Whenever Sandy Denny has appeared here before it has usually been as part of Fairport Convention and more often than not it has been her singing the classic song that is Who Knows Where the Time Goes.
The main reason for that is that I don't have much solo stuff by her - only Heritage a collection of her earlier songs on the Disky label and a burn of The Best of the BBC Recordings.
Therefore I was quite chuffed in Missing to get my hands on a copy of her 4th and final solo album Rendezvous originally from 1977 and on the Island label.The copy I got is the 2005 Island remastered reissue which includes five bonus tracks.
It was released shortly after she and Trevor Lucas left Fairport Convention with Lucas' production geared towards a contemporary rock sound with a view to her becoming a mainstream act. That will explain Candle in the Wind then.The general consensus appears to be that it was over produced with an excess of strings, backing vocals and overdubs.
I was hoping for something a little bit more folky which would do her unique voice justice. Sadly it was to be her last album prior to her dead in 1978 after a fall. She was only 31.
Probably her weakest album but there is still some good stuff on there, like these two and "I'm A Dreamer". "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens" is the one to look out for.
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DeleteSilver Threads and Golden Needles is a song that should have been perfect for Sandy Denny. It's been done by everyone from Dolly Parton, to the Seekers, to the Grateful Dead. But to me, she takes it at too slow a tempo with (yes) too much production, and the end result is kind of "meh". A missed opportunity, I think.
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Agreed Marc
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