, the song's lyrics seem to accurately describe the feeling of the need for freedom and expression which was so much a part of the 60's ethos. A straightforward romantic statement masks this, and in this sense, the songs' duality is beguiling. Melodically, the song matches the subtlety of the lyrics perfectly, with a vaguely country-infused electric guitar from Richard Thompson, which echoes the twilight agenda that is the basis for Sandy Denny's poetry. The song may be better known by Judy Collins beautiful, faithful version from her exquisite 1968 album of the same name. The original version is now available on Universal's 2002 20th Century Masters collection.

Appears On

Year	Artist/Album	Label	Time
1969	Fairport Convention What We Did on Our Holidays	Water Music Records	0:00
1969	Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking	Water Music Records	5:08
1972	Fairport Convention History of Fairport Convention	Polygram	5:12
1975	Fairport Convention Rising for the Moon	Island / Sammel-Label	0:00
1991	Various Artists Circle Dance: The Hokey Pokey Charity Compilation	Green Linnet	6:36
1997	Fairport Convention Who Knows Where the Time Goes?	Green Linnet	6:33
1998	Various Artists Island 40, Vol. 3: 1968-1975 -- Acoustic Waves	Island
1999	Fairport Convention Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years 1967-1975	A&M	5:10
2000	Fairport Convention Wishfulness Waltz	Mooncrest Records	6:33
2000	Sandy Denny No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology	A&M	5:10
2002	Fairport Convention 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of Fairport Convention	A&M / Universal Distribution	5:09
2002	Fairport Convention Fairport Unconventional	Free Reed Records	4:15
2004	Fairport Convention Across the Decades	Recall (UK)	6:29
2005	Fairport Convention Who Knows?: 1975 The Woodworm Archives Series, Vol. 1	Talking Elephant	6:53
2005	Fairport Convention Chronicles [2CD]	Universal Distribution	5:07
2005	Fairport Convention The Lasting Spirit: The Collection	Castle Music Ltd.	6:32
2008	Fairport Convention Gold	Universal Distribution	5:07
2008	Sandy Denny The Music Weaver: Sandy Denny Remembered	Island	5:08
2008	Fairport Convention The Best of the BBC Recordings	Island / Universal	4:14
2009	Various Artists Folk Routes [Decca]	Decca	5:07
2011	Sandy Denny / Fairport Convention Ebbets Field 1974	Independent Records Inc. / It's About Music / Renaissance Records	6:40
2014	Various Artists The Only Folk Collection You'll Ever Need	Shout! Factory	5:09
2017	Fairport Convention Who Knows Where the Time Goes? The Essential Fairport Convention	Spectrum Music	5:10
2017	Fairport Convention Come All Ye: The First Ten Years	A&M / Universal	6:54
	Various Artists '60s Summer of Love [UMOD]	UMOD / Universal	5:08
	Original Soundtrack Grace & Frankie	Lakeshore Records	5:07

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Fairport Convention

Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

Song Review by Matthew Greenwald

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