tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89930667251503556562024-02-20T15:12:42.402+00:00Sandy DennyCelebrating the pre-eminent singer, and one of the greatest songwriters, of the British folk-rock movementPhilip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-13585765232593424012019-03-10T09:35:00.000+00:002019-03-10T11:12:22.693+00:00New e-bookGood news! My book on Sandy Denny, first published as a paperback in 2011 and now out of print, has been reissued as an e-book. This updated edition has a new chapter "reviewing recent developments in her continuing story".<br />
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If you're yet to be converted to e-books, why not give this one a go? It's a giveaway at £4.99 or less. There are some real advantages over print. Internal cross-references, live hyperlinks in references, word-searchable text, and (only just discovered this feature myself) illustrations opening to full screen when you double-click on them. Plus, no heavy postage costs when placing orders from overseas with UK suppliers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/biography/sandy-denny/">Publisher's webpage with links to retailers</a><br />
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Follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sandydennyreflections/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilipEMWard">Twitter</a>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-55469543452169016192016-04-05T10:22:00.000+01:002016-04-06T10:41:18.463+01:00Events in 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Due for release on 22 April, <i>I've Always Kept A Unicorn</i> is a 40-track <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ive-Always-Kept-Unicorn-Acoustic/dp/B01B5GM1YA/">double album</a> of demos, live, radio and TV recordings capturing the singer-songwriter at at her most intimate in stripped-down arrangements of her repertoire. It features three previously unreleased recordings: demos recorded at Richard Branson's Manor Studios in December 1971 for the rock'n'roll covers album, <i>Rock On</i>. (The songs are Buddy Holly's 'Love's Made A Fool Of You' and 'Learning the Game' and, a duet with Linda Thompson, 'When Will I Be Loved' by Phil Everly.) The set is compiled by Andrew Batt and comes with sleeve notes by Mick Houghton.<br />
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This coincides with the paperback publication of Mick's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ive-Always-Kept-Unicorn-Biography/dp/0571278914/">biography</a> of Sandy, also titled <i>I've Always Kept A Unicorn</i>.<br />
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Another book to look out for is <i>Here She Comes Now: Women in Music Who Have Changed Our Lives</i>, edited by Jeff Gordinier and Marc Weingarten. It's a collection of essays on artists as diverse as Dolly Parton, Nina Simone, Bjork and Taylor Swift and includes a chapter on Sandy by Rosie Schaap. First published in the US last year, the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Here-She-Comes-Now-Changed/dp/1785780603/">UK edition</a> is out on 7 April. <br />
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On 27 April, as only the third recipient of such an honour, Sandy will be inducted into the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3bsXpkXhDfSfYBsK91C7Ts6/hall-of-fame">Hall of Fame</a>. This will be part of an event at the Royal Albert Hall and tickets are still available from the Albert Hall <a href="http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2016/bbc-radio-2-folk-awards">box office</a>. (The event will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 and will be available to watch online via live stream on the Radio 2 website. It will also be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and the Red Button service. I believe these services are restricted to the UK.)<br />
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On to an interesting little biographical nugget... Sandy's childhood address in Wimbledon has always been given as Worple Road. But it seems the family also lived for a time round the corner in Stanton Road. How do we know? Because a secondhand copy of <i>How To Know British Birds</i> has turned up, inscribed, in a childish hand, "S. Denny" with an address in Stanton Road. Derrick Knight, who lived just down the road, remembers the family. Considering the significance of birds in Sandy's lyrics, I find it wonderfully apt that this childhood possession has resurfaced years later. You can read the whole story on Derrick's <a href="http://derrickjknight.com/2016/04/04/whose-book/">blog</a>. Thanks also to Dr Neil Gibbs, now the proud owner of this little volume, for bringing his find to my attention and sending me this photo of the endpapers where the young animal-lover has doodled her favourites: horse, dog and bird. (Click on image to enlarge.)<br />
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And finally, another correspondent has kindly sent me a copy of <i>Mainsheet</i>, "the magazine of the Society for Sailing Barge Research". Not a journal that had come my way before, I confess, but this issue included an article about <i>Rowland</i>. the vessel that was home to the famous Barge folk club in the 1960s. One contributor says that "the council closed the club down as the narrow companionway was considered a fire-risk". I must say, from what I've read, it sounds as if the downstairs performing space, lit only by candles - "dusty black windows to light the dark stair", as Sandy puts it - would have been the primary risk. There are photos of the vessel later, sunk at her moorings with damaged bow, before being broken up at the Thames Conservancy Yard. There is always something poignant about a ship being "broken up". Perhaps it's because we personalise them, calling them "she" instead of "it"?Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-91910509328993316822015-02-14T12:47:00.000+00:002015-02-15T00:07:33.928+00:00Events in 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-20589245320852027962013-08-29T16:38:00.000+01:002015-04-09T17:01:53.113+01:00"Errors and omissions excepted"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandy-Denny-Reflections-Her-Music/dp/1780880200/">book</a> on Sandy Denny was recently reprinted – an encouraging sign that interest in her work continues strong. If you’re on Facebook, may I politely ask you to “like” the book’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandy-Denny-Reflections-on-Her-Music/257763947694129">dedicated page</a>? 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...<br />
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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. The footage is now available on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lThPbC-tUho">YouTube</a>.<br />
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An update would also highlight the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://sandydenny.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/the-lady-at-barbican.html%E2%80%9D">‘Lady’ tour</a> of last year and subsequent TV broadcast on BBC Four – Andrew Batt’s greatest <i>coup</i> yet in bringing Sandy’s work to the widest possible audience.<br />
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I’ve been in touch with Jean Livingstone, a Scottish singer now living in France. Under the name ‘Mona Devi’ she guested on <i>My Kinda Folk</i> in 1967, a series on Grampian TV hosted by Alex Campbell and Archie Fisher. Although she didn’t appear on the same show as Sandy – Jean’s fellow guests were Isla St Clair, David MacWilliams, Barbara Dickson and The Skerries – she confirmed that the programmes were recorded before transmission. This may help to unscramble the chronology of Sandy’s appearance(s) which defeated me on page 51. In the CD booklet accompanying <i>19 Rupert Street</i>, Carsten Linde recalls travelling to Aberdeen for a recording of the show on 6 August 1967. This must be the edition broadcast in the Grampian region on 3 September, with guests Sandy, Johnny Silvo and Alex Sutherland. You guessed it – no copy is known to exist. Mr Linde is also emphatic that the brightly lit picture used on the cover of <i>Sandy and Johnny</i> (see p53n4 and the first page of colour plates in my book) was taken at the <i>My Kinda Folk</i> recording: there’s been some dispute about that, as the album’s August release date would make the timing extremely tight. The well-informed <a href="http://sandydenny.org.uk/music/releases/other/sandy-and-johnny/eros-8041/">‘Homage’ website</a> opines that the cover image was taken in Birmingham during Sandy’s performance as part of ‘Folksingers for Freedom in Vietnam’ (Digbeth Civic Hall, May 1967).<br />
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The audio track of ‘White Dress’, a particularly lovely performance buried in the ITV archives for 35 years (see p52), has now been issued as a bonus track on the ‘deluxe’ reissue of Fairport’s <i>Rising For The Moon</i>.<br />
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The outtakes from the recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s <i>Self Portrait</i> album of 1970 have just appeared
in the ‘Bootleg’ series. I scanned the tracklisting with interest, recalling
that Dylan was supposed to have covered ‘Farewell, Farewell’ during those
sessions – a ‘fact’ that I carelessly quoted in the book (p110) without
checking my source. The source was Patrick Humphries’s biography of Fairport
Convention. I recently asked Patrick where he got it from and he ’fessed up
that it was a practical joke. He’d read that Pete Frame always put a deliberate
mistake in his Rock Family Trees, so he thought he’d do the same. Not a great
idea, he now admits – “it sent the Dylan fans into meltdown”. And thirty years
later, Muggins here is still falling for this jape.<br />
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I suggested (on p76) that Sandy “rewrote” ‘Gypsy Davey’ to
give it a happy ending. Versions usually end with the lady cold-shouldering her
husband as she snuggles down with her new beau, but in the Fotheringay
treatment the rejected husband finds solace with a new love “ere six months had
passed away”. My authority for this was none other than Sandy herself. Introducing
the song for a BBC radio broadcast in 1970, she said:<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is very similar to ‘The
Raggle Taggle Gypsies-O’, except that I’ve changed the words and the tune, and
I’ve made it that the story’s a bit happier at the end. I’ve allowed the other
bloke to get married, having had his wife leave him.</div>
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I had occasion to look at the <a href="https://archive.org/details/englishscottishp07chil">Child
Ballads</a> recently and noticed that Ballad 200J (‘The Gypsie Laddie’),
as collected in the USA in the 1840s, is very close to the wording that Sandy
uses in her version, complete with this “happy” final verse:<o:p></o:p></div>
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The great lord he rode home that
night,<br />
He took good care of his baby,<br />
And ere six months had passed away<br />
He married another lady.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I fear she was rather exaggerating her part in the oral
tradition!<br />
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A reader, Steve Clarke, suggested that I had
misdescribed her school. I referred to it (more than once) as a “grammar school” (which is how she described it herself in the World Service interview). My reader advised that it was, rather, a “secondary modern”: an important distinction in those class-conscious
days. From Mick Houghton's new biography we learn that Coombe Girls' School (formerly Coombe County Secondary School for Girls) was both. Mick describes it as a "radical, bilateral school taking grammar and non-grammar streams. Sandy was in one of the grammar streams". It’s still <a href="http://www.coombegirlsschool.org/">going
strong</a>, nowadays boasting ‘academy’ status. The author Jacqueline
Wilson attended the same school, a year or two above Sandy. I wonder if they
knew each other?<br />
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On p9 I talk about the first time Richard Thompson heard her
play ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’. What he told Heylin was he heard it “at
her flat on the top floor in Gloucester Road”. I identified this – probably in
error – as Stanhope Mews West. The location is more likely to be the flat she
moved to later in 1968, the one round the corner in Stanhope Gardens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
The photo on p37, taken at London Zoo in 1967, should be
credited to John Harrison. Other pictures from the same shoot may be viewed <a href="http://www.collectionspicturelibrary.co.uk/select.php?kwrd=Sandy+Denny&ptag=1">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Typo on p57: 'Mabiniog' should, of course, read 'Mabinogion'.<br />
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No doubt there will be more updates and corrections. I’m always very happy to hear from readers.<br />
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As I reported in an earlier post, the most important update is the happy news that <a href="http://shelaghmcdonald.wordpress.com/">Shelagh McDonald</a> (pp124-7) is now back with us – not only gigging again and making new friends but with a new album scheduled to appear in late September. During her set at the Corn Exchange, Biggar, Scotland, on 21 June this year she even slipped in a Sandy cover: ‘The Sea’. Hats off to Ms McD! Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-35997768664846056052013-06-22T11:32:00.000+01:002013-06-22T11:52:05.242+01:00Across The Purple Sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bryony Holden has released a tribute album to Sandy. It was
released digitally on the 35<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Sandy’s death (21
April) and is well worth checking out on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/across-the-purple-sky/id638770109">itunes</a>.</div>
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It’s also available as a CD on demand from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Purple-Sky-Bryony-Holden/dp/B00CMX0QSO">Amazon
US</a> (but not UK).</div>
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Bryony writes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<i>Across The Purple Sky</i>
was a labour of love, a joy of a project. For as long as I can remember, people
have made comparisons between my voice and Sandy’s and although they are not
the same, there are similarities. I grew up in the 1960s, and Sandy was, of
course, one of the hub of influences from those paisley patterned, patchouli-scented
times. I'd remained determined NOT to make a tribute for so many years but
eventually gave up resisting the many requests as it seemed the time was
finally right. My sister, Erin, was more than up for the task and not only lent
her fine instrumental skills, but produced, mixed and mastered the project.
Trying to touch on so many aspects of Sandy's work, we chose the tracks to span
as much as possible in a short space, covering some of her work with
Fotheringay and with Fairport. It was almost impossible to choose and we
recorded more than the ten on the album. At some point, it is likely to be
produced as a full CD… and those extra tracks will be added. What an amazing
performer… what an amazing woman. Sandy Denny, much loved and respected muse…
thank you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In other news, Dave Swarbrick has given an <a href="http://theglamourcave.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dave-swarbrick-on-sandy-denny-australia.html">interview</a>
to folk blogger Emma Hartley. He talks about Sandy, among other topics, reminding us how difficult
it was for him to do the tribute shows in 2008 and 2012: “You’ve got to understand,
I have never got over her dying.”<br />
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There was also an event at <a href="http://www.banburyfolkclub.co.uk/">Banbury Folk Club</a> on 19 June, “Linda Watkins and Friends Sing Sandy”, which sounded interesting for anyone in the Oxfordshire area. </div>
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Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-58587065555873301872013-02-11T14:35:00.000+00:002015-04-13T10:48:05.293+01:00The return of Shelagh McDonald<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3yYtF7dcMnOgG1s8VpIgUWJikAnWq6ccdZ3dbsWORud-1nlgi8RHTMBgnTmTCQ9kEoANAe3xEsYw24pHtSJWbSNP3hofVNYDDt-NdB6FrBCkjSfhLzWG2zMz9vfcd0w5uhFduJUMQg/s1600/ShelaghMcDonald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3yYtF7dcMnOgG1s8VpIgUWJikAnWq6ccdZ3dbsWORud-1nlgi8RHTMBgnTmTCQ9kEoANAe3xEsYw24pHtSJWbSNP3hofVNYDDt-NdB6FrBCkjSfhLzWG2zMz9vfcd0w5uhFduJUMQg/s320/ShelaghMcDonald.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shelagh McDonald, 2012. Photo: Ian Anderson. From <a href="http://www.frootsmag.com/content/features/shelagh-mcdonald"><i>fRoots</i> 353/354</a>,
November/December 2012</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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If there’s one chapter of my <a href="http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1585">Sandy Denny book</a> in serious need of update it’s the short short one on <b>Shelagh McDonald</b>. 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 <i>Melody Maker</i> 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 <i>fRoots</i>
magazine, available <a href="http://www.frootsmag.com/content/features/shelagh-mcdonald">online</a>,
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, <a href="http://www.thefalsebeards.com/">The False
Beards</a>. It was a top-notch night. A clip on YouTube (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV49adPl9KY">’Let
No Man Steal Your Thyme’</a>) shows how, despite evident nerves, her
musicianship and charm have not diminished with the years.</div>
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In the <i>fRoots</i>
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.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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If everything comes to fruition, the future for Shelagh is
bright: more live gigs (including one with <a href="http://www.therazorbills.co.uk/">The
Razorbills</a>), 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 <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/113073513281">Facebook
group</a> 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. <o:p></o:p><br />
_________</div>
*Postscript, 25.3.13: there is now an excellent <a href="http://shelaghmcdonald.wordpress.com/">Shelagh McDonald website</a> 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: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTKhDsk4wQA&list=UUJcq4IzEXKcThST2eH_mavQ">’Rigs O' Rye’</a>.<br />
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** This interview, conducted in July 2013, is now online at my <a href="http://brushondrum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/shelagh-mcdonald-interview.html">other blog</a>.Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-84740543610341566552012-10-21T15:49:00.000+01:002012-12-04T15:10:56.017+00:00Daylilies<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq0xpKJkfdQ_ys6BEo5KiidhpfBxvnNccCMfBsY5r57QguofJXSBwgbt2c5yGpfSpxkdMPWb55lg3Q3y2xoZZLFOHZMPOAY7lZevJuKFgiDR21VQdeCQwPsrHJwvqsugkTfT8MItT1Q/s1600/xdaylily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq0xpKJkfdQ_ys6BEo5KiidhpfBxvnNccCMfBsY5r57QguofJXSBwgbt2c5yGpfSpxkdMPWb55lg3Q3y2xoZZLFOHZMPOAY7lZevJuKFgiDR21VQdeCQwPsrHJwvqsugkTfT8MItT1Q/s320/xdaylily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>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. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“Sandy Denny” is a variety of daylily (<i>hemerocallis</i>) 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 <a href="http://www.artgallerygardens.com/">Art Gallery Gardens</a>). 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, <a href="http://www.ruralrootsgardens.com/daylily_catalogue/sandy_denny.html">Rural Roots Gardens</a>, 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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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 <o:p></o:p>failed to keep in touch, alas. I wonder if she succeeded?<br />
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Kyle Orosz, who designed the authoritative Sandy website at <a href="http://www.sandydenny.org.uk/">www.sandydenny.org.uk</a>,
incorporated the flower into his illustrations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do we know any more about this elusive bloom?<o:p></o:p></div>
Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-85014635216959801132012-10-04T15:56:00.000+01:002012-11-06T17:12:54.325+00:00Calling New Yorkers!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIKRO2xn2EBCXL-JVjICKizwVH0FAa25B8II3plFtySExcgsFVv5BCWFydq0yImhDlq0NVYyiEoR6JfzY4OBuVLScnn9RhzAOGDhm1wM6qo9HUeJaurjtQQ7hy7I1-gYUoS88R6fHvQ/s1600/xSalinaSias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIKRO2xn2EBCXL-JVjICKizwVH0FAa25B8II3plFtySExcgsFVv5BCWFydq0yImhDlq0NVYyiEoR6JfzY4OBuVLScnn9RhzAOGDhm1wM6qo9HUeJaurjtQQ7hy7I1-gYUoS88R6fHvQ/s320/xSalinaSias.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Friday 12 October, 7pm</div>
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Salina Sias</div>
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“The Songs of Sandy Denny”</div>
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Rockwood Music Hall</div>
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196 Allen Street</div>
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New York, NY 10002</div>
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<a href="http://www.salinasias.com/">www.salinasias.com</a></div>
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Salina is a New York-based singer-songwriter who has become a great Sandy enthusiast, keen to spread the word. She writes:</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">‘</span>…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.<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">’</span></i></div>
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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.</div>
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<i>Postscript 6.11.12: </i>some fan footage has appeared on YouTube showing Salina's version of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zhbJ8URqkc">'Autopsy'</a>.Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-27884955470930866782012-08-12T12:33:00.001+01:002012-09-09T11:29:26.598+01:00The Notes and the Words<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV6EeMTDn_aS5XrqBPhf09fz90VRBOOMLoysuiMI4BygfVserTSE9fauFh_TvWGQRCFDNsAabzN7HmEkyhSUR9u9SzLMmdPlPWJt_CXU33XSLvMHca4RML4tvTEXKEysFjr0iNNifdA/s1600/371_246-9_Outer_Cover_front_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcV6EeMTDn_aS5XrqBPhf09fz90VRBOOMLoysuiMI4BygfVserTSE9fauFh_TvWGQRCFDNsAabzN7HmEkyhSUR9u9SzLMmdPlPWJt_CXU33XSLvMHca4RML4tvTEXKEysFjr0iNNifdA/s320/371_246-9_Outer_Cover_front_web.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<b>The Notes And The
Words: A Collection Of Demos And Rarities<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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From the Sandy Denny official website:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Due to the phenomenal and totally
unprecedented demand for Island’s complete <i>Sandy Denny Box Set</i>,
released in November 2010, Universal Music is issuing a limited edition 4 CD
version. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This boxset will be released on the
29th of October, and is available for pre-order now on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-Words-Collection-Demos-Rarities/dp/B008RYN5VC/">Amazon UK</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having now seen the <a href="http://www.sandydennyofficial.com/music/releases/sandy-denny/notes-and-words-collection-demos-and-rarities/notes-and-words-collection-demos-and-rarities/">complete track listing</a>, I can supply more
details:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>There’s nothing on here that wasn’t on the big box.</li>
<li>The majority of tracks appeared for the first time on the
big box.</li>
<li>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.</li>
<li>There’s a small overlap with <i>Boxful Of Treasures</i> and the <i>Who
Knows Where The Time Goes</i> boxset.</li>
<li>There are a (very) few tracks that have appeared before on
single albums (e.g. <i>Fotheringay 2</i>, <i>Alex Campbell & His Friends</i>). </li>
<li>The packaging is more sensible this time – you don’t need to
build an extension to your house to accommodate this one.</li>
</ul>
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. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Other news: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>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 <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mmw5v">documentary</a> on Fairport Convention scheduled for 14 September on the same channel.)</li>
<li>As its coverage of the London Olympics draws to a close, BBC
TV has repeatedly (and quite rightly!) been showing a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19232019">montage of British medal winners</a> 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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmRJzMfFBM8">YouTube</a>.) </li>
<li>The latest issue of <a href="http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1xy41/CliftonLifeNo146/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=">Clifton Life</a> (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. </li>
<li>Currently on <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110939008105#ht_500wt_1414">eBay</a> 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. </li>
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Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-79621678923387613322012-05-28T15:35:00.000+01:002012-11-11T20:00:48.691+00:00The Lady at the Barbican<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qp4gzg_WVJEdIRP34YSJINoguFvZiZhvPhBc5jZYj17phWtxC2uy7IADYbcvK6mZEU6izqVU4Ugaxa6Sua7CQJ-HBEGmdHfA1J_QWOn1cl4y5jHfFkmVsciM0Md9WFrPTWTGI2d25Q/s1600/Sandy_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qp4gzg_WVJEdIRP34YSJINoguFvZiZhvPhBc5jZYj17phWtxC2uy7IADYbcvK6mZEU6izqVU4Ugaxa6Sua7CQJ-HBEGmdHfA1J_QWOn1cl4y5jHfFkmVsciM0Md9WFrPTWTGI2d25Q/s320/Sandy_22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As readers of <a href="http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1585">my book</a> will know, 2008 saw a notable <a href="http://sandydenny.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/review-of-year-2008.html">tribute concert</a> 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.</div>
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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. </div>
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Twenty-five songs. What a feast!</div>
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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.</div>
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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 <a href="http://www.pparnold.com/">website</a>. </div>
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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 <a href="http://brushondrum.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/nick-drake-tribute.html">Nick Drake tribute</a> 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: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2niWzgsCY">Johnny Flynn</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsnrg77ui4">Marc Almond</a>. Both had prior commitments, alas. </div>
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As encore, we finished inevitably on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9FZyYR-yvY">’Who Knows Where The Time Goes?’</a> <i>tutti</i>. 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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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! </div>
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And then, still hatless, let’s raise a glass to Ms Denny, without whom <i>none</i> of this would be happening. </div>
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<b>Set list</b></div>
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A Sailor's Life - Lavinia Blackwall<br />
Late November - Lavinia Blackwall<br />
North Star Grassman And The Ravens - Green Gartside<br />
Stranger To Himself - Green Gartside<br />
Glistening Bay - Thea Gilmore<br />
London - Thea Gilmore<br />
Bushes And Briars - Sam Carter<br />
Fotheringay - Maddy Prior<br />
John The Gun - Maddy Prior<br />
The Sea - Blair Dunlop<br />
It’ll Take A Long Time - Blair Dunlop<br />
By The Time It Gets Dark - Joan Wasser<br />
The Lady - Joan Wasser<br />
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INTERVAL<br />
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Matty Groves - Ben Nicholls<br />
Long Time Gone - Thea Gilmore<br />
Don’t Stop Singing - Thea Gilmore<br />
Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood - Lavinia Blackwall<br />
It Suits Me Well - Sam Carter & Dave Swarbrick<br />
Nothing More – Green Gartside<br />
Solo - Maddy Prior<br />
I’m A Dreamer - PP Arnold<br />
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz - PP Arnold<br />
Take Me Away - PP Arnold<br />
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ENCORES</div>
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No More Sad Refrains - Joan Wasser<br />
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? - ensemble<br />
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<b>The band</b> <br />
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Pete Flood..................Musical director/drums/percussion<br />
Jerry Donahue...............electric guitar<br />
Benji Kirkpatrick...........mandolin/acoustic guitar<br />
Nigel Stonier...............acoustic guitar<br />
Andy Mellon.................piano/trumpet<br />
Nick Pynn...................violin/viola<br />
Ben Nicholls................bass<br />
Sam Carter..................acoustic guitar</div>
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(Photos by John Chase)<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">(Part of this review was first published in </span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/" style="font-style: italic;">R2 (Rock’n’Reel)</a>)</span></div>
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Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-74195039648595792112012-01-10T14:02:00.014+00:002012-02-11T17:07:21.315+00:00Events in 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrZhY0tY6d9mfaipLbSGGebx-Ty7FUt2n9ZcD73fedEVah2msviHuFyHPnL8HiKwbEj8vTWNUt2BGdjOx9ARedsry3sHcBEpEgYmK41riTVZXFgcVHHAdNzQ9u0ZqjBdAgIhwZ9ipOw/s1600/Sandy_Denny_flyer_front_web+%25281%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrZhY0tY6d9mfaipLbSGGebx-Ty7FUt2n9ZcD73fedEVah2msviHuFyHPnL8HiKwbEj8vTWNUt2BGdjOx9ARedsry3sHcBEpEgYmK41riTVZXFgcVHHAdNzQ9u0ZqjBdAgIhwZ9ipOw/s400/Sandy_Denny_flyer_front_web+%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707925145727528338" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Lady: A Homage to Sandy Denny</b></div><div><div>A special UK tour in May 2012 commemorating Sandy's songwriting legacy.</div><div><br /></div><div>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’. </div><div> </div><div><br />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’.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><b>TOUR DATES AND BOOKING INFORMATION </b></div><div> </div><div><br />May 19: <a href="http://www.liverpoolphil.com/8434/events-contemporary-music/the-lady-a-homage-to-sandy-denny.html">LIVERPOOL Liverpool Philharmonic</a> 0151 709 3789</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 20: <a href="http://www.trch.co.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17142">NOTTINGHAM Royal Centre</a> 0115 989 5555</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 21: <a href="http://www.brightonfestival.org/Contemporarymusic.aspx">BRIGHTON Festival</a> 01273 709709</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 22: <a href="http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/events/music/the-lady-a-homage-to-sandy-denny">COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre</a> 024 7652 4524</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 23: <a href="http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=12972">LONDON Barbican Centre</a> 020 7638 8891</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 24: <a href="http://www.anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/12/may/the-lady-a-homage-sandy-denny">BASINGSTOKE The Anvil</a> 01256 844244</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 27: <a href="http://www.thesagegateshead.org/event/the-lady-homage-to-sandy-denny/">GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead</a> 0191 443 4661</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>May 28: <a href="http://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/performance/18786.aspx">MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall</a> 0161 907 9000</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>[Produced by Andrew Batt and MBM]</i></span></div></div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-47335103375667854052011-12-10T19:46:00.016+00:002012-02-11T16:57:13.729+00:00Book now published<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUoYzj3bKvlENcvRyJLKJC0ONQzoJ1i5gsT37nRcBTGmdOWm31rIj8LeI0g8RfNPt90UrQr845XB45BHgpUhO-Y1gqz87yBldbt0_EvPCmG2n9Aqs0lI-cxzVgPU7eudbLQcYc2cp4w/s1600/Unhalfbricking3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUoYzj3bKvlENcvRyJLKJC0ONQzoJ1i5gsT37nRcBTGmdOWm31rIj8LeI0g8RfNPt90UrQr845XB45BHgpUhO-Y1gqz87yBldbt0_EvPCmG2n9Aqs0lI-cxzVgPU7eudbLQcYc2cp4w/s320/Unhalfbricking3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691525333037312770" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>The cover of 'Unhalfbricking' (1969), with Edna and Neil Denny in foreground and Fairport Convention in background. (Photo: Eric Hayes).</i></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3lRU9rlB46WDlfmntl3bu0WM_Ca-Bw6LsgPfkoOF1vA1Nq1Z1Hz_cuIu8nZ3zYIh3G8zqmNPYEpiWRHM0q4VUlQ11qymD0ZnJwvhNO0390JwkduK53qLHKBjo-YI9pBqTtVwnLO9CA/s1600/Rising.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3lRU9rlB46WDlfmntl3bu0WM_Ca-Bw6LsgPfkoOF1vA1Nq1Z1Hz_cuIu8nZ3zYIh3G8zqmNPYEpiWRHM0q4VUlQ11qymD0ZnJwvhNO0390JwkduK53qLHKBjo-YI9pBqTtVwnLO9CA/s320/Rising.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697453467460090738" /></a><i><span style="font-size:85%;">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.)</span></i><br /><div></div><br />I’m pleased to say that <i>Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music</i> was published as scheduled last week. Now in stock at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandy-Denny-Reflections-Her-Music/dp/1780880200/">Amazon UK</a> for £7.17. Customers in the States should be able to order from the UK site using their Amazon US account.<br /><br />Alternatively, you can order direct from the publisher. I'm told that customers who order via the <a href="http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1585">Troubadour website</a> will receive copies within 2 days if they order before 2pm. The publisher can fulfil orders inland and overseas.<br /><br />PhilipPhilip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-39114997654594755892011-08-23T14:10:00.010+01:002012-01-09T11:51:53.357+00:00New book!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2IBAE7tp9-YVrzW93MYcCUgsyZUuTC2S6AfKPy_TPPqFrNU3k4yhGuVssFWic6gJWHt9Nqz1siAx-wEFnx5GZWbyrBoP7N-JfnrcPXF_sVqoNvcfuKUtJSeo5xiP7nkMGB9GDFTPFw/s1600/coverAmazon.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2IBAE7tp9-YVrzW93MYcCUgsyZUuTC2S6AfKPy_TPPqFrNU3k4yhGuVssFWic6gJWHt9Nqz1siAx-wEFnx5GZWbyrBoP7N-JfnrcPXF_sVqoNvcfuKUtJSeo5xiP7nkMGB9GDFTPFw/s320/coverAmazon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644039556511518898" /></a><br />Early news of my forthcoming book about Sandy:<br /><br />Philip Ward<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music</span><br />Matador Press<br />Publication: 7 December 2011<br />RRP: £9.99<br /><br />ISBN 978-1780880204<br /><br />This will be available through all good bookshops, from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandy-Denny-Reflections-Her-Music/dp/1780880200/">Amazon UK</a> or direct from the <a href="http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1585">publisher</a>. 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.<br /><br />From the blurb:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">‘…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.</span><br /><br /><i>“Philip Ward's analyses of Sandy's songs are original, thorough and insightful. I learned a lot from reading them.” – Joe Boyd, record producer.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">’</span><br /><br />If you see material disappear from this blog or from my <a href="http://www.pemward.co.uk/">website</a>, that’s because it’s in the book.Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-54083319065804466752011-07-15T11:40:00.012+01:002011-12-06T12:24:57.513+00:00Collaborations old and new<div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv2_fdX1BKt3V62NPpCTBu6ksyXSRqh5ooq148hqeByvyQxatqKNBgOpq7e1k3S4tZ6_9lZiQs21PCf4l3vsSGhDIZ1Y9DzS3GYHUnhAaKzBQzvGmV0mHpBGsAOC3IQD-qtKQQkkNHQ/s320/RupertStreet.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629528416846515938" /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6Tate5CRY9YDPDjsIcu_NBqDFsFsLk0_qxhjlCa2Y_PyuN-gj0COHUeGQ8R5xJty8phNdFg4ZCTFncV-Zln_JnvTzhi5mMywPHmN5FYfOWMhZ_frb86ME9hKAZutn-3LdMmxLLtbCQ/s1600/TheaGilmore.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Due for release from Witchwood Media on 19 September:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">19 Rupert Street (Sandy Denny with Alex Campbell</span>)<br /><br />Dave Cousins writes:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.”</span><br /><br />Tracklisting:<br /><br />1. The Leaves Of Life<br />2. Willie Moore<br />3. Balulalow<br />4. The Sans Day Carol<br />5. Trouble In Mind<br />6. Jimmie Brown The Newsboy<br />7. The Midnight Special<br />8. Milk And Honey<br />9. Who Knows Where The Time Goes?<br />10. Fairytale Lullaby<br />11. She Moves Through The Fair<br />12. (And so to bed) Chuffa Chuffa Chuff/Clementine/Jesus Loves Me<br /><br />Also available on 180g vinyl from <a href="http://www.musiconvinyl.com/releases/Denny,_Sandy/19_Rupert_Street">Music on Vinyl</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>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 <span style="font-style:italic;">look</span> 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?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKP4MtMKYS_TCu_pGpj5D4OovagEiaugqzj7ob_i_YHbaqq-uJ0J02XNJxjeGimGGJ09lLNYhCyqpFI3BBPIfJlK-FXrooi-BeJ0Otokk_SCGaagV3MAwaEmxlvy-Lzb4pdCu2iIzEA/s1600/TheaGilmore.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKP4MtMKYS_TCu_pGpj5D4OovagEiaugqzj7ob_i_YHbaqq-uJ0J02XNJxjeGimGGJ09lLNYhCyqpFI3BBPIfJlK-FXrooi-BeJ0Otokk_SCGaagV3MAwaEmxlvy-Lzb4pdCu2iIzEA/s320/TheaGilmore.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637743640149763010" /></a>Also scheduled for release later this year (on Island) is <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don't Stop Singing</span></span>, 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:<br /><br />1. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dont-stop-singing">Glistening Bay</a><br />2. Don’t Stop Me Singing<br />3. Frozen Time<br />4. Goodnight<br />5. London<br />6. Pain In My Heart<br />7. Sailor<br />8. Long Time Gone<br />9. Song No. 4<br />10. Georgia</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Postscript, August 2011:</b> ‘Legs O’Hagan’ has written to set me straight on the cover of <i>19 Rupert Street</i>: “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…”</div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-91855755318683592011-06-21T15:27:00.004+01:002011-06-21T15:34:41.130+01:00Fotheringay Essen 1970<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjaTkh0SBX6KxgCweGdIR2LW_l1yc836X2EuzG0vW692VOiJ-zS4Mxbjweyea0ZPguFBTqsfgBfbd_pyDO4Mawie5ULd-qvj_rloVMgB6oT7RevTabjv_5SGfUUnjjHLanXDmv0Lk7A/s1600/Essenadvert2jpgweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjaTkh0SBX6KxgCweGdIR2LW_l1yc836X2EuzG0vW692VOiJ-zS4Mxbjweyea0ZPguFBTqsfgBfbd_pyDO4Mawie5ULd-qvj_rloVMgB6oT7RevTabjv_5SGfUUnjjHLanXDmv0Lk7A/s320/Essenadvert2jpgweb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620680279804819730" /></a>Garden of Delights/Thors Hammer THCD006 (CD), THLP002 (vinyl)<br /><br />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 <em>moi</em>.<br /> <br />“<em>That, at least, may be something to get excited about</em>” (Clinton Heylin, 2011).Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-4037157500291881252011-06-18T11:32:00.009+01:002012-10-31T10:17:09.927+00:00Heylin Is Not Great<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW_fzP4umIH_bdKQdIkDWUn2M3okyD0eIzZ2emfaInSuIo4H_U9Beo6PIZst2UuZExAdGQ7ajplcoKzbZd5H_l3cJ3PXbIkTvxz6m0dYUmjaSu5OQ0oYjO1KnQ7pxSRSTCwpbr9oxCw/s1600/9781849386982.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619510448639819586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW_fzP4umIH_bdKQdIkDWUn2M3okyD0eIzZ2emfaInSuIo4H_U9Beo6PIZst2UuZExAdGQ7ajplcoKzbZd5H_l3cJ3PXbIkTvxz6m0dYUmjaSu5OQ0oYjO1KnQ7pxSRSTCwpbr9oxCw/s320/9781849386982.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 212px;" /></a><br />
People sometimes ask why I haven’t expressed an opinion about Clinton Heylin’s biography on this blog. I suppose I was hiding behind Oscar Wilde’s dictum: “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” No doubt which of these categories is appropriate for Mr H’s work. We’d forgive him much if he were a kind of rock’n’roll version of Christopher Hitchens (author of <em>God Is Not Great</em>) – writes like an angel, while cleaving to the Devil’s party. But Heylin doesn’t write like an angel. And now that his book has been republished, I wonder if what one might call the ‘Aesthetic’ defence is adequate. In his determination to be “forthright” (his publisher’s word), Heylin compounds his crimes against literary style by plumbing new depths of personal invective. <br />
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What we have from Omnibus Press is a straight reprint of the book originally published by Helter Skelter in 2000, complete with misprints and uncorrected factual errors and the same lacklustre set of photographs. To this has been added an opinionated and highly partial discography in which Heylin rubbishes every release of Sandy’s music since 2000, with the exception of the Saga sessions CD (the only one he was involved with himself.) This is followed by a truly bizarre five-and-a-half page tirade headed ‘An Intemperate Disquisition on the Plundering of Sandy Denny’s Musical Legacy’. Here he questions the professional integrity and motives of everyone who has been involved with issuing her music in the last ten years. These people must answer for themselves, and no doubt will. They’ll require, I daresay, at least another five pages to rebut his assertions point by point, for he makes numerous factual claims, many of which – even on the basis of information in the public domain – I know to be untrue. <br />
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For example:<br />
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He contrasts the firm control exercised by the Nick Drake estate over posthumous releases with the perceived laxity of the Denny estate: “As a result there has been no indentured hand on the rudder determined to nix material unworthy of her memory” (p275). In fact, there has been a stream of issues – <em>Time Of No Reply</em>, <em>Made To Love Magic</em>, <em>A Treasury</em>, <em>Fruit Tree</em> – designed to sate the public’s appetite for additions to Drake’s tiny recorded output. The most recent of these, <em>Family Tree</em> (2007), which packages up his early home demos, is prefaced by an open letter from Gabrielle Drake to her brother:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">“Up till now, every decision I have taken – I have been allowed to take – on your behalf about your music has been guided by what I believe might have met with your approval… But now I am endorsing the publication of an album that I am not at all sure you would have sanctioned.”</span><br />
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Gabrielle’s purpose, she goes on to explain, is to dish the bootleggers. <br />
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Ah yes, bootleggers. Mr H has written a whole book about them. One of his most serious charges is that the compiler of the 19-CD Sandy boxset sourced many of the unreleased recordings from “bootlegs” (p272). The press notice issued by Universal at the time made clear that the material used came from the Island archive or from reels which were property of the estate. Indeed, much of what he says about the recent boxset – the tracklisting, the contents, the accompanying book – suggests that he has not physically laid hands on it or listened to it, or even read the 4- and 5-star reviews in the press of what he calls “the most ill-conceived anthology of the CD era” (p278). He tells us that he expected to receive a complimentary copy (p279) even when I have it privately on good authority that no recording of his was used. Besides, no one seems to have got a complimentary set; I certainly didn’t, and work of mine <em>was</em> used in the box.<br />
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And so on, by way of an attack on Jerry Donahue based on misinformation about the Royalty Theatre recordings and the <em>Fotheringay 2</em> sessions. The accusation that Andrew Batt, who toiled for months in the Island archives to compile the recent boxset, has an “unhealthy obsession” with his subject (p278) is curious coming as it does from someone who has published over a thousand pages chronicling, via notebooks and studio logs, the evolution of every song Bob Dylan has ever recorded and putting Dylan himself right on a number of matters. As the <em>Independent</em> reviewer commented of this <em>magnum opus</em>, “Dylan might have been there – but only Heylin knows what actually happened.”<br />
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<b>Postscript May 2012. </b>Since I wrote the above the book has gone into a second impression. Recognising their mistake, the publishers have removed the offending 'Disquisition' from the reprint.Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-48868800584278708112011-05-30T18:22:00.011+01:002014-11-04T12:03:18.271+00:00Authorised biography<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaBY22TmWFZ-7cCwn5lZQhbD0OA4qQdupqPxPjKHT2CF9kAsBhmAY08pIr64LIkt6j0DH5T9ziTBPOfI7P944nPUTvETKLx0Fhu-9zPK5LNp7bZ8likECUQ4D1G8WoLe3LfWdVWJ0FA/s1600/lulus.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaBY22TmWFZ-7cCwn5lZQhbD0OA4qQdupqPxPjKHT2CF9kAsBhmAY08pIr64LIkt6j0DH5T9ziTBPOfI7P944nPUTvETKLx0Fhu-9zPK5LNp7bZ8likECUQ4D1G8WoLe3LfWdVWJ0FA/s320/lulus.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612566305888504658" style="display: block; height: 234px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> <br />
<div>
News from <a href="http://www.sandydennyofficial.com/">sandydennyofficial.com</a>:<br />
<em><strong><br />Authorised Sandy Biography to be published by Faber & Faber in 2013/14</strong> </em></div>
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<div>
<em>Finally, a, complete, considered and authorised biography of Sandy is underway. Late last year her estate approached long time music journalist and PR man Mick Houghton with the idea; publishers Faber & Faber commissioned the project and now it’s underway – due for publication late 2013/early 2014.<br /><br />Mick is eminently suited to the task. Whilst he’s taken care of the PR for many of the big names in the UK’s music scene through the 80s, Sandy fans will be more impressed by his current roster of boyhood folk music heroes: Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Shirley Collins. The past couple of years saw him researching and writing </em>Becoming Elektra<em>, his book about his all time favourite record label, Elektra Records and its founder Jac Holzman, that was published last October – while Mick was already busy organising the PR for the Sandy Boxset and also providing all the interviews for the hardback book that accompanied the 19CDs. </em><br />
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<b>Update, November 2014: </b>Faber has now announced a definite publication date of 5 March 2015:<i> <a href="http://fabersocial.co.uk/2014/10/ive-always-kept-a-unicorn-the-biography-of-sandy-denny-by-mick-houghton/">I've Always Kept a Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny</a></i>. </div>
Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-91527524639883273112011-04-03T14:09:00.008+01:002013-10-08T12:35:37.164+01:00New Fotheringay DVD<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfTYihEFYuEw2fGluu15WSdaF2-sorQ8lZ5a_4qDNywSFpO5vyaud6w7OkhaWZmaZFUnEElzjc6QuUZ5gCdwYv5ohCLtKaDHmChkQBQg0CCjU0U6Ggp7bZrzclfjVytKzYSolkpmw6w/s1600/FotheringayDVD.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591345545658574114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfTYihEFYuEw2fGluu15WSdaF2-sorQ8lZ5a_4qDNywSFpO5vyaud6w7OkhaWZmaZFUnEElzjc6QuUZ5gCdwYv5ohCLtKaDHmChkQBQg0CCjU0U6Ggp7bZrzclfjVytKzYSolkpmw6w/s320/FotheringayDVD.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 303px;" /></a><strong>Fotheringay with Sandy Denny - The Lost Broadcasts</strong> (CD+DVD) <br />
Release Date: [originally given as] 6 June 2011 <br />
Label: Gonzo <br />
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The session featured on this CD/DVD package was filmed for German TV in October 1970 and includes four songs. 'Too Much Of Nothing' was part of the original broadcast on the <em>Beat-Club</em> programme back in 1970 and 'Gypsy Davey' turned up on a compilation programme in the late 80's. 'Nothing More' and 'John The Gun' have been unseen until now.<br />
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Contents: 1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S46KvLCBc2Y">Too Much Of Nothing</a> 2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00hpupoh4eU">Gypsy Davey</a> 3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83MtrumVq4I">Nothing More</a> 4. John The Gun <br />
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<a href="http://www.voiceprintdata.com/trade/?location=/one_sheet/HST063CD">Press release</a> [dead link]<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Broadcasts-DVD-Fotheringay/dp/B004U6YMOA">Buy at Amazon UK</a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Postscript, July 2011: Amazon is now notifying customers that this item is unavailable and cancelling their orders. It looks doubtful that the DVD will ever appear: something to do with uncleared rights.</span>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-91235399856615862182010-09-04T16:00:00.022+01:002010-11-22T14:22:49.882+00:00Publicity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJTAzdJgMhIgVHHs1r4ctJLRrjtG0D6f15Hn1UQ2JMlWmdwm4WLHMvyKYpUEPAEPohJorf_DLR6OT-NJFqMbwgGeg6WxEdn3UWbOkWB4SoQxLG0NLstpVRbr79qrQh43NAA-NRPrhIw/s1600/sandy124.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513074437078773026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJTAzdJgMhIgVHHs1r4ctJLRrjtG0D6f15Hn1UQ2JMlWmdwm4WLHMvyKYpUEPAEPohJorf_DLR6OT-NJFqMbwgGeg6WxEdn3UWbOkWB4SoQxLG0NLstpVRbr79qrQh43NAA-NRPrhIw/s320/sandy124.jpg" /></a> <div>“<em>Don’t listen to her! You’ll realise that the rest of us are wasting your time.</em>” – Rachel Unthank on Sandy Denny, quoted in Universal Music press notice, 2010. <br /><br />Release date for the new box set of Denny’s work may have been put back to the third week of November but a veritable publicity blitz has already begun. First off the blocks was Rob Young in the October issue of <a href="http://www.uncut.co.uk/"><em>Uncut</em></a>, with a detailed biographical piece spread over five pages. Rob is very much the man of the moment: <a href="http://brushondrum.blogspot.com/2010/11/electric-eden.html"><em>Electric Eden</em></a> (Faber and Faber, 2010), his vast, encyclopaedic history of the English folk movement, has rightly won plaudits from critics and readers alike. Also out now is the September/October issue of <a href="http://www.shindig-magazine.com/"><em>Shindig!</em></a> featuring an interview by Andy Morten with box compiler Andrew Batt. The September/October issue of <a href="http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/"><em>R2</em></a> (formerly <em>Rock’n’Reel</em>) has the distinction of being (if I’m not mistaken) Denny’s first magazine cover since she graced the inaugural issue of <em>Zigzag</em> in 1969. The October <a href="http://www.frootsmag.com/"><em>fRoots</em></a> has a feature by Mike Wilson (on sale from 23 September). Kingsley Abbott's 5-page article in <a href="http://www.recordcollectormag.com/"><em>Record Collector</em></a> (October) is to be recommended, as is Sid Smith's 4-page profile in <em>Classic Rock Presents Prog</em> (December issue).<br /><br />Frank Zappa once dismissed rock journalism as "people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." I think his old friend (and sometime squeeze, if you believe the stories) is coming off better than that at the hands of today’s music writers.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />The Radcliffe and Maconey show on BBC Radio 2, Monday 8 November, 8pm, will devote a “Listen and Learn” feature to Denny. Listen again for seven days <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vlr62">here</a> (00.32 to 00.49).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz5W5FKE5RQ">Promo video</a> for the box set on YouTube.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20101026_sandy.shtml">radio news item</a> from 6 Music gives a taster of the newly discovered ‘Lord Bateman’ vocal.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sandydenny.org.uk/pdf/SD_track_listing.pdf">Final tracklisting for box set (pdf)</a><br /><a href="http://www.sandydenny.org.uk/pdf/SD_song_comments.pdf">Compiler's comments on some of the new tracks (pdf)</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[Now also blogging at </span><a href="http://www.brushondrum.blogspot.com/"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Brush on Drum</span></em></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.]</span></div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-5713860540469731412010-07-20T16:42:00.021+01:002011-01-16T14:48:39.769+00:00Mystery song<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8HoxO5Gvqin747lpAdP5iJzUQZa_NymfN_sC1b2DmvG2g6HL95XqI3dtTgtnlKzR26n2f2tdYwwcbSEZNkWXTCtH_2WrJ9xewulNnkhR1eQZx2fAd0KaYu997XmyZ9TyydDh6wSorA/s1600/Sandy66legcastsmall.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497422445741227762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8HoxO5Gvqin747lpAdP5iJzUQZa_NymfN_sC1b2DmvG2g6HL95XqI3dtTgtnlKzR26n2f2tdYwwcbSEZNkWXTCtH_2WrJ9xewulNnkhR1eQZx2fAd0KaYu997XmyZ9TyydDh6wSorA/s320/Sandy66legcastsmall.bmp" /></a> <div>Research for the new box set has unearthed a previously unknown early home recording. The lyrics are hard to make out but the following gives an approximation. It may be an original, but if so, with its cod mythology and sword-and-sorcery medievalism, it’s not quite like anything else Sandy ever did. It’s also delivered over (what is for her) an unusually fast finger-picking accompaniment. Any help in identifying it would be appreciated. She had several cracks at it, with slight changes of wording, hence the alternatives transcribed below. I find the lyric vaguely reminiscent of early Marc Bolan, for example ‘Aznageel The Mage’ on Tyrannosaurus Rex, <em>Prophets, Seers and Sages: The Angels of the Ages</em> (1968). <br /><br /><em>I saw a dark star against the black sky<br />Of a night thirteen hundred years long<br />It cast shrouding shadows upon the desert<br />Of the dark moons that formed in her eyes<br /></em><br /><em>On the … of … the sun never smiled<br />And the noon of the day was in shadow<br />And the sky left its tears on the black barren earth<br />And the … was … in …<br /></em><br /><em>On a shrine of black flowers M... lay dead<br />As he had for thirteen centuries<br />At his feet five crows stood and watched to his keep<br />And the whisper of time sighed around the hills<br /></em><br /><em>P... has tried fair winged [weird] for it stead<br />Though the sky's in search of a [the] star<br />And the serpent entwined about the stag's head<br />Tried to reach out and poison her hair.<br /></em><br /><em>O no, P..., you will not go far<br />M... has only one hour<br />And if you do not reach him before it is over<br />Then the … falls into the ocean [sea].<br /></em><br /><em>P... took her form and she stabbed [pierced] the serpent's eye<br />And he fell through the clouds to the land. [sea]<br />As she rode on and on through the blazing sky<br />With horizons of light in her unsung [till she came to …]<br /></em><br /><em>It was then that the daylight became the dark night<br />[And] she recalled [remembered] what the … [sermon] had said:<br />When the night becomes black and no sound can be heard,<br />You have come to the land of …<br /></em><br /><em>And she found the dark star hanging low in the sky<br />And she gathered it up in her arms<br />And she rode to the shrine where M... lay dead [and she rode to the place that was so …]<br />And she placed the dark star on her …<br /></em><br /><em>And the star became bright and it shone on the land<br />And the shrouds of darkness were gone<br />And M... was standing beside [before] P...<br />And the light came to bear in her hair. </em><br /><br /><em>Mojo </em>has a preview of another of the unreleased tracks, an acoustic demo version of <a href="http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2010/07/lost_sandy_denny_recordings_un.html">'I'm A Dreamer'</a>.<br /></div><div><em><br />The Guardian</em> has a preview of some <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2010/jul/21/sandy-denny">photos</a> from the box set.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Bob Harris's radio <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00b0tfg">documentary</a> about Sandy, first broadcast in 2008, is to be repeated on Wednesday 4 August 2010, BBC Radio 2, 10pm.</div><div><br />[Be sure to check out my new music blog <a href="http://www.brushondrum.blogspot.com/">Brush on Drum</a>.]</div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-69993806111493288522010-05-21T15:56:00.010+01:002010-11-28T10:06:50.378+00:00New box set<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_pzsElzN11OH1rPfInaUNSvpBwyyGnwqnKIWIg8rC-7E53BgT8CxHfs9no6_u__8q-cwVGnH-81ehyxA-DKLTIr6TWSUs0LQ5jTeCkAVTWkfB3oppvYhE-84o-jNOFTbXm7kthVR-A/s1600/sandy126.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544539820036631106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_pzsElzN11OH1rPfInaUNSvpBwyyGnwqnKIWIg8rC-7E53BgT8CxHfs9no6_u__8q-cwVGnH-81ehyxA-DKLTIr6TWSUs0LQ5jTeCkAVTWkfB3oppvYhE-84o-jNOFTbXm7kthVR-A/s320/sandy126.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx_MWQls9Ia0PZQWct70b4PO3L57Bkre8aCOvv-ud71lZzK8bLtQ2S0zZZY48IiJSXee1mNwHNGDmHH1rzXu-lnmA_ahC_1OBcVF6C5TeXkG4WBqDexjz89pfiDQ8WaWv5lQdumHbMw/s1600/SandyDennyBox'3D'.jpg"></a></div><div>Information has begun to emerge about the forthcoming definitive box set of Sandy’s work.<br /><br />Sandy Denny (Limited Edition 19CD Box Set), due for release on 1 November 2010 from Universal Music. The record company says:<br /><br /><em>"This superb limited edition box set includes 19 CDs, 11 of which feature Sandy's complete studio recordings with Alex Campbell, Johnny Silvo, Fotheringay, Strawbs, Fairport Convention and solo with additional content – outtakes, demos and live recordings. There are 8 CDs of bonus material – unreleased songs, demos, unreleased BBC recordings, alternate takes, live recordings, acoustic versions, and rare radio interviews. This set includes the legendarily 'long lost' Lord Bateman.<br /><br />Lavishly packed, this unique collection features all new artwork. It comes with a 72 page 11" square hardback book containing over 100 rare and mostly unseen photographs, Sandy's handwritten lyrics (many of which are unrecorded songs) and fascinating memorabilia. Each CD is housed in an individual gatefold digipack sleeve. The box also contains reproductions of a beautiful original Island press pack, an exceptionally rare A3 promo colour poster for Northstar Grassman And The Ravens, a set of Postcards, the receipt for the purchase of her first piano and one of Sandy's handwritten notebooks."</em><br /><br />Andrew Batt adds:<br /><br /><em>“I have been working on this boxset and have compiled the tracklisting, which will be released soon.<br /><br />I think the way to look at it is, if there wasn’t substantial high quality unreleased material then this boxset wouldn’t be happening. Aside from two new songs – Lord Bateman and Twelfth Of Never – there are amongst other things demos for the whole Sandy album and most of Northstar that are exceptional and which fans will love. If you like Sandy in a more stripped down setting then this boxset will delight you! It is amazing that so much unreleased stuff has surfaced over the years, but after going through literally every master reel, this is really it!<br /><br />I would estimate that there is 15-20% unreleased material, and remastered versions of things like All Our Own Work, Swedish Fly Girls that have never been on CD. All the previous bonus stuff will be included as well, and will also make their digital download debut.<br /><br />The whole project has been a real labour of love and aims to represent Sandy’s complete legacy.”</em><br /><br />Universal’s recommended retail price is around £140. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandy-Denny/dp/B003N18PI2">Amazon UK</a> is currently listing at £149.99 but this may reduce depending on the volume of pre-orders. It’s a tidy sum, but worth every penny, I reckon.<br /><br />The artwork is by the ever-reliable Phil Smee. The design has not yet been finalised, so may differ slightly from the illustration above.<br /><br />This sounds like a great project which we should all get behind. There's an official site at <a href="http://www.sandydenny.org.uk/">http://www.sandydenny.org.uk/</a> where you can join a mailing list for updates on the box and special offers. Also, the <a href="http://www.island50.com/news">Island50 store</a> is offering 100 sets that come with a numbered and framed print of the artwork, signed by the artist. Each print will be personally addressed to the purchaser.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(PS The Dutch painting I asked about in my previous post has now been identified as Vermeer, 'The Glass of Wine'. Thanks to Wim.)</span></div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-67268968382898375732009-08-23T17:32:00.024+01:002012-02-14T12:01:25.849+00:00Byfield<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373198762367046082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjqERlJ_P1SM5tmD5hrHGzztwhyphenhyphenludzEUw1eX07OrzXV9jsVczyt6jpS2t1NZD2vtlebVGWgaG9fjzYjQfU_wby1IeWXV0VQNMDoOaqSlpghYIuKreMbuBSA_n9yOqzL4mvHjQsQb_w/s320/sandy108.jpg" /> <div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">(Photo: Sandy Denny at home in Byfield, mid 1970s)</span></em></div><div><br />Byfield is the village in Northamptonshire, about half way between Banbury and Daventry as the crow flies and the A361 meanders, where Sandy Denny lived for the last four years of her life. I was lucky enough to pay a visit recently. Here are some photos from that day (courtesy of Andrew Batt, who took them).<br /><br /></div><div align="left">The house. The willow tree at the extreme right is clearly visible in photos of Sandy sunbathing in the garden which were included in the <em>Live at the BBC</em> booklet:<br /></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373548465149677634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJczU2VCTPBl4buapbzQ05iGrRrLFA4I0pOEsF9CmRVNU6xzprTjpn5GitNVrFXrYfU4U1wBW5UcdCkFvf5oXBDmq2GFURiwhq7-u-Svi6_0YTtR_l35rYI6B0rYXlKDqlwRF2Aq0mYA/s320/sandy104.jpg" /> <div align="left">The house, from the opposite end. In the foreground is the barn, which Sandy used as rehearsal space, since converted into living accommodation:<br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373548902836804594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCWwIeQTpj1Ij_RQNihyphenhyphenM6m8VV3aO3mMA7cUfbTSOQJ52J2uPnMuw8GH1mOZfX7YN7DsO9i_C6faG0mbNUJST1E__FUtfakohDempV5GCz64-MZr-mDmCE2OqNXDTjhDgVgXpRhN_Kg/s320/sandy105.jpg" /> The Village Hall, where Sandy made her last public appearance in April 1978:<br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373200358157517570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCUieBQ2h9n6q6YF8DLe2y9jpn43WQ9WXS_2E6hnaX-zVd270YC-ljOyLUN3u7CGUmEa6g5wFXRTi1dhlHcLAJTeo3mrmeceGRnEcaHSsbMhOJkuCCu38aVagn7EAlSbAo_5H2_rJkw/s320/sandy106.jpg" /> And the shaded pathway to Holy Cross Church:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 228px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373201374751294818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnr8EMrmLctW_IanZhhoECmAlaKz31fhcRRB5DFExIX84R37nvHcSMTLXcEVYIauu7JME5qLTtQEAd_Ae575GbvmmzYBGbWeyu0JNKfwQcqon8lhBjKyq2wSytKhiimttxelCykdpJA/s320/sandy107.jpg" /> The Rectory contained a stained glass of ‘Reynard the Fox’:<br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 326px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373202043284065602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWIjuVH1AIFgO9EN7t-YuNVcypQfIBpCIpq05tUrmZJAyXSm8LYvo7NjhqZWT08eEqLMAJFcrCqC01_-3EqFKiRMBDeBT6sKAHmHI7xBV2nUrXWmsamMeTGZfVBhnYNmDgoeHuvMLvw/s320/sandy109.jpg" />The illustration, showing Reynard in clerical dress preaching to a flock of geese, draws on the medieval Reynard allegories. The link to ‘Reynard the Fox’, the folksong that was in Denny’s repertoire, is, I admit, somewhat tenuous (though there be foxes in both). At the risk of stretching it to breaking point – and without daring to utter the pompous word ‘synchronicity’ – let me add a plug for a wonderful book I <em>happened to be </em>reading at the time of my visit, Peter Burt’s <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1409209016/"><em>Fables</em></a>:<br /><br /><em>‘What was school like 65 million years ago? Do bees have intimations of immortality? Do frogs respond well to psychoanalysis? Why was the nightingale in Keats’ garden regarded by his fellow creatures as a disgraceful reprobate? Meet Magnanimouse and his laboratory cagemate Alphonse, Doctor Spineswine the prickly philosopher, Twenty-First Century Fox, Formby the lion of two worlds and a whole supporting cast of friends from the animal kingdom (or somewhere not too far removed from it). In twelve tales with settings ranging from the late Cretaceous to the present day, they reveal the answers to these and other pressing questions of contemporary zoology.’<br /></em><br /><div>Burt’s ‘Twenty-First Century Fox’ is Reynard’s brother in adversity. Buoyed up by the Labour landslide of 1997 and the incoming administration’s promise to outlaw hunting with hounds, our vulpine hero leaves his rural foxhole and migrates to the city, in search of liberal attitudes and a foxier class of vixen. But it’s no go. Buffeted between ‘Natural Enemy No. 1’ (mankind) and ‘Natural Enemy No. 2’ (dogkind), disillusioned by a grinning Prime Minister who tears off that ‘fox-friendly mask’ to reveal ‘the same cunning old dog’ underneath, he is driven back whence he came, brush between his legs. Not even Sandy’s Reynard, with the ‘jubal hounds’ a-pressing upon his life, has a more wretched time of it. </div><div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">[Note. The photos of Denny’s former home are published with kind permission of the present owners. Please respect their privacy by not republishing them elsewhere.]</span></strong> </div></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></strong></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Postscript, February 2012</b>. Further images of the Byfield interior, including the kitchen with vintage jukebox, are published in: David Roberts,<i> Rock Atlas: 650 Great Music Locations and the Fascinating Stories Behind Them</i> (2011), pp154-6.</span></div>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-70539082327358094402009-03-22T15:57:00.008+00:002009-08-20T20:02:03.775+01:00A short tale about a long tail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPf92wow4SyzOG2Ipgli58ISAE9ISAunNxnsxS0wGqGaTKoMpynAv0HlBVpQ6JVyGXcyLmqbydF5JqZfLfehIcb2taRDefHqx377IOwFT9-xMOFjx51Jh2OKDTtnilfLiQSG-t4ox-Q/s1600-h/sandy96.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316043109728602322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPf92wow4SyzOG2Ipgli58ISAE9ISAunNxnsxS0wGqGaTKoMpynAv0HlBVpQ6JVyGXcyLmqbydF5JqZfLfehIcb2taRDefHqx377IOwFT9-xMOFjx51Jh2OKDTtnilfLiQSG-t4ox-Q/s320/sandy96.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />‘This one has no end,’ the lady sang. Was she right?<br /><br />A friend of mine has a personal website. With perverse delight he has concealed it on some Austrian server, far from the reach of web-crawlers and search engines, where like a fox having evaded the hunter it gloats over its own escape from notice. If you do somehow locate it, you are met with a ‘welcome’ page (though never was the word less apt) which is the epitome of self-deprecating English humour. It reads:<br /><br /><em>‘Congratulations, intrepid cybernaut! You have finally reached the end of the long tail.’</em><br /><br />The ‘long tail’ is a tale I’d like to believe. The idea was promoted in a book by Chris Anderson, who challenged the conventional wisdom in retailing, namely that selling the most popular 20 per cent of products is the way to make a profit as they will account for 80 per cent of sales. No, says Anderson, not so in the new online market. His analysis of online music sales suggested that, thanks to the cheapness, simplicity and global accessibility of searching for products online, retailers could make money from more obscure products because they would always find an audience. Amazon is the textbook example of this new retail model. The theory took a bit of a knock last year, apparently, with the publication of a study by the MCPS-PRS Alliance, which found that, over a 12-month period, of the 1.23 million albums available online, only 173,000 were ever bought, meaning that 85 per cent did not sell a single copy all year. Conversely, for the online singles market, 80 per cent of all revenue came from around 52,000 tracks. In other words, the online market may not have rewritten the ‘80/20 rule’ as we supposed. For Anderson the long tail, like the rainbow, has no ‘end’. <br /><br />While I leave the supporters of both sides arguing over statistics, I turn to another friend who asked me why this blog has fallen silent in 2009. The short answer is that I was waiting for some good news to report. After the successes of anniversary year, I believed we’d reached a plateau – now I’m not so sure. We’re still hoping to reprint the souvenir brochure that was put together for the December concert. My contribution to that was the reprint of a long article written at the start of last year. Back then I was gloomy about Denny’s prospects in the new millennium:<br /><br /><em>‘To find Sandy’s albums in your record store you must locate ‘Folk’ on the first floor or in the basement, nestling somewhere among World, Jazz, Blues, Easy Listening and all the other consumer choices. In the Seventies she would have been on the ground floor, near the point of sale.’ </em><br /><br />Later in 2008 I decided this conclusion was too pessimistic: I was thinking in terms of the old technologies that I grew up with. By the year’s end, buoyed up by the apparent media interest in this long-dead songstress, I wanted to accentuate the positive, imagine how a 20-year-old, without ever leaving his bedroom, could stumble on Sandy Denny via YouTube or last.fm. So I drafted this upbeat insertion to my text:<br /><br /><em>‘But wait, here’s the upside: there’s never been a better time to have a <u>posthumous</u> career. The music lover (especially the younger one) no longer ventures into a shop to look for a ‘record’. Digital downloads, file-sharing and social networking sites have transformed how we ‘consume’ music. If you go hunting ‘Sandy Denny’ now, once the scent of the chase is in your nostrils, you’re only a few mouse clicks away from finding her – biographical information, music-examples, photos, even video clips. And you’re only an email away from finding others who share your new-found interest. Society has indeed become more atomised since the Seventies, but the Internet has the potential to remake those broken connections in another way.’ </em><br /><br />Still this paragraph remains unmoored, bobbing freely adrift from its context, because I don’t know whether I believe it. Is she a beneficiary of the ‘long tail’? Or is there no ‘long tail’ and is she a victim of the inflexible ‘80/20’ law which says that if you’re not in the 20 per cent of artists who generate 80 per cent of sales, then you’re not big enough to have books written or television programmes made about you?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Statistics taken from: Patrick Foster, 'Sting in the tail for online sellers as 10m music tracks spin unloved through cyberspace', <em>The Times</em>, 22 December 2008, p17)</span>Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-24424928571373934772008-12-30T15:16:00.012+00:002010-02-21T16:57:18.918+00:00Review of the year 2008<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285606118689855666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtQhXeLhXXOMINaZfmSuvFsoWHZCfSOfj6z5Js1Bvy3eFoTpKcCds5n0FbRot73psQe469249IcWpV8qZde189lDZBWjwhO33B0FqZt_WnHnxdzzNpF3dSRrYb9SCczHqi28zuiZ-DQ/s400/Sandy91.bmp" /> <span style="font-size:85%;">(Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 1 December 2008. Photo: Chris Bates)</span><br /><br />About eighteen months ago I published a post here on the topic ‘Cults and anniversaries’. My question then was whether the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of Sandy Denny’s death might be the trigger for a serious reappraisal of her work and a breakthrough to wider acceptance. Looking back over the past year, I have my answer. The tectonic plates of musical taste are definitely shifting, and to her advantage. Think how much has happened in the last nine months:<br /><br />- April: tribute concert at the Troubadour Club, London, and one-hour documentary on BBC Radio 2.<br />- May: she makes a ghostly appearance on Jools Holland’s influential TV show in the middle of an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-KGCZLq4mk">interview</a> with Robert Plant.<br />- August: tribute slot during Cropredy Festival, including a rare occurrence of Julie Fowlis singing in English.<br />- September: release of <em>Fotheringay 2</em> after thirty-eight years in the freezer.<br />- November: ten-minute <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/04/2008_48_tue.shtml">feature</a> on <em>Woman’s Hour</em>, BBC Radio 4.<br />- December: tribute concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.<br /><br />Add to that Robert Plant’s revival of ‘The Battle of Evermore’ on tour with Alison Krauss (introduced from the stage with due obeisance to an absent friend) and several newspaper and magazine articles, and you can’t help feeling something is astir. For me, this translates into the paradox that, whilst I personally have had a pretty bad year, culminating in bereavement in October, this long-deceased lady has had a remarkably good year, almost certainly her ‘best’ year since she passed over. All that’s required now is to keep up the momentum. Some of you may have heard rumours of a forthcoming TV series on British women musicians. Kate Bush, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Amy Winehouse and (so we thought) Sandy Denny. My mole on the inside tells me that Sandy has now been dropped from the series, on the grounds that she’s "not famous enough" and viewers of BBC1 (where the series will air) have “never heard of her”. It’s a shame, whichever way you look at it, as filming had already begun on the Sandy programme and this would have been a unique opportunity to place her in rightful company whilst bringing her to the widest audience.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285607113775120834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gyI-zvO03a9jGEkE9tBT1o8YbOxWRd8StGz8iBFYK_OcKrEnr7UctWUamv5D5_I2v99XDfM64vX_taDjk8Q-oAwMiX5ZhiWGpq8Ohiv9_MJAw_U6bIg3sqrpZaoHgqthIJpyI5hYAQ/s400/Sandy90.bmp" />(l-r: Lisa Knapp, Jerry Donahue, Mary Epworth, Johnny Flynn, Sam Carter, PP Arnold, Kristina Donahue, Jim Moray. Photo: Chris Bates)</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br />Anyway, it's gratifying that both the tribute concerts this year happened in venues associated with her. While the QEH isn’t so redolent with associations as the Troubadour in Earl’s Court, it still has its place in her story. She performed there a number of times, notably twice in 1971 – at the Fotheringay ‘farewell’ concert in January, and again in September at her London ‘solo’ relaunch, an event recalled by those who were there as fairly disastrous, under-rehearsed, but redeemed at the last minute by a glorious <em>a cappella</em> ‘Lowlands of Holland’. Perhaps the next commemoration of this kind (and here’s hoping there will be more) should take place outside the capital, or even outside the UK? The LA Troubadour, perhaps? – another venue she knew very well. Closer to home, I notice that the the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast is holding a <a href="http://www.cqaf.com/otl09/music_06.html">‘Sandy Denny night’</a> on 21 January 2009. The featured artist is Linde Nijland. It must be an ‘open mic’ night as well, as the advertisement says: ‘If you would like to perform a Sandy Denny song at this event contact [the Festival director] Sean@cqaf.com.’<br /><br />As I write, the January/February issue of <a href="http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/"><em>Rock’n’Reel</em></a> plops through the letterbox. It contains, I’m pleased to see, not just my own retrospective piece on Fotheringay but also a poignant end-of-year message from Sean McGhee recalling that moment, so sacred to all of us, of first encounter with Denny’s work:<br /><br /><em>‘We rarely know what lies ahead for us. Little did I suspect back then, as I listened to her wonderful voice, that one day I’d be writing an editorial such as this, Sandy having long since sung her final song. Yet we’re still listening…’</em><br /><br />Here’s to a wonderful 2009 filled with the very best sounds! Onwards and upwards!Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993066725150355656.post-80793700291698366172008-10-14T17:41:00.014+01:002008-11-28T12:30:38.442+00:00South Bank Centre tribute<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWTDrON9cq_sKcDmrVvm8yJALBMZ0lmx4LD0JPE4NjN4c1VVBye0oaKnEWliIx9_Eehod4eguXfAEB82MJEWRRhVfLx-Ak_ECePMyGgRfAwWUpNFDKmbYMFh9xHKfzc6uI1z0DNHecA/s1600-h/qeh.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257085645743027106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWTDrON9cq_sKcDmrVvm8yJALBMZ0lmx4LD0JPE4NjN4c1VVBye0oaKnEWliIx9_Eehod4eguXfAEB82MJEWRRhVfLx-Ak_ECePMyGgRfAwWUpNFDKmbYMFh9xHKfzc6uI1z0DNHecA/s320/qeh.bmp" border="0" /></a><strong><em>The Lady : A Tribute to Sandy Denny</em></strong><br /><br /><em>Monday 1 December 2008, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London</em><br /><br /><em>In the 30 years since her death, Sandy Denny has emerged as one of the UK’s greatest singer-songwriters. A unique line up of artists including former colleagues and young admirers re-interpret her songs in this very special tribute showcasing her work with Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and her solo career. </em><br /><br /><em>A great line up is promised (to be announced over the next few weeks) but early birds can get tickets </em><a href="http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/music/productions/the-lady-a-tribute-to-sandy-43399"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em><br /><br />The above is from the Sandy page on MySpace, announcing the final event of anniversary year. I'm only peripherally involved in this one, but I heartily recommend it and hope to see some blog readers there. More details will appear here as I have them. Joe Boyd was complaining that tributes to Denny should be happening in the largest venues, not in little clubs like the Troubadour with a capacity of 120. I'm quite sure all 950 seats at the QEH will be sold out on 1 December, so don't delay.<br /><br /><strong>Update, 11.11.08.</strong> Now confirmed to appear: Marc Almond, PP Arnold, Martin Carthy, Baby Dee, Lisa Knapp, Jim Moray, Dave Swarbrick, Jerry Donahue, Johnny Flynn, Mary Epworth, Sam Carter, Kristina Donahue and members of Bellowhead. <br /><br />As I understand it, the concert is all about looking beyond the ‘Fotheringport’ family (though, of course, they will have their rightful place on the night) to find the much wider fan base she deserves. For instance, the <em>Independent</em> recently quoted Jamie Reynolds of Klaxons (<em>NME</em> Best New Band 2007, etc.) saying that Sandy would be the vocalist in his ‘fantasy’ band. Hence the welcome presence of a number of newer, younger artists who will bring in their own audiences, present her work in novel ways and take her legacy into the next generation.<br /><br /><strong>Update, 28.11.2008.</strong> Jude Rogers, in her <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/28/cohen-hallelujah-sandy-denny">column</a> in today's <em>Guardian</em>, much of it about Sandy Denny, cites this gig as evidence that 'her dark star is rising everywhere'.Philip Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533820381398938569noreply@blogger.com1