Sandy Denny - Live At The BBC

Impressive haul of Beeb goodies: three CDs and a DVD

Did Albion ever sire a greater female voice than Sandy Denny? Followers of June Tabor, Anne Briggs and Dusty Springfield may wrangle, but the evidence here is compelling. Prior to joining The Strawbs and giving Fairport Convention the finest set of pipes a nascent folk-rock combo could wish for, the teenage Denny cut a handful of intriguing staples for the Beeb’s Folk Song Cellar in 1966. But the real genius of her plangent, highly emotive songs is best served by a trio of Bob Harris sessions spanning ’71-’73. Unaccompanied, The Lowlands Of Holland is like being trapped in the teeth of a chill wind, made all the more unsettling by Denny’s stately demeanour. Set against spare piano, It Suits Me Well is equally stunning. Some of the recording quality is not the best, particularly on the “Off Air” disc, but Denny’s captured in all her river-clear purity on a gig from London’s Paris Theatre circa 1972. Her immaculate, poised delivery contrasts with her apparent lack of self-esteem off stage, a paradox hinted at during an awkward interview with Auntie’s starchy star of Sounds On Sunday, Johnny Moran. Tragically, Denny was dead by 1978, aged just 31, but this music sounds ever more luminous as time passes.

Universal/Island | 7086 B 0622

Reviewed by Rob Hughes
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