The return of Shelagh McDonald

Shelagh McDonald, 2012. Photo: Ian Anderson. From fRoots 353/354, November/December 2012

My book on Sandy Denny was recently reprinted – an encouraging sign that interest in her work continues strong. The reprint was an opportunity to fix a few typos, but otherwise the text remains the same. If there’s ever a second edition (admittedly, as Jeeves would say to an excitable Wooster, ‘the contingency is a remote one’) I’ll have the chance to correct and update then. Here, for the record, I should say that the Australian interview footage I refer to on page 49 has now been eliminated from our inquiries. ‘Sandy Davis’ turns out to be the interviewer, not the garbled name of an interviewee, and although our Sandy is mentioned by the Fairport boys, it is only to explain her absence. An update would also highlight the ‘Lady’ tour of last year and subsequent TV broadcast on BBC Four – Andrew Batt’s greatest coup yet in bringing Sandy’s work to the widest possible audience.

The single chapter in serious need of update is the short one on Shelagh McDonald. As I write there, Shelagh had the world at her feet in the early Seventies. A talented singer, songwriter and guitarist, a woman of striking beauty with two acclaimed albums to her name, she was hailed by Melody Maker as a worthy ‘successor to Sandy Denny’. Then she simply vanished. For over thirty years no one knew where she was or even if she was still alive. A brief reappearance in 2005 brought news of the reasons for her disappearance and a reassurance that she was happy and well, but then we heard no more. Until 2012, that is. Early last year her husband died, and out of the sad circumstances of his passing was born a desire to pick up her music again, to reconnect with her old friends and dip her toe in the waters of a much-changed music scene. The story is well told in Ian Anderson’s lengthy feature in fRoots magazine, available online, so I won’t rehearse it here. Since then she has made several low-key appearances in Scotland, and in January this year was lured down to London to make her first appearance in the capital for over forty years in a support slot to Anderson’s new duo, The False Beards. It was a top-notch night. A clip on YouTube (’Let No Man Steal Your Thyme’) shows how, despite evident nerves, her musicianship and charm have not diminished with the years.

In the fRoots interview, Shelagh talks a little about Sandy, whom she knew, pointing to a conflict between Sandy’s gregarious nature and the isolation she needed for her songwriting: ‘There was this wealth of songs in her, but she couldn’t organise her time – I felt that a lot of her friends should have respected that and given her more space.’

If everything comes to fruition, the future for Shelagh is bright: more live gigs (including one with The Razorbills), a reissue of her two albums from the Seventies (currently out of print again), possibly even recording of the many new songs she has been writing. There’s a Facebook group devoted to her, which may be the best source of information until she has a website up and running.* I only managed to snatch a few words with her at the London event but hope to interview her at some point for a magazine piece. As for what I wrote about her in the book, well, I slightly regret making a direct comparison between Sandy and Shelagh. In my defence, I can only say that, at the time of writing, I never expected to see Shelagh perform, much less meet her. In the ‘remote contingency’ of a second edition, I shall have to eat my words, or at least chew them more slowly. 
_________

*Postscript, 25.3.13: there is now an excellent Shelagh McDonald website where fans can keep track of her activities and promoters can get in touch with her. And another delightful clip has appeared on YouTube, this time from A' the Airts, Sanquhar: ’Rigs O' Rye’.

Daylilies

Lambertson '98 [Druid's Chant x Sea Urchin] 5.5" Semi. Ev. Re. Em. 27" Tet. A beautiful blue lavender with a white star burst coming out of a green throat and gold edging. Great parent, producing sharks tooth edging. 

“Sandy Denny” is a variety of daylily (hemerocallis) hybridized by Ludlow Lambertson in 1998. Luddy and his wife Rachel describe themselves as “huge fans of both Sandy and Fairport Convention”, hence the choice of name. Rachel sings; Ludlow is the hybridizer; both are painters. Based at Lake Helen, Florida, they open their garden to the public during daylily bloom season, which runs from May to June (details on their website at Art Gallery Gardens). What you won’t find on display, alas, is the “Sandy Denny” bloom. They no longer have it. And nor does anyone else, as far as I can establish. A website in Canada, Rural Roots Gardens, purports to offer it for sale, but the illustration is incorrect (it shows another of Lambertson’s hybrids, “Do The Twist”) and my enquiries have gone unanswered.

Some years ago a horticulturalist in south London contacted me, saying she was planning to import “Sandy Denny”. I met her when she came to the Troubadour tribute in 2008, but failed to keep in touch, alas. I wonder if she succeeded?

Kyle Orosz, who designed the authoritative Sandy website at www.sandydenny.org.uk, incorporated the flower into his illustrations.

Do we know any more about this elusive bloom?

Calling New Yorkers!

Friday 12 October, 7pm

Salina Sias

“The Songs of Sandy Denny”

Rockwood Music Hall

196 Allen Street

New York, NY 10002

www.salinasias.com

Salina is a New York-based singer-songwriter who has become a great Sandy enthusiast, keen to spread the word. She writes:

‘…I discovered her work thanks to Robin Millar, also known as “The man behind Sade” and one of the UK’s most successful record/music producers.  He was kind enough to lend an ear and give me advice – he was the one who introduced me to the names Sandy Denny and John Martyn.  He thought, perhaps, my original music was influenced by their work.  I love being influenced by someone I did not know – a kind of karmic ethos.’

Interesting lady – a daughter-in-law of Norman Mailer, no less. If you’re a fellow fan in the NYC area, I’m sure she’d be delighted to see you at her gig.

Postscript 6.11.12: some fan footage has appeared on YouTube showing Salina's version of  'Autopsy'.

The Notes and the Words

The Notes And The Words: A Collection Of Demos And Rarities

From the Sandy Denny official website:

Due to the phenomenal and totally unprecedented demand for Island’s complete Sandy Denny Box Set, released in November 2010, Universal Music is issuing a limited edition 4 CD version. 

This boxset will be released on the 29th of October, and is available for pre-order now on Amazon UK. 

The original box set has become one of the most collectible box sets of all time. Now, for fans that missed out, this new four disc set boasts 75 songs that represent the cream of the rarities, demos and outtakes from the box set, including 17 demos taken from the master tapes of Sandy’s early home recordings. Among these is the first known recording of 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes', recorded in 1967. The set also features demos, outtakes and alternate versions of Fairport and Fotheringay classics as well as many tracks from her solo career.

Having now seen the complete track listing, I can supply more details:

• There’s nothing on here that wasn’t on the big box.
• The majority of tracks appeared for the first time on the big box.
• A handful of tracks on here appeared first on the big box, then again as bonus tracks on the “deluxe” reissues of the solo albums.
• There’s a small overlap with Boxful Of Treasures and the Who Knows Where The Time Goes boxset.
• There are a (very) few tracks that have appeared before on single albums (e.g. Fotheringay 2, Alex Campbell & His Friends).  
• The packaging is more sensible this time – you don’t need to build an extension to your house to accommodate this one.

Overall, I’d say if you’re a Sandy completist and you missed out on the big box (or couldn’t afford it), then this is definitely worth having.  

Other news:

• The provisional date for the TV broadcast of 'The Lady', the Barbican tribute concert, is now 9 November (BBC4). (There is also a one-hour documentary on Fairport Convention scheduled for 14 September on the same channel.)
• As its coverage of the London Olympics draws to a close, BBC TV has repeatedly (and quite rightly!) been showing a montage of British medal winners to the accompaniment of Thea Gilmore singing ‘London’ – which might just spark further interest in Thea’s Sandy project. Seems like everyone’s a winner from the Olympics. (If the BBC link doesn't work for you, the montage is also available on YouTube.) 
• The latest issue of Clifton Life (pp56-9) has an affectionate piece by Ian A Anderson looking back to the heyday of the Bristol Troubadour club in the 1960s. He recalls the famous names who graced its tiny stage, Sandy among them. It also includes a photo of the reclusive Shelagh McDonald, taken on her visit to Bristol earlier this year.   
• Currently on eBay is a rare chance to acquire a Sandy autograph. This framed piece of sheet music of 'Tarantelle in A-flat for piano by Stephen Heller' measures 25x30cm and belonged to Sandy. It was given by her to Dave Swarbrick, who is now auctioning this item for charity. The item is authenticated by Dave Swarbrick in a signed declaration on the back of the frame.The proceeds of this auction will be donated to Ethiopiad, who have been working in Ethiopia since the late 80s and are a charity committed to using their funds to create self-sufficiency. 

The Lady at the Barbican

As readers of my book will know, 2008 saw a notable tribute concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. In the words of the organiser, ‘it was designed to avoid the mawkish and place the focus firmly on Sandy’s songwriting’. A little over three years on, that concept has taken wing in the form of an eight-stop tour of English cities. Playing to sold-out houses and earning standing ovations, it landed in London last week, where I was lucky enough to see it.

The Barbican concert wasn’t about egos; it wasn’t a ‘talent’ show, with tear-stained contestants and acid-tongued judges. Nor was it an exercise in biography with musical illustrations. (I didn’t catch Patrick Humphries’ pre-concert talk, but I’m sure he provided all the context a newcomer would need.) No, this was a celebration, by a variety of artists from different generations and different backgrounds, of Sandy’s musical legacy.

Twenty-five songs. What a feast!

Maddy Prior had never sung Sandy’s own compositions before, but you wouldn't guess it as she ranged easily from the madrigal inflections of ‘Fotheringay’ to the angry dissonance of ‘John The Gun’. Unlike the thunderous majority, I don’t share in the general rapture over Thea Gilmore’s completion of Sandy’s unfinished songs. I find the whole project slightly dubious. However, Thea is a powerful stage presence, and there’s no denying her uptempo contributions (‘London’, ‘Don’t Stop Singing’) varied the mood. Lavinia Blackwall of Trembling Bells was perfectly cast for the folkier end of Sandy’s output. Her ‘Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood’, which she’d arranged in three-part harmony with Prior and Gilmore to back her, was one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in ages.

For me, the two American contributors, both from way outside the English folk-rock axis, were the revelation of the night. As she left behind her folk roots on the later solo albums, Sandy was edging towards a more ‘accessible’ style, and arguably a more ‘American’ style. This is what American singers bring out when they cover her songs. Joan Wasser (aka Joan As Policewoman) delivered two superb numbers at the piano. Palpably savouring the rich chordal progression of ‘The Lady’, Wasser hinted at the song’s jazz potential, and I found myself thinking of another great artist called too soon to the studio in the sky – Laura Nyro. Meanwhile, PP Arnold, looking extraordinarily young for her 65 years, comes from yet another tradition. With heavy vocal backing in the chorus, ‘Take Me Away’ became the epic soul number we never realised it was. Indeed, PP likes the song so much she has recorded it; a download is available from her website.

So this night belonged to The Lady and it belonged to the ladies. I have to say the male singers left me underwhelmed. I recall Green Gartside from the Nick Drake tribute a couple of years ago, but he made no stronger impression here than he did there. While Blair Dunlop (son of Fairport founder Ashley Hutchings) is a talent to watch and Sam Carter was sharp and to-the-point, soloing on ‘Bushes And Briars’ and duetting playfully with Swarb on ‘It Suits Me Well’, I missed two of the more distinctive talents that had adorned the QEH show in 2008:  Johnny Flynn and Marc Almond. Both had prior commitments, alas.

As encore, we finished inevitably on ’Who Knows Where The Time Goes?’ tutti. One dyspeptic reviewer in a national newspaper took exception to the ensemble turning this quietly contemplative ballad into a soft-rock anthem for massed forces. I (sort of) know what he means – it received similar treatment in the ‘Daughters Of Albion’ concert at the same venue in 2006. But it’s the song everyone in the audience expects to hear and everyone on stage wants to sing, so the format is almost pre-ordained.

Members of Bellowhead provided a strong house band throughout, augmented by Fairport veterans Jerry Donahue on electric guitar and the irrepressible Dave Swarbrick on violin.  

The BBC were filming the show for television (transmission at a later date, as yet unknown), which seemed to give extra edge to the performances. It certainly added to the nerves, causing even artists as experienced as Maddy Prior and Pat Arnold to suffer false starts.   

The gig, and the tour of which it formed part, were a massive team effort and team success. But we should single out for mention producer and compere Andrew Batt. Andrew has done more than most in the last five years to bring Sandy’s work to a wider public and to ensure that it has a future. As well as producing the 2008 tribute show which formed the template for this tour, he researched and compiled the massive 19-CD box of her Collected Works and the recent ‘deluxe’ reissues of the solo albums. I doubt that anyone outside the ‘business’ understands just how much work is involved here, especially in putting together a multi-artist, multi-venue tour like this one. So hats off to Mr B!

And then, still hatless, let’s raise a glass to Ms Denny, without whom none of this would be happening.

Set list

A Sailor's Life - Lavinia Blackwall
Late November - Lavinia Blackwall
North Star Grassman And The Ravens - Green Gartside
Stranger To Himself - Green Gartside
Glistening Bay - Thea Gilmore
London - Thea Gilmore
Bushes And Briars - Sam Carter
Fotheringay - Maddy Prior
John The Gun - Maddy Prior
The Sea - Blair Dunlop
It’ll Take A Long Time - Blair Dunlop
By The Time It Gets Dark - Joan Wasser
The Lady - Joan Wasser

INTERVAL

Matty Groves - Ben Nicholls
Long Time Gone - Thea Gilmore
Don’t Stop Singing - Thea Gilmore
Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood - Lavinia Blackwall
It Suits Me Well - Sam Carter & Dave Swarbrick
Nothing More – Green Gartside
Solo - Maddy Prior
I’m A Dreamer - PP Arnold
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz - PP Arnold
Take Me Away - PP Arnold

ENCORES

No More Sad Refrains - Joan Wasser
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? - ensemble

The band

Pete Flood..................Musical director/drums/percussion
Jerry Donahue...............electric guitar
Benji Kirkpatrick...........mandolin/acoustic guitar
Nigel Stonier...............acoustic guitar
Andy Mellon.................piano/trumpet
Nick Pynn...................violin/viola
Ben Nicholls................bass
Sam Carter..................acoustic guitar

(Photos by John Chase)

(Part of this review was first published in R2 (Rock’n’Reel))

Events in 2012

The Lady: A Homage to Sandy Denny

A special UK tour in May 2012 commemorating Sandy's songwriting legacy.

In the years since her death, Sandy has emerged as one of the UK 's greatest singer-songwriters. Her classic song ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ has been recorded by a diverse range of artists including Cat Power, Nina Simone and Judy Collins. This special tour celebrates her legacy for a new generation and showcases for the first time her entire songbook taking in her work with Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, her solo career and the new songs completed by Thea Gilmore on her acclaimed album ‘Don’t Stop Singing’.

Thea will join a unique line up of artists including former colleagues and friends Dave Swarbrick, Maddy Prior, and Jerry Donahue, alongside Joan Wasser (aka Joan As Police Woman), PP Arnold, Green Gartside and young admirers including Lavinia Blackwall (Trembling Bells), Sam Carter, Blair Dunlop (The Albion Band) and Ben Nicholls. Together with members of Bellowhead, who form the core of a house ‘super group’, they create this unique, adventurous homage to the artist described by Richard Thompson as ‘the greatest British female artist of her generation’.

TOUR DATES AND BOOKING INFORMATION

May 19: LIVERPOOL Liverpool Philharmonic 0151 709 3789

May 20: NOTTINGHAM Royal Centre 0115 989 5555

May 21: BRIGHTON Festival 01273 709709

May 22: COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524

May 23: LONDON Barbican Centre 020 7638 8891

May 24: BASINGSTOKE The Anvil 01256 844244

May 27: GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead 0191 443 4661

May 28: MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall 0161 907 9000

[Produced by Andrew Batt and MBM]

Book now published

The cover of 'Unhalfbricking' (1969), with Edna and Neil Denny in foreground and Fairport Convention in background. (Photo: Eric Hayes).

The cover of 'Rising For The Moon' (1975). Sandy does a Tarot reading while the band look on. Painting by Marion Appleton. (See 'Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music', p103.)

I’m pleased to say that Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music was published as scheduled last week. Now in stock at Amazon UK for £7.17. Customers in the States should be able to order from the UK site using their Amazon US account.

Alternatively, you can order direct from the publisher. I'm told that customers who order via the Troubadour website will receive copies within 2 days if they order before 2pm. The publisher can fulfil orders inland and overseas.

Philip

New book!

Early news of my forthcoming book about Sandy:

Philip Ward
Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music
Matador Press
Publication: 7 December 2011
RRP: £9.99

ISBN 978-1780880204

This will be available through all good bookshops, from Amazon UK or direct from the publisher. It’s a collection of my writings on Sandy which have appeared in magazines, album notes and online over the years, together with new material and a host of photos, some of them previously unpublished.

From the blurb:

‘…In this book Philip Ward, who has made a close study of the artist, presents a series of personal ‘reflections’ on her life and work. He fills in details overlooked by her biographers, surveys recent reissues of her recordings and offers the first in-depth analysis of her songwriting. He looks back to the public events marking the thirtieth anniversary of her death and assesses her alongside some of her contemporaries. In the author’s words, the book is ‘a series of experiments’ in how to write about the subject. It concludes with a detailed essay arguing the case that, long before Amy Winehouse or Kate Bush, Denny was the first British female singer-songwriter of international stature.

“Philip Ward's analyses of Sandy's songs are original, thorough and insightful. I learned a lot from reading them.” – Joe Boyd, record producer.’

If you see material disappear from this blog or from my website, that’s because it’s in the book.

Collaborations old and new

Due for release from Witchwood Media on 19 September:

19 Rupert Street (Sandy Denny with Alex Campbell)

Dave Cousins writes:

“I first heard this recording as I was being driven by my friend Stuart Douglas, Alex Campbell’s cousin, round Lake Ontario on the way to Toronto. He put a cassette into the player, without saying a word, and I was amazed to hear Sandy Denny and Alex swapping songs and chatting away. Stuart had found the tape in Glasgow in Patsy Campbell’s house after she died but, as a cassette, it was unusable for release.

Then last year I went to a meeting in Copenhagen and afterwards a guy came up to me and said that a friend of his had a tape of Sandy Denny that he’d recorded years ago in Glasgow. I wrote and asked if I could have a copy and a few weeks later, much to my amazement, the original tape arrived through the post. It was recorded at 19 Rupert Street, Glasgow, Alex Campbell’s home, on 5 August 1967 on a quarter track domestic machine. I took it to Abbey Road to have it transferred to digital, and I was stunned to hear Sandy and Alex singing, laughing and joking as though I was in the room with them.

I edited and mastered it with legendary producer Chris Tsangarides. It’s what it is, a home recording, but what atmosphere! On record Sandy often comes across as sounding melancholy. There are secrets behind some of her songs that very few people know, that brought about certain sadness. But this recording shows Sandy as she was when I first met her – bright and funny, with a voice that could pin your ears back or melt your heart. I’m so pleased to be able to share this with you.”

Tracklisting:

1. The Leaves Of Life
2. Willie Moore
3. Balulalow
4. The Sans Day Carol
5. Trouble In Mind
6. Jimmie Brown The Newsboy
7. The Midnight Special
8. Milk And Honey
9. Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
10. Fairytale Lullaby
11. She Moves Through The Fair
12. (And so to bed) Chuffa Chuffa Chuff/Clementine/Jesus Loves Me

Also available on 180g vinyl from Music on Vinyl.

The information I have is that Sandy is on all the tracks. Solo on 1, 3 and 8-11. Track 2 is a duet with Patsy Campbell. According to his biographer, John Martyn’s ‘Fairytale Lullaby’ was a song Sandy had plans to record, presumably on the projected solo album she mentioned to interviewers in 1967. The album sounds promising, even if it doesn’t look promising: I fail to understand why Witchwood seem determined to package her work as if it’s appearing on a budget label circa 1971. Or is that the idea? A ‘period’ feel?

Also scheduled for release later this year (on Island) is Don't Stop Singing, a collaboration between Thea Gilmore and Sandy Denny from beyond the grave: Gilmore sets to music and performs unpublished Denny lyrics (I believe). Here’s the tracklisting:

1. Glistening Bay
2. Don’t Stop Me Singing
3. Frozen Time
4. Goodnight
5. London
6. Pain In My Heart
7. Sailor
8. Long Time Gone
9. Song No. 4
10. Georgia

Postscript, August 2011: ‘Legs O’Hagan’ has written to set me straight on the cover of 19 Rupert Street: “The cover uses a Cath Kidston retro style as a way of looking back to the time the recording was made while the typography for the album title recreates that of the street sign. Cooper Black was fashionable in 1967 and again now. Yes, some thought went into it…”

Fotheringay Essen 1970

Garden of Delights/Thors Hammer THCD006 (CD), THLP002 (vinyl)

Release date: 20 June. This is the first release of a newly discovered recording of Fotheringay live at Grugahalle, Essen, Germany, on 23 October 1970. Currently only available from amazon.de, but I’m told it should be with Amazon UK in the coming weeks. Remastered by Jerry Donahue. Booklet essay by moi.

“That, at least, may be something to get excited about” (Clinton Heylin, 2011).