Customer Reviews

Boxful of Treasures (Spkg)

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Sandy Denny is one of the best artists the UK produced in the 60's and 70's, yet so few people have heard of her in the USA that it borders on disgrace. IF people know her, they know her as the one guest vocalist Led Zeppelin ever used (on The Battle of Evermore). This underrated woman, whose second written song was "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", was a popular folk singer by the time she joined up with the Strawbs for an album, and shortly thereafter, the Fairport Convention for 3 albums (all considered classics) before starting her own highly acclaimed group Fotheringay, following that with 4 solo albums and a brief return to Fairport. This box set covers all of this ground, though it may find you scrambling to locate the original releases to hear the tracks that could not be included due to space reasons. It includes alternate versions of several songs, and many unreleased versions, including 3 of "By The Time It Gets Dark", a song that should have seen the light of day when her fourth solo LP, Rendevous, was released, which nevertheless has been covered by several artists to date.
Who knows why Sandy is not well-known. She died tragically young at a time when her career was in a lull. There was a tendency on the part of her producers to add a lot of ornamental flourishes to her music, and some of that causes these works to age more than they would have, which may be contributing to reluctance of radio stations to air the songs. But to hear the songs and realize that their quality is so good, and they're being sung by quite possibly the best female singer to sing popular music (and that is NOT an exaggeration), it's easy to forgive added strings and other similar indulgements. To help offset this, disc 5 is made up of almost entirely simple demos of Sandy with guitar or piano, mostly unreleased.
As Richard Thompson put it in the liner notes, practically every artist he knows whose work he respects highly has Sandy's music in their personal collections. There is a very good reason for that. Some of Sandy's work can correctly be called some of the best popular music has ever had to offer. Dive in and enjoy.

You've probably never heard of her.

But, ironically enough, you've almost certainly heard her.

And you've probably heard at least one of the songs she wrote, again without knowing it. Both Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny share the somewhat dubious distinction of writing songs ("Clouds" and "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", respectively) Judy Collins made into hits. (But Sandy's several recordings of her own work make Collins' cover version sound almost sterile in comparison.)

And just where exactly did you actually hear her? Three female guest vocal appearances on albums by some of rock's greatest bands of the early 1970's come to mind: Mary Clayton's incredible shriek on the Stones' "Gimmie Shelter"; Clare Tory's unbelievable wordless solo on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon"; and Sandy Denny's jaw-dropping duet with Robert Plant on Led Zep's "The Battle Of Evermore".

Yeah, she's that singer.

As far as I know, Mary and Clare were never heard of again. For most people, at least here in the States, Sandy might just as well have dropped totally out of sight too, except for a handful of devoted followers, though in Britain she was a queen. Her untimely and tragic death, coming at a lull in her career, prevented her from ever reaching the level of recognition here she deserved. I can remember still how downhearted I was when I heard a radio DJ say: "And the last selection was by Sandy Denny ... or should I say, the late Sandy Denny?" Only John Lennon's death saddened me more. Had she not died, I'm sure Sandy would have rebounded from that lull and her personal problems and become the superstar she ought to have been.

But beware--listen to this collection only when you really want to feel something, something strong. Sandy's voice was like a strong drink, perhaps the most emotionally evocative voice of her generation, and her songs were given to strong emotions, introspection, and melancholia. Along with her remarkable emotional range, her dynamic range was simply astonishing, ranging from a breathy, delicate whisper to a full-throated roar (all the more impressive coming from such a diminutive woman) in a single breath, with perfect control. Her live work, especially where she's accompanied only by a simple piano or guitar, displays her true vocal power, clearly demonstrating she often didn't need a band behind her at all--one of the contradictions of her life and career was her lack of self-confidence often required a supporting cast and often led to producers over-adorning her songs needlessly.

This is by no means a perfect anthology but it is certainly a great start. Hoepfully someday the legendary BBC Sessions, which were withdrawn immediately after they were released, will be officially re-released; those recordings and the live "Gold Dust" concert would round out this collection nicely.

This fine box set from the U.K. displaces the (sadly) discontinued "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" as the definitive survey of Sandy Denny's lamentably short career. It takes the listener from her early days as a traditional folk artist, through Fairport Convention and its offshoots (Fotheringay and the Bunch), and ends up with her later solo recordings. While any summary of Denny's output will suffer from omissions, this one is as good as it is likely to get.

Obviously, the selections from the early Fairport Convention years only brush the surface - anyone who fancies themselves a fan of Denny or Richard Thompson should own the individual albums. The same goes for the solo albums, although the coverage "A Boxful of Treasures" provides is very good. The fifth CD which is a collection of mostly demos and a few live recordings is a wonderful supplement. When considering a five CD set, it is silly to identify individual standouts - we all have our favorites in the Denny catalog. It is enough to say that there are, in fact, many great performances here.

The short statement from Richard Thompson which begins the accompanying booklet says what needs to be said regarding the fact that Denny's work is largely unknown to most modern listeners - some (at least) of whom should know better. One continues to hope that the contemporary music community will open its eyes to one of the greatest female singer-songwriters to ever record. Even if they are three decades late in their realization.

A simply glorious set covering maybe the greatest, most emotionally-resonant vocalist anyone will ever hear. There's really not much to say that hasn't already been said, but that won't stop me from saying that in addition to the identifiable-by-one-syllable voice she possessed perhaps the rarest of gifts: the ability to transmit the purest emotional impact through the most obtuse & indecipherable words.

In this she is only rivalled by Bob Dylan and possibly Neil Young... songs like "The Sea," "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens," and "Nothing More" will just wrench your still-beating heart from your chest and open up previously-floodgated torrents of deep, melancholic feelings from within you. That is to say, I guarantee this woman will make you weep like a child, often through lyrics where you won't have the foggiest conscious inkling of just what or who it is she is singing about. It's as if she is able to transmit the innermost meanings of her songs, as only she understands them, through the barriers in your mind and send them right to your heart, bypassing the unconscious filters we have and cutting straight to the core. Which is to say nothing of her incredible, one-of-a-kind vocal instrument, itself a rival to singers like Billie Holliday, Maria Callas, and others outside the periphery of what you'd call "pop".

Someone on here said she is maybe the best singer of the 20th century and that about says it. Don't just buy this set, buy everything she did and let it change your life as it did mine and countless others... let this woman wash over you and become, inevitably, the music you hold closest to you in your private moments and that which sustains you for the rest of your life, even though (so sadly) she herself only lived to be barely 30 years old.

There are precious few artists about whom you find yourself thanking Providence that you got to be alive at the same time as they were and to experience the indescribable totality of what it means to be alive through their eyes. This is one of those people, period.

It saddens me that Sandy Denny is so little known here and was so seldom played on the air. The first time I heard her voice, I was absolutely riveted and was instantly on a mission to obtain as much of her work as I could. Not only was her voice purely beautiful, she conveyed tremendous emotion, and a hint of sadness, in every phrase, almost as if she had some secret foreknowledge of her early and tragic death. She was a wonderful song-writer and her collaborative efforts with other artists, especially Fairport Convention and Fotheringay, were beyond brilliant.

I highly recommend this set to anyone, whether you have heard all of Sandy's work or not. There are so many treasures in this set (the demo disc, number 5, is a joy to listen to), the design of the whole package is functional and also delightful to look at. The introduction by Richard Thompson is a great piece of writing, and the biography and photographs are wonderfully done. The biography was honest about who Sandy was...a flawed gem who had talents and appetites larger than life... and I was left with no doubt that anyone who knew her loved her.

One fascinating fact was that Sandy's casual singing of Scottish folk songs that she had learned from her father influenced the Fairports and Richard Thompson to go in a Celtic direction. I wonder what the state of Celtic influenced and even world music would be today without her seminal influence. Another fascinating fact was that she lacked self-confidence and always had stage fright.

Yes, there are songs I have heard before...and I am glad of it. I will never tire of listening to Sandy Denny's angelic voice and it is good to know that this tribute exists....and that I have it. It is worth every penny and then some.

This is definitely a great boxful of treasures. I have had inferior cds of some of the material in this collection and the sound quality is vastly better in this set. What I love are the home demos. Sandy's voice is so pure and beautiful that all she needed was her piano or guitar. These previously unreleased demos are a treasure. It's really like hearing Sandy singing in person. There are so many great songs and that includes alternative outtakes. Sandy Denny deserves this great tribute to her incredible musical legacy. I recommend this set without any hesitation. It is worth the price! It truly is,because Sandy is gone but here is the timeless treasure of music she left for us. So much in this set has never been released before and it is wonderful that they are now available to those of us who are touched by the great talent of the late Sandy Denny.

A remarkable overview of an overlooked yet brilliant performer and writer! Even if you own her entire catalog, this one should be added as well. Yes, certainly for the unreleased material, but even more for the loving approach and design of the track sequencing. The success of introducing Reynardine out of A Sailor's Life is not unintentional - Fledgl'ng knows what its doing. Songs flow into each other with an ease and logic throughout. The third disc, alone, will take your breath away.

A retrospective with perspective. Buy this one for the soul - your's or someone else's!

I use to put Sandy Denny right up there with Joni Mitchell. Not any more. After listening to this box set I came to the conclussion that Sandy was the best female vocalist of this era. Its too bad she was not known very well in the U.S. What Richard Thompson had written about Sandy (see 52 page booklet) say's it all. I highly recommend this CD collection.

Even those who are not Sandy Denny completists should consider springing for this set. Her vocals are among the sweetest ever recorded, whatever the setting. And the settings with Fairport Convention are very good indeed. The biography included in the set was well done, even if it unfortunately confirmed my worst fears about her life and depressing death. Only complaint: Like the previous set Who Knows Where The Time Goes, this one leaves off Matty Groves, one of Fairport's great folk ballads.

This is the Sandy Denny retrospective that her fans have been waiting for! Everything about this set screams quality, from the packaging to the book to the songs themselves. Get rid of your Hannibal box set & replace it with this. You will not be sorry!!!! Although it is a bit pricy, it's worth every penny.