Sandy Denny

Just saw a documentary on Fairport Convention last night and it has inspired me to learn more about Sandy Denny.

Despite her sadly brief and troubled life, Sandy did manage to leave quite a body of work behind.

Is there one particular album that anyone could recommended as being her "best" work regardless of it being from her Strawbs, F.C. or her solo era??

 

I'd be happy to help you out.

Her strongest album as a writer is "Like an old fashioned waltz" but don't forget to get the deluxe edition with a number of absolutely essential alternate solo versions that have dated far better than the arrangements on the original release.

As a singer she was at her absolute peak on the latter two of the three 1969 Fairport albums. When push comes to shove, I'd choose 'Unhalfbricking'.

 

The North Star Grassman And The Ravens is her best album - although I'd recommend skipping "Down In The Flood" and "Let's Jump The Broomstick". If you like Dylan (I don't) maybe the former will be OK by you; the latter is a mere time filler. Both disrupt the mood of a highly autumnal, thoughtful album. Whilst there's worth in all her solo albums (and the Fairport ones, and Fotheringey), this album is, to my mind, the one.

 

I did the same thing last night. I've been a fan for a long time. She has some nice solo stuff.

Check out "3:10 to Yuma"

 

For me too it's a superb album with the huge advantage that it's the solo album of hers with the greatest musical contribution by Richard Thompson. Like you mention though it has those two tracks which are clearly weaker than the others.

 

My personal favourite is Like An Old Fashioned Waltz, one of her solo albums. But there's several other albums I'd also recommend:
Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief
Fotheringay - Fotheringay
Sandy Denny - Sandy

If you like these 5 you'll probably end up getting the rest of her music as well.

 

If you feel you need to get a good feeling for her development as an artist you could hardly do better than the compilation album "I've always kept a unicorn: The acoustic Sandy Denny'
Then you need to hear her two prime prog-folk concept pieces 'Man of Iron' an outtake from the 1972 'Sandy' album and 'All These Days' released in 1977 on 'Rendezvous'; those are not on that compilation unfortunately.

 

It is problematic as all of her solo albums are patchy to a greater or lesser extent. I agree that the best of them is North Star Grassman & the Ravens. I would also recommend the Fotheringay album. For Fairport, Liege & Lief probably just edges it, though her takes on Percy's Song & I'll Keep It With Mine from Unhalfbricking are also indispensable, not to mention the extraordinary A Sailor's Life. Possibly her finest song (aside from Who Knows Where The Time Goes) is One More Chance from the otherwise sub par Rising From The Moon.

I wouldn't normally recommend compilations but with Sandy it somehow feels like the best place to start to get a consistent view of her work. The Island release, The Best of Sandy Denny from the mid 90s is an excellent overview and covers most of the above bases.

 

I'd say her best is either her first or second solo album.

A good start is the 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' box set.

 

No More Sad Refrains is a great 2 disc compilation, and there are several boxes worth seeking out if you really get the bug.

 

You’ve said it for me.

 

The arrangements she and Trevor Lucas worked on on her solo albums are the cause of the patchiness in my opinion (although she chose to cover songs that can only be described as clunkers half the time). Strip away all of that orchestral twaddle and Lucas guitar showboating and the beauty of her writing shines through. That's why the solo outtakes and alternate takes are so vital even for a newbie.

 

Thanks. Except I said it wrong. It should be Rising For The Moon of course.

 

I agree with this assessment and recommend the North Star LP. Additionally, if you are digging on Sandy seeing the below footage is a must.

 

Another vote for North Star, stands out to me as her best work.

 

I think RFTM actually works very well if you skip anything with a Trevor Lucas lead vocal. Yes, I even quite like "Night Time Girl", amazingly enough. But for me "Stranger To Himself" is Sandy's other peak song from that album.

 

Yes that footage from the Beat club shows just how talented she was. The who knows where the time goes box set released on Island is fabulous sounding on Vinyl if vinyl floats your boat.

This footage is wonderful to and you can’t go wrong with the North Star album.

 

“The Battle of Evermore” is a great jumping-off point—these are perhaps her most accomplished sidemen.

The Strawbs’ All Our Own Work is also fantastic. Nothing else will do, babe, indeed!

 

Here's a link to deluxe version of Like an old-fashioned waltz I mentioned:

https://www.amazon.com/Like-Old-Fashioned-Waltz-Deluxe/dp/B01EOALD9S
Disc 2 has 70% of the highlights.

 

If you are a cover song guy, start with the BBC collection Heyday. It has some Judy Dyble stuff, but it has some great cover songs and some winning Sandy originals, like Autopsy.

 

Nice thread. I'm a huge Richard Thompson fan and I've been meaning to dive into the Fairport era as well as Sandy Denny. You can tell Thompson has a great affection and appreciation for her. It shines thru whenever he speaks about her or sings Who Knows Where the Time Goes.

 

"Sandy" from 1972 is a desert-island disc for me. I'd recommend that one, along with "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens".

All three of the studio albums she did with Fairport in 1969 are essential too.. as is the Fotheringay album from 1970.

 

Sandy is a riddle to me. I have most of her studio LP'S and Fairport stuff and I like it but there's a sadness and a sameness to her singing. I almost want to say if you've heard one of her songs you've heard them all. I don't mean that in a disparaging way because there's a real beauty and humanity in her voice. I need to delve deeper into her discography but it makes me so sad to know of her life that I almost would rather avoid any more. I feel really odd about Sandy Denny... like trying to grasp a handful of the wind.

 

There's a BBC live compilation that's easy to track down.
I prefer her live performances often over the studio versions of the songs.

 

Some of the compilation albums are good intros: 20th Century Masters or The Best of Sandy Denny are brief and lovely. Listen, Listen is a quirkier selection. No More Refrains is comprehensive and a keeper. All, I believe, can be streamed.