Digitally remastered and expanded deluxe two CD edition of the late British Folk singer’s 1971 debut solo album. CD1 contains the original album plus four bonus tracks including the previously unreleased instrumental version of ‘Lord Bateman’. CD2 contains 12 bonus tracks including five demo versions of songs which were previously only available in her lavish 19 CD box set plus BBC recordings and live tracks.
Following the breakup of the short-lived Fotheringay, Sandy Denny returned with her first post-Fairport solo album, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Produced with ex-bandmate Richard Thompson and longtime engineer John Wood,…
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…who would go on to produce the bulk of Thompson’s work with Linda Thompson, the record consists of eight evocative Denny originals, along with the traditional “Blackwaterside” and a pair of borrowed rockers. There’s a looseness and roominess to the sound, with acoustic guitar, piano, and Thompson’s electric guitar leading the sparse backing from former members of Fotheringay, along with the occasional accordion, violin, pedal steel, and strings. Songs such as “Late November,” “John the Gun,” and “Next Time Around” are among her best, while “Blackwaterside,” featuring Thompson’s guitar and accordion, continues to show her mastery of traditional music. Because her songs tend to lean toward the melancholy and are primarily on the slow to midtempo side, Denny had to look elsewhere for upbeat material. Choices such as Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick” and a ragged yet somewhat effective duet with Thompson on Bob Dylan’s “Down in the Flood” are good ones, though both sound as if they were afterthoughts. Her best record was still a year away, but The North Star Grassman is a solid effort from Denny’s sadly shortened solo career.
Disc 1
Late November
Blackwaterside
The Sea Captain
Down in the Flood
John The Gun
Next Time Around
The Optimist
Let’s Jump the Broomstick
Wretched Wilbur
The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
Crazy Lady Blues
Next Time Around (Demo)
Walking the Floor Over You (Duet with Richard Thompson)
Lord Bateman (previously unreleased instrumental)
If You Saw Thru My Eyes (Duet with Ian Matthews)
Disc 2
The Sea Captain (Rare demo)
The Optimist (Rare demo)
Wretched Wilbur (Rare demo)
Crazy Lady Blues (Rare demo)
Lord Bateman (Rare demo)
Late November (BBC Session – Bob Harris 24/8/71)
The Lowlands of Holland (BBC Session – Bob Harris 24/8/71)
Blackwaterside (BBC session – Sounds on Sunday 14/11/72)
The North Star Grassman and the Ravens (BBC In Concert – Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
Bruton Town (BBC In Concert – Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
Next Time Around (BBC In Concert – Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
John the Gun (BBC In Concert – Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
http://www.fileserve.com/file/67DXYS7
