Sandy [Remaster]

Performer: Sandy Denny
Artist: Fairport Convention; Fotheringay
Engineer: John Wood
Producer: Trevor Lucas
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Includes liner notes by John Tobler. Personnel: Sandy Denny (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); Richard Thompson (guitar, mandolin); Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar); Dave Swarbrick (violin); John "Rabbit" Bundrick (piano, organ); Pat Donaldson (bass guitar); Timi Donald (drums); Linda Peter (background vocals). One of singer Sandy Denny's finest post-Fairport Convention outings, 1972's SANDY finds the beloved U.K. folk singer backed by top-tier musicians, including Fairport peers Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick, as well as renowned pedal-steel guitarist "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow. "It'll Take a Long Time" opens the album in a beautifully sleepy manner, allowing Denny's emotive voice to shine, while her cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" veers down a country road, with Kleinow's plaintive guitar lines setting the mood. Although Denny remains best known for her work with Fairport Convention (and, of course, her vocals on Led Zep's "The Battle of Evermore"), this disc is on par with many of her best moments with any ensemble. Sandy Denny's second post-Fairport solo offering, produced by then-future husband Trevor Lucas, is a beautiful blend of the traditional style with which she is most often associated and a slightly more lavish sound that would become more prevalent in her later work. Lucas does an excellent job of balancing the two and creates an exquisite backdrop for Denny's gorgeous songs and majestic voice. Nearly every track has the radiance and timelessness of her best Fairport work, along with an accessibility she had merely hinted at prior to this. "Listen, Listen," with its soaring chorus and bed of strings and mandolin, the lovely "The Lady," and the layered a cappella vocal arrangement of Richard Fari�a's "Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" (featuring Dave Swarbrick's haunting solo violin coda) are perfect examples of Denny's enormous talents, and only a few of the many pleasures found here. Touches such as lush strings, Allen Toussaint's horn arrangement on "For Nobody to Hear," Sneaky Pete Kleinow's steel guitar and former Fairport partner Richard Thompson's guitars and mandolin bring out the many dimensions in Denny's music without obscuring it. Sandy also boasts her best collection of original material, as well as terrific covers of Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," featuring Linda Thompson Peters on backing vocals, and the aforementioned "Quiet Joys of Brotherhood." If you're simply looking for a quick introduction to a wonderful songwriter and one of the finest voices in popular music, go for the single-disc best-of collection, but if you would like to hear Sandy Denny's definitive (solo) musical statement, search out Sandy. ~ Brett Hartenbach The Best of Sandy Denny is a fine 16-track collection that has an excellent cross-section of her best solo recordings, including "Listen, Listen," "One Way Donkey Ride," "It'll Take a Long Time," "Farewell, Farewell," "Late November," "Solo," "Sea," "For Shame of Doing Wrong," "Stranger to Himself," "I'm a Dreamer" and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Sandy Denny's second post-Fairport solo offering, produced by then-future husband Trevor Lucas, is a beautiful blend of the traditional style with which she is most often associated and a slightly more lavish sound that would become more prevalent in her later work. Lucas does an excellent job of balancing the two and creates an exquisite backdrop for Denny's gorgeous songs and majestic voice. Nearly every track has the radiance and timelessness of her best Fairport work, along with an accessibility she had merely hinted at prior to this. "Listen, Listen," with its soaring chorus and bed of strings and mandolin, the lovely "The Lady," and the layered a cappella vocal arrangement of Richard Fari�a's "Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" (featuring Dave Swarbrick's haunting solo violin coda) are perfect examples of Denny's enormous talents, and only a few of the many pleasures found here. Touches such as lush strings, Allen Toussaint's horn arrangement on "For Nobody to Hear," Sneaky Pete Kleinow's steel guitar and former Fairport partner Richard Thompson's guitars and mandolin bring out the many dimensions in Denny's music without obscuring it. Sandy also boasts her best collection of original material, as well as terrific covers of Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," featuring Linda Thompson Peters on backing vocals, and the aforementioned "Quiet Joys of Brotherhood." If you're simply looking for a quick introduction to a wonderful songwriter and one of the finest voices in popular music, go for the single-disc best-of collection, but if you would like to hear Sandy Denny's definitive (solo) musical statement, search out Sandy. ~ Brett Hartenbach Denny's first sessions, originally recorded in 1967, are her most traditional effort. Backed only by her own acoustic guitar, Denny's voice is assured, pure, and powerful on her debut. The album features traditional folk staples like "This Train," "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor," and "Pretty Polly," as well as covers of Tom Paxton's "Ramblin' Boy" and "Milk And Honey." There are also a couple of songs by the obscure American songwriter Jackson Frank, one of which she would soon perform with Fairport Convention ("You Never Wanted Me"). Although this has little of the folk-rock cross-pollination that Denny would soon master with Fairport and others, it is still an impressive collection that shows her voice in as haunting and commanding form as her more renowned recordings. ~ Richie Unterberger These 16 songs offer the briefest possible introduction to this remarkable singer and songwriter. THE BEST OF SANDY DENNY was compiled by Joe Boyd (who produced most of her recordings), and husband Trevor Lucas. The tracks are culled from the four solo albums that were released during her lifetime, three Fairport Convention releases, and work from the short-lived band Fotheringay, in which Lucas was a member. The tracks run the gamut from orchestral splendor ("The Lady") to British folk-rock ("Tam Lin"). There are two songs by Richard Thompson (including a remarkable rendition of "For Shame of Doing Wrong"), but the bulk of the material was written by Denny herself. Denny possessed one of the most spiritually captivating voices of her era and wrote some bona fide classic songs. The set closes with one of her very finest and most beloved numbers, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes." Sandy Denny recorded this, her first album in 1967, a year before joining Fairport Convention. THE ORIGINAL SANDY DENNY is more influenced by American folk music than her subsequent albums were. The instrumental lineup here is quite spare--there are just one or two acoustic guitars and Denny's remarkable voice. Both Tom Paxton, and Jackson Frank contribute a pair of songs to the collection. The latter was an American singer and songwriter with whom Denny was romantically involved. It was Frank who helped introduce the then 20-year-old singer to an assortment of American writers and folksingers at the London folk clubs where she performed and the coffeehouses that she frequented. Her version of "Pretty Polly" showcases her voice as she breaks out of melodic lines with heart-stopping swoops. Denny was a powerful and spiritually evocative singer, who in the year that these songs were recorded, briefly joined the Strawbs, before moving on to Fairport and wide acclaim. Hearing her singing here, it's no wonder she moved forward so assuredly and swiftly.

Uncut (p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[B]alanced between trad-folk and impassioned Denny originals..."

British vocalist Sandy Denny had a brief stint with the Strawbs, but first came to prominence in the late '60s as the frontwoman for pioneering UK folk-rockers Fairport Convention. Her controlled, crystal-clear voice was never short of riveting, with an undeniable spiritual bearing. Denny's own songs draw from her British heritage as well as American folk and rock. After departing Fairport Convention, she formed the similar-sounding Fotheringay, which released one album before Denny embarked on a rewarding solo career. Sadly, she died at the tender age of 31 in a tragic accident, leaving a marvelous musical legacy behind.

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