Sandy (Sandy Denny album)
Encyclopedia
Sandy is the second solo album by Sandy Denny
, and is generally considered to be her best. The album was released in 1972 and begun just a fortnight after her UK tour promoting her debut solo album The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
ended in early November 1971.
The first song recorded for the album was The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, a Richard Farina
lyric Denny had set to a traditional Irish melody My Lagan Love
her ambitious multi tracked vocal arrangement having been inspired by the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic. Demo sessions continued at the recently constructed Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, the first studio owned by Richard Branson
's Virgin label. It was here that Denny recorded together with contemporaries a one-off project called The Bunch a collection of rock and roll
era standards released under the title of Rock On
. That collection marked Trevor Lucas
's debut as a producer for Island Records
and he took the helm on Sandy; the album was once again engineered by John Wood
. The Manor sessions resulted in rough versions of Sweet Rosemary, The Lady, The Music Weaver, Listen Listen, For Nobody to Hear and Bushes and Briars. A further two tracks were begun but not finished: a cover version of fellow folk singer Anne Briggs
's Go Your Own Way My Love and another Denny original After Halloween which was reworked three years later for Fairport Convention
's Rising for the Moon
album.
All of the albums songs were finished at Sound Techniques and Island studios in about 5 sessions between the end of April and late May where string arrangements by Harry Robinson were also added. Two further Denny compositions were recorded It Suits Me Well and It'll Take A Long Time and a cover version; (the by now ubiquitous Bob Dylan
cover) of Tomorrow Is a Long Time
completed the LP.. Allen Toussaint
’s brass arrangement on For Nobody To Hear was recorded at Deep South Studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The guest musicians include Fairport Convention
colleagues Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick
, as well as Sneaky Pete Kleinow
(of Flying Burrito Brothers fame) on steel guitar and friend and fellow singer Linda Thompson
on backing vocals.
The album was originally issued in a gatefold
sleeve featuring on its front a photograph by David Bailey, that came to define Denny's public image. The gatefold
of the Lp opened to show the song lyrics handwritten by Denny herself and bordered by garlands of flowers drawn by Trevor Lucas
's sister the illustrator Marion Appelton. The back cover featured the tracklisting and credits. Radio One DJ Tony Blackburn
picked the albums lead single Listen, Listen as his single of the week in September 1972.
The remastered and reissued version included five bonus tracks:
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
, and is generally considered to be her best. The album was released in 1972 and begun just a fortnight after her UK tour promoting her debut solo album The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is a 1971 album by English folk rock singer-songwriter Sandy Denny. Built mostly around her own compositions, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is distinguished by its elusive lyrics and unexpected harmonies.-Chronology:Denny became a solo artist because...
ended in early November 1971.
The first song recorded for the album was The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, a Richard Farina
Richard Fariña
Richard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
lyric Denny had set to a traditional Irish melody My Lagan Love
My Lagan Love
"My Lagan Love" is a song to a traditional Irish air collected in 1903 in northern Donegal.The English lyrics have been credited to Joseph Campbell . Campbell was a Belfast man whose grand-parents came from the Irish-speaking area of Flurrybridge, South Armagh. He started collecting songs in County...
her ambitious multi tracked vocal arrangement having been inspired by the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic. Demo sessions continued at the recently constructed Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, the first studio owned by Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's Virgin label. It was here that Denny recorded together with contemporaries a one-off project called The Bunch a collection of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
era standards released under the title of Rock On
Rock On (The Bunch album)
Rock On is a 1972 one-off album of oldies covers by the Bunch, a group of English folk rock singers and musicians. The Bunch got together in late 1971 to record their one and only album, Rock On...
. That collection marked Trevor Lucas
Trevor Lucas
Trevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
's debut as a producer for Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and he took the helm on Sandy; the album was once again engineered by John Wood
John Wood (music producer)
John Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Nico and Squeeze.-Career:...
. The Manor sessions resulted in rough versions of Sweet Rosemary, The Lady, The Music Weaver, Listen Listen, For Nobody to Hear and Bushes and Briars. A further two tracks were begun but not finished: a cover version of fellow folk singer Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
's Go Your Own Way My Love and another Denny original After Halloween which was reworked three years later for Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
's Rising for the Moon
Rising for the Moon
Rising for the Moon is a Fairport Convention album. It reached number 52 in the UK albums charts. This was the last Fairport album to feature Sandy Denny....
album.
All of the albums songs were finished at Sound Techniques and Island studios in about 5 sessions between the end of April and late May where string arrangements by Harry Robinson were also added. Two further Denny compositions were recorded It Suits Me Well and It'll Take A Long Time and a cover version; (the by now ubiquitous Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
cover) of Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Tomorrow Is a Long Time
"Tomorrow Is a Long Time" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Dylan's version first appeared on the Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume II compilation, released in 1971...
completed the LP.. Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
’s brass arrangement on For Nobody To Hear was recorded at Deep South Studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The guest musicians include Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
colleagues Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
, as well as Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
(of Flying Burrito Brothers fame) on steel guitar and friend and fellow singer Linda Thompson
Linda Thompson (singer)
Linda Thompson is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock musician, guitarist Richard...
on backing vocals.
The album was originally issued in a gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
sleeve featuring on its front a photograph by David Bailey, that came to define Denny's public image. The gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
of the Lp opened to show the song lyrics handwritten by Denny herself and bordered by garlands of flowers drawn by Trevor Lucas
Trevor Lucas
Trevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
's sister the illustrator Marion Appelton. The back cover featured the tracklisting and credits. Radio One DJ Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
picked the albums lead single Listen, Listen as his single of the week in September 1972.
Track listing
All tracks credited to Sandy Denny unless otherwise stated- "It'll Take a Long Time" - 5:13
- "Sweet Rosemary" - 2:29
- "For Nobody to Hear" - 4:14
- "Tomorrow Is a Long TimeTomorrow Is a Long Time"Tomorrow Is a Long Time" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Dylan's version first appeared on the Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume II compilation, released in 1971...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) - 3:56 - "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" (Music:Trad. Lyrics:Richard FariñaRichard FariñaRichard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
) - 4:28 - "Listen, Listen" - 3:58
- "The Lady" - 4:01
- "Bushes and Briars" - 3:53
- "It Suits Me Well" - 5:05
- "The Music Weaver" - 3:19
The remastered and reissued version included five bonus tracks:
- "Here In Silence" (Peter Elford/Don Fraser) - 3:53
- "Man of Iron" (Peter Elford/Don Fraser) - 7:40
- "Sweet Rosemary" [Demo Version] - 3:00
- "Ecoute, Ecoute" - 3:59
- "It'll Take a Long Time" [Live Version] - 5:22
Personnel
- Sandy DennySandy DennySandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
- lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2/6/8), piano (7/9/10) - Richard Thompson - electric guitar (1-4/8-9), ac. guitar (1/4), mandolin (6)
- Trevor LucasTrevor LucasTrevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
- acoustic guitar (4/9) - Sneaky Pete KleinowSneaky Pete KleinowPeter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
- pedal steel guitar (1/4) - Dave SwarbrickDave SwarbrickDave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
- violin (2/5/10) - John BundrickJohn BundrickJohn Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick is an American rock keyboardist, pianist and organist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and Crawler. Bundrick is noted as the principal musician for the cult...
- organ (1), piano (4) - Pat DonaldsonPat DonaldsonPat Donaldson is a bass guitarist.The 2i's Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street, Soho was a legendary hang-out for early rock artists of Britain. It was here that Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and Terry Dean played. Albert Lee and Pat Donaldson played here while they were members of Bob Xavier and the...
- bass (1-4/6/8-9) - Timi Donald - drums (1-4/6/8-9)
- John Kirkpatrick - concertina (9)
- Linda ThompsonLinda Thompson (singer)Linda Thompson is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock musician, guitarist Richard...
- vocals (4) - Harry Robinson - string arrangement (6/7/10)
- Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
- brass arrangement (3)
Production
- Producer: Trevor LucasTrevor LucasTrevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
- Recording Engineers: John WoodJohn Wood (music producer)John Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Nico and Squeeze.-Career:...
, Cy Frost - Art Direction: n/a
- Photography: David Bailey
- Liner Notes to 2005 re-release: David Suff