Gold Dust (Sandy Denny album)

Last updated
Gold Dust
DennyGoldDust.jpg
Live album by
Sandy Denny
ReleasedJune 1998 (UK)
Recorded27 November 1977
Venue Royalty Theatre, Portugal Street, London
Genre Folk rock
Label Island IMCD 252/524 (UK)
Producer Jerry Boys, Jerry Donahue, Trevor Wyatt
Sandy Denny chronology
The BBC Sessions 1971-1973
(1997)		Gold Dust
(1998)		No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Gold Dust is a live album by the late English folk rock singer Sandy Denny. It documents one of Denny's last public performances and was recorded at London's "Sound Circus" venue at the Royalty Theatre, Portugal Street, near Aldwych, London (now the Peacock Theatre) on 27 November 1977. The album features many of her classic songs both as a solo artist and as a member of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay and remains the most extensive documentation of Sandy's live work with a backing band. The album was not released on the label originally planned owing to stated technical problems with the master tape, and was only released on a different label twenty years after her death after various guitar and backing vocal tracks parts were re-recorded by Jerry Donahue and others.

Contents

Album Information

Denny had not performed live for about two years and her solo studio release from earlier that year, Rendezvous , had shown a departure from traditional folk music. She had been quoted as saying shortly before this recording "If I have to sing "Matty Groves" one more time, I'll throw myself out of a window." [2] Denny's voice is well captured on this recording, although some critics claim that it was sub-par due either to the effects of a cold or to wear-and-tear compounded by the effects of her long term smoking. [2] The performance was the final concert of an 11-date U.K. tour [3] although one source claims erroneously that it was the first date [4] (both the first and last dates were played at the same venue). The included songs comprise a wide ranging selection from her recording career and include one from her pre-Fairport days and recorded with both the Strawbs and with Fairport on Unhalfbricking (Who Knows Where the Time Goes?), two from Fotheringay (Nothing More and The Sea), three from The North Star Grassman and the Ravens (John the Gun, Wretched Wilbur and that album's title track, although John the Gun was also originally performed and recorded with Fotheringay), three from Sandy (The Lady, It'll Take a Long Time and Tomorrow is a Long Time), one from Like an Old Fashioned Waltz (Solo), two from Rising for the Moon (produced during her second stint with Fairport) (Stranger to Himself and One More Chance) and five from Rendezvous (I Wish I Was a Fool For You (For Shame of Doing Wrong), I'm a Dreamer, Take Me Away, Gold Dust and No More Sad Refrains). Containing as it did three-fifths of the original Fotheringay group (Sandy, Trevor Lucas and Pat Donaldson) with the addition of Dave Mattacks on drums, Rob Hendry on lead guitar and Pete Willsher on pedal steel guitar, the band has a distinctly Fotheringay feel, an impression further enhanced by the later replacement of many guitar parts by fourth ex-Fotheringay member Jerry Donahue (see below), who was unavailable for the original concerts being on tour himself with Joan Armatrading at the time. [5] [note 1]

While originally intended for a live album to be released by Saga Records owner Marcel Rodd, the purchase of the tapes was declined owing to technical problems on the guitar and backing vocal tracks. [6] Eventually the tapes were purchased by Island Records although only one track was issued, being a performance of "The Lady" backed just by solo piano, included as the lead track on the Joe Boyd/Trevor Lucas-produced 1985 4-disc posthumous compilation Who Knows Where The Time Goes?.

In 1997 it was decided that for commercial release of the remainder of the concert, the problematic lead guitar and backing vocals tracks needed re-recording and this was undertaken by Jerry Donahue with replacement backing vocals by Simon Nicol and Chris Leslie (who were not part of the original band line-up); in addition the running order on the CD was also changed from the original. [7] [note 2] Some fans consider these changes regrettable, however for the CD's producers, they were considered the preferred mechanism to produce an acceptable product suitable for commercial release. The completed (remixed) album was released by Island in 1998, twenty years after Denny's death and nine after that of Trevor Lucas. A subset of rough mixes of the original, unadulterated concert performances had previously been released on a fans-only cassette compilation, "The Attic Tracks Volume 3", based on tapes found in Lucas's collection, with a smaller subset on a subsequent CD compilation "The Attic Tracks 1972-1984". [8] Owing to restrictions of time for the finished CD, most song introductions and between-song talk are omitted; however, a composite audience tape from an earlier date on the same tour (at Croydon, on 11 November) preserves much of the latter and also the contributions of the original lineup. [9] (A tape of the Birmingham show on 16 November also exists, [10] although the audio quality is somewhat poorer. [11] )

In an interview with Sandy recorded in late 1977, posted by Karl Dallas, she can be heard discussing the upcoming tour and her choice of musicians and material, among other subjects. [12]

Track listing

All tracks credited to Sandy Denny unless otherwise stated

  1. "I Wish I was a Fool For You (For Shame of Doing Wrong)" (Richard Thompson) - 4:32
  2. "Stranger to Himself" - 3:45
  3. "I'm a Dreamer" - 4:53
  4. "Take Me Away" - 4:42
  5. "Nothing More" - 4:15
  6. "The Sea" - 5:10
  7. "The Lady" - 3:45
  8. "Gold Dust" - 3:53
  9. "Solo" - 4:46
  10. "John the Gun" - 4:47
  11. "It'll Take a Long Time" - 4:59
  12. "Wretched Wilbur" - 2:59
  13. "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" (Bob Dylan) - 3:57
  14. "The North Star Grassman" - 3:46
  15. "One More Chance" - 8:21
  16. "No More Sad Refrains" - 2:27
  17. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" - 6:38

Personnel

Production credits

Notes

  1. ↑ In Clinton Heylin's Biography of Sandy, Phil Palmer is also listed as an additional lead guitarist for the tour, and is also listed in a separate "upcoming news" item, however there is no independent evidence that he actually played on the tour.
  2. ↑ Clinton Heylin gives the following as the original running order for the set: 1: Solo; 2: The North Star Grassman and the Ravens; 3: Nothing More; 4: Gold Dust; 5: The Sea; 6: No More Sad Refrains; 7: Tomorrow Is a Long Time; 8: The Lady; 9: Wretched Wilbur; 10: For Shame of Doing Wrong; 11: Stranger To Himself; 12: Take Me Away; 13: One More Chance; 14: Who Knows Where The Time Goes. He does not list "I'm a Dreamer" (performed either before or after "Gold Dust" elsewhere on the tour), "John The Gun" (performed before "The Sea" elsewhere) or "It'll Take A Long Time" (performed before "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" elsewhere).

Related Research Articles

Fairport Convention British folk rock group

Fairport Convention are a British folk rock band, formed in 1967 by Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings and Shaun Frater, with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig. They started out heavily influenced by American folk rock and singer-songwriter material, with a setlist dominated by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs and a sound that earned them the nickname 'the British Jefferson Airplane'. Vocalists Judy Dyble and Iain Matthews joined them before the recording of their self-titled debut in 1968; afterwards, Dyble was replaced by Sandy Denny, with Matthews leaving during the recording of their third album.

Sandy Denny

Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer".

Fotheringay

Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer-songwriter and musician Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned. The song originally appeared on the 1969 Fairport Convention album, What We Did on Our Holidays, Denny's first album with that group. The original Fotheringay released one, self-titled album but disbanded at the start of 1971 as Denny embarked on a solo career. Forty-five years later, a new version of the band re-formed featuring the three original surviving members together with other musicians, and toured in 2015 and 2016.

Trevor Lucas

Trevor George Lucas was an Australian folk singer, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay. He mainly worked as a singer-songwriter and guitarist but also produced many albums and composed for the film industry toward the end of his career. He married three times, his first wife was Cheryl, his second wife was fellow folk musician Sandy Denny (1973–1978), and his third wife was Elizabeth Hurtt (1979–1989). Lucas died on 4 February 1989 of a heart attack in his sleep, in Sydney, aged 45. He was survived by Elizabeth Hurtt, his daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, and his son, Daniel 'Clancy' Lucas. According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, Lucas "was one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters Australia ever produced and although he was held in high regard in UK folk rock circles, he remained virtually unknown in his homeland".

<i>Sandy</i> (Sandy Denny album) 1972 studio album by Sandy Denny

Sandy is the second solo album by British folk rock musician Sandy Denny. The album was released in 1972 and begun just a fortnight after her UK tour promoting her debut solo album, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens, ended in early November 1971.

<i>Fotheringay</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Fotheringay

Fotheringay is the self-titled album by the group formed by Sandy Denny after she left Fairport Convention in 1969, and was the group's only contemporaneous release. It was recorded in 1970 with former Eclection member and Denny's future husband Trevor Lucas, with Gerry Conway, Jerry Donahue, and Pat Donaldson. The album includes five Sandy Denny compositions, one song by Lucas, as well as two traditional songs and two cover versions: Bob Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing" and Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel".

The Bunch were a British folk rock band, which came together in 1971 to record their one off album, Rock On.

<i>Rising for the Moon</i> 1975 studio album by Fairport Convention

Rising for the Moon is the tenth studio album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention, released in 1975. It reached number 52 in the UK albums charts. This was the last Fairport album to feature vocalist Sandy Denny.

<i>Rosie</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Fairport Convention

Rosie is a 1973 album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention, their eighth album since their debut in 1968.

<i>The North Star Grassman and the Ravens</i> 1971 studio album by Sandy Denny

The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is a 1971 album by English folk rock singer-songwriter Sandy Denny. Built mostly around her own compositions, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is distinguished by its elusive lyrics and unexpected harmonies.

<i>Like an Old Fashioned Waltz</i> 1974 studio album by Sandy Denny

Like an Old Fashioned Waltz is the third solo album by English folk rock singer Sandy Denny, released in June 1974.

<i>Fairport Live Convention</i> 1974 live album by Fairport Convention

Fairport Live Convention is a 1974 live album by British folk rock band Fairport Convention originally released in 1974 by Island Records. It was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House, the London Rainbow and the Fairfield Halls, Croydon by John Wood and mixed down at Sound Techniques, London. It was produced by Trevor Lucas & John Wood.

<i>Who Knows Where the Time Goes?</i> (Sandy Denny album) 1985 compilation album by Sandy Denny

Who Knows Where the Time Goes? is a retrospective compilation of the work of English folk rock singer Sandy Denny issued in 1985. It is a four LP boxed set released on the Island Records label in the UK and Germany and on Hannibal/Carthage Records in the US, later reissued as a three CD set. It includes released and previously unreleased recordings from 1967 to 1977, live performances, outtakes and demos from Denny's solo career, and with Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and Strawbs.

<i>Rendezvous</i> (Sandy Denny album) 1977 studio album by Sandy Denny

Rendezvous is the fourth and final studio album by English folk rock singer-songwriter Sandy Denny, released in May 1977, and the final album released during her lifetime.

Fairport Chronicles is a 1976 compilation album of the British folk-rock band Fairport Convention, including songs from 1968 to the departure of the last original member in 1972. The double album is unique in that it was only released in the USA, features original material and American covers over the traditional material usually associated with Fairport, and includes songs from side projects. All of the material was originally issued in the USA on A&M Records, which explains the exclusion of songs taken from their first, pre-Sandy Denny album, which was only later released in the United States.

<i>Gottle OGeer</i> 1976 studio album by Fairport Convention

Gottle O'Geer is the eleventh studio album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention. The album was released through Island Records in May 1976.

<i>Fotheringay 2</i> 2008 studio album by Fotheringay

Fotheringay 2 is the second album by the group formed by Sandy Denny after she left Fairport Convention in 1969. The band was short-lived, and broke up in 1971 after only a small number of tracks for this album had been completed, some of which then subsequently appeared on other compilations. The remainder were assembled, with additional studio recording as needed, from masters in various states of completeness by Jerry Donahue and finally released in 2008. Two songs originally worked on for this album were re-recorded and appeared on the first solo Denny album The North Star Grassman and the Ravens in 1971, while live versions of others had previously been known to collectors from recordings of BBC radio broadcasts and live concerts, as subsequently compiled on the 2015 release Nothing More: The Collected Fotheringay.

<i>Live at the BBC</i> (Sandy Denny album) 2007 box set by Sandy Denny

Live at the BBC is a four disc compilation of British folk singer songwriter Sandy Denny's BBC sessions from 1966 to 1973 and contains almost all her solo work for the corporation. Disc 4 of the set is a DVD of Denny performing three songs on the music programme One in ten in 1971: the only surviving solo footage of her. This compilation superseded the earlier one-disc set issued on the Strange Fruit label in 1997 that due to rights issues was withdrawn on the day of release thereby creating a highly collectable disc up until the release of this comprehensive set.

<i>Live at the BBC</i> (Fairport Convention album) 2007 compilation album by Fairport Convention

Live at the BBC is a compilation album by English folk-rock band Fairport Convention released in 2007. It includes tracks recorded for the BBC for various radio programmes between 1968 and 1974 and consists of four CDs in a fold-out package with a fifty-page booklet including song lyrics and numerous contemporary photographs.

<i>Sandy Denny</i> (box set) 2010 compilation album by Sandy Denny

Sandy Denny is a 2010 compilation box set of recordings by folk singer Sandy Denny and comprises all studio material and recordings made during her time both as a solo artist and as a member of Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, and other groups, together with home demos and live recordings.

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. 1 2 CD booklet notes written by Pamela Murray Winters
  3. ↑ "Amazon.ca: Reviews". www.amazon.ca. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  4. ↑ "allmusic ((( Gold Dust: Live at the Royalty > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  5. ↑ "Joan Armatrading concert - Odeon Leeds (Leeds, England), Nov 17, 1977" . Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  6. ↑ Houghton, Mick (2015). I've Always Kept a Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN   9780571278909.
  7. ↑ "Sandy Denny: Gold Dust: Live at the Royalty page on "Mainly Norfolk" site" . Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  8. ↑ "Sandy Denny Official Site: Gold Dust: Live at the Royalty" . Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  9. ↑ "Unofficial recordings available at SugarMegs Audio site: S (look for links labelled "SandyDenny1977-11-11FairfieldHallCroydonUK")" . Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  10. ↑ "Sandy Denny November 16, 1977 Birmingham Town Hall Birmingham" . Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  11. ↑ Heylin, Clinton (1989). Gypsy Love Songs & Sad Refrains - the Recordings of Richard Thompson + Sandy Denny. Sale, Cheshire: Labour of Love Productions.
  12. ↑ "Sandy Denny's Last Interview" . Retrieved 2013-09-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.