Sandy Denny Sandy CD - Import

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.

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.

Sandy Denny's second solo album from 1972 has been digitally remastered with five bonus tracks and sleevenotes.

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