No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology

No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sandy Denny was perhaps was the greatest singer to come out of the British folk-rock movement of the 1960s. No More Sad Refrains is a two-CD collection of songs from her four solo albums as well as a selection from her work with Fairport Convention and the short-lived band Fotheringay. While Denny was alive critics praised her for her exquisite voice while overlooking her songwriting, which was equal to that of her fellow Fairporter, Richard Thompson. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" her most popular song is here, along with lesser known but still worthy compositions such as "The Pond and the Stream," "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz," and "I'm a Dreamer." One unexpected treat is the duet with Linda Peters, who later married Richard Thompson, on the Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved." The music of Sandy Denny is probably better known and more respected in 2000 than it was when she died of a brain hemorrhage caused by a fall in 1978. Like the music of Nick Drake, another great British singer-songwriter who died too young, these songs have a melancholy air that is only deepened by the knowledge of her early death. --Michael Simmons

Tracks:

Fotheringay - Fairport Convention
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? - Fairport Convention
Crazy Man Michael - Fairport Convention
Farewell Farewell - Fairport Convention
The Ballad Of Easy Rider - Fairport Convention
Nothing More - Fotheringray
The Sea - Fotheringray
The Pond And The Stream - Fotheringray
Banks Of The Nile - Fotheringray
Late November
John The Gun
Next Time Around
The North Star Grassman And The Ravens
When Will I Be Loved - The Bunch
Learning The Game - The Bunch
Here In Silence
Man Of Iron

Tracks:

I'll Take A Long Time
Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood
Listen, Listen
The Lady
It Suits Me Well
Solo
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz
Friends
Carnival
No End
Stranger To Himself
One More Chance
For Shame Of Doing Wrong
One Way Donkey Ride
I'm A Dreamer
All Our Days
No More Sad Refrains

Amazon.com

Sandy Denny was perhaps was the greatest singer to come out of the British folk-rock movement of the 1960s. No More Sad Refrains is a two-CD collection of songs from her four solo albums as well as a selection from her work with Fairport Convention and the short-lived band Fotheringay. While Denny was alive critics praised her for her exquisite voice while overlooking her songwriting, which was equal to that of her fellow Fairporter, Richard Thompson. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" her most popular song is here, along with lesser known but still worthy compositions such as "The Pond and the Stream," "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz," and "I'm a Dreamer." One unexpected treat is the duet with Linda Peters, who later married Richard Thompson, on the Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved." The music of Sandy Denny is probably better known and more respected in 2000 than it was when she died of a brain hemorrhage caused by a fall in 1978. Like the music of Nick Drake, another great British singer-songwriter who died too young, these songs have a melancholy air that is only deepened by the knowledge of her early death. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

A great voice.......2006-07-17

Sandy Denny, one of the greatest voices in music. A collection of her songs spanning a long, but sadly a shortened career.

Mournful, memorable melodies........2006-06-12

This is a well thought out and well produced compilation that gives a good overview of Sandy's work. The insert notes, by her biographer Clinton Heylin, are very good, except that they inexplicably omit any mention of The Bunch - Rock On, and Pass of Arms, albums from which 4 of the tracks are taken. Pass of Arms in particular contributes the 2 most musically interesting arrangements here, so it is odd that Heylin ignores them.

The first 2 tracks, Fotheringay and Who Knows Where the Time Goes? are her best known, and deservedly so. It has to be said that her writing acquired a certain sameness, and her best later vocals are treatments of traditional songs, like Banks of the Nile. I would also add that the Judi Collins cover of Who Knows Where the Time Goes? is superior to Sandy's own version, in my opinion. Fotheringay, by the way, was the name of the English castle where Mary, queen of Scots was imprisoned.

Sandy was the archetypal late-sixties Folkie, complete with mini skirt, long flowing hair, guitar and bundle of ballads. She was sixties dolly-bird on the way to becoming seventies hippie; sixties folk-revivalist on the way to becoming seventies folk-rocker. Hers was a sweet, melodic voice that she sensibly kept within its range, and which had a persistent, mournful coloring, which she unfailingly indulged. Her lyrics are often mysterious (even to her) and always thoughtful. She and the smoke-filled Folk den were made for each other.

She died aged 31, shortly after declaring at a Royal Albert Hall concert that she would sing 'no more sad refrains', which became the title of the last track on her last album. If she seriously intended to renounce sad songs and take her writing to new places, it could have led to something great. Sadly, we'll never know.

great voice, mediocre songwriter .......2005-02-05

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but this collection only reminds why I soured on Sandy Denny in the first place. Some of the early material is terrific; besides her justly-praised vocal talents, the earlier songcraft is good and sometimes terrific. But a dreary sameness overtakes much of these sides; Denny was one of many artists over the past four decades whose songwriting seems to have mainly consisted of setting up a chord progression, then intuitively establishing predictable melody lines around it in "connect-the-dots" fashion.

The result is that few of these tracks are especially memorable. One of the songs included here, the early Fairport/Richard Thompson gem, "Crazy Man Michael," provides an exception that proves the rule: with a gorgeous melody that comfortably inhabits but also transcends its chordal foundations, this tracks blows most of the other tracks on this compilation out of the water. Yes, she remained a fine singer, and much here is pleasant enough in an innocuous way. But life is too short to spend much time with most of these songs.

Her legacy lives on.......2004-11-17

Sandy-we hardly knew thee...
Theres a gaping hole in the music universe now that Sandy has moved on. Sandy synthesized traditional English folk music with popular music and made it her own.
Timelessly appealing and ever fresh, she was a trailblazer who made this genre of music accessible to new fans thoughout the 60's and 70's.
If you like Steeleye Span, Pentangle, Renaissance and Jethro Tull, you will love Sandy. Folk music and countless others, owe her a debt that can never be paid.
Do yourself a favor and buy this testament to her talent.

Achingly beautiful!.......2004-07-03

Sandy could turn any song into a sad song and wring tears from every note. This anthology is proof of that. Her album "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz," (of which five out of nine tunes appear here) remains my all-time favorite. There is just something about the catch in her voice that sends shivers down my spine. Songs like "Solo," "No End," "I'm a Dreamer," and "No More Sad Refrains," once heard, will stick in your memory forever. I can't think of a more expressive singer from the 60's or 70's (aside from Janis Joplin, who Sandy has no vocal resemblance to whatsoever).

The first disk provides a good survey of her early work with Fairport Convention and assorted bands. As great as these tunes are, they are only appetizers for the main course served up on disk two, when Sandy, emerges as an amazing solo artist in her own right. From her folk roots, she manages to incorporate rock, jazz, classical, and 30's dance hall music into her powerful compositions. My only beef with this collection is that it doesn't include "At the End of the Day" and one of her classic throwbacks ("Whispering Grass" or "Until the Real Thing Comes Along"). Otherwise, it's nearly perfect.

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