From: ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman)
Subject: Re: Sandy Denny
Organization: AT&T
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 14:47:44 GMT

In article <BxLpAr.9MF@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk> rich@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Richard Cooper) writes:
>
>
>In rec.music.misc you write:
>
>>I am interested in finding out about Sandy Denny who, I have heard,
>>had a voice a lot like Natalie Merchant:
>
>>1) What group did she sing with, and did she make any solo albums?
>	She started off c. 1967-8 singing solo and occasionally
>	with the Strawbs.
>	She replaced  Judy Dyble as lead singer with Fairport Convention
>	in 1969 and can be heard on their 2nd-4th albums "What We Did
>	on Our Holidays","Unhalfbricking" and "Liege and Lief".  These
>	are generally regarded (in reverse order) as FC's best three
>	albums.

"Liege and Lief" seems to be the critics' favorite, although I 
really don't hear much difference in quality among the three albums. 
They're all superb and essential as far as I'm concerned.

There's also "Heyday," a very nice selection of cover songs originally 
recorded for the BBC in 1969, but only released within the past few years.  

>	She left and formed a group including husband Trevor Lucas
>	called Fotheringay. One album I think.

Right.  Band name taken from the first song on the "What We Did On Our
Holidays" album.  Lucas (who died fairly recently) had a wonderful,
rich baritone that was put to great use on later Fairport Convention
albums.

>	Then she had sevral solo albums until her death from tripping and
>	falling downstairs in about 1978.

So what's the real story on Sandy's death?  Drunken tumble?  Suicide? 
I've always heard Richard and Linda Thompson's "Did She Jump or Was 
She Pushed?" (from "Shoot Out the Lights") as a commentary on Sandy's 
early demise.  Anybody else hear it that way?

>>2) How would you "classify" her music?
>	She's the quintessential English folk rock singer - along with
>	Dyble, Linda Thompson and Maddy Prior (then of Steeleye Span)
>	she can be thought of as defining this style.
>
>>3) During what time period was she at the height of her career?
>	1969-72  she was repeatedly voted favourite singer by
>		Melody maker readers.
>
>>4) Did she really sound like Natalie Merchant of the 10,000 Maniacs?
>	If so it's entirely the other way round.  I would think that
>		Merchant would accept the influence although I've
>		never read any quotes to that effect.

I'd say that there's a definite similarity, although I tend to think 
of Natalie Merchant as the poor man's (zoo?) Sandy Denny.  Natalie
has some of Sandy's vocal mannerisms, but she's lacking the 
amazing tone that made Sandy's voice so special.  For the 10K
Maniacs fans out there who may be unfamiliar with Sandy's work,
I'd suggest listening to "Just as the Tide Was Turning" (from "The
Wishing Chair") to get an idea of the style of music that Sandy
performed.  Natalie's okay to good, but she just doesn't have the
kind of miles-deep soulfulness that Sandy possessed (even when she
was singing about elves and ghosts :-)).

>>5) Is any of her stuff currently available on CD? If so, any 
>>   recommendations?
>	There's a 3(?) set CD which contains so much wonderful material.
>		You might then feel forced to go back and buy all her
>		stuff (even re-investing in a turntable if it's not
>		on CD).

It's *all* available on CD, as far as I know.  Certainly all of the
Fairport material is available, and I'd recommend picking up one 
of the three albums that Richard mentions above for starters.  
There's a "Best of Sandy Denny" CD that contains a nice cross-section 
of material from throughout Sandy's career, and that would be a good 
place to begin as well.

>>Any additional info/relevant facts would be welcomed.
>
>>Paul Malan
>>malan@leland.stanford.edu
>> 
>I've never seriously waivered from the assessment that she is the
>finest female popular music singer that Britain has ever produced.
>Her voice had an amazingly true, clear and warm tone that enriched
>everything she produced.

Yep.  In a world of Katie Webster's and Diamanda Galas' and Betty
Carter's and Cassandra Wilson's, the title of "Favorite Female Singer" 
is almost meaningless, but Sandy's certainly my favorite folk-rock 
singer.  Nobody's ever done it better.

>Unfortunately though her personality, like so many, was not strong
>enough to withstand life in the cess-pit we know as the rock music
>world.  She was continually self-doubting, hated travel (leaving FC
>because of it) and her records were increasingly irregular and
>erratic up to her death.

I suppose so, but some of the later solo albums have songs that
border on the spectacular.  Actually, some of the later material
she recorded with string sections reminds me a lot of Billie
Holiday's "Lady in Satin" album.  There's a fragility and a
world-weariness there that is both haunting and frightening.  
Sandy's going to be remembered because of her work with Fairport
Convention, but songs like "The Sea" and "Leaf and Stream" may
actually be her best work. 

>Her death continues to leave a gap in the musical world, partly
>because she seems not to have come close to the limits of her ability
>as an artist and partly because she had the kind of aura which makes
>me that she may well have evolved into a strong positive influence
>and teacher on younger musicians.
>
>Personally, even more so than other dead artists who perhaps have
>contrinuted more than her, her death still hurts  ...  and hurts.

I never saw any auras, but she was a great singer, and I too wish
she was still around.

>rich

Andy Whitman
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
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