Sandy Denny - No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology

Sandy Denny was perhaps was the greatest singer to come out of the British folk-rock movement of the 1960s. No More Sad Refrains is a two-CD collection of songs from her four solo albums as well as a selection from her work with Fairport Convention and the short-lived band Fotheringay. While Denny was alive critics praised her for her exquisite voice while overlooking her songwriting, which was equal to that of her fellow Fairporter, Richard Thompson. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" her most popular song is here, along with lesser known but still worthy compositions such as "The Pond and the Stream," "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz," and "I'm a Dreamer." One unexpected treat is the duet with Linda Peters, who later married Richard Thompson, on the Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved." The music of Sandy Denny is probably better known and more respected in 2000 than it was when she died of a brain hemorrhage caused by a fall in 1978. Like the music of Nick Drake, another great British singer-songwriter who died too young, these songs have a melancholy air that is only deepened by the knowledge of her early death. --Michael Simmons Amazon.com

A great voice

A proper collection of British folk music should start right here. As well as being a fine songwriter, Denny had a tremendous voice. Her voice is one of the best voices you'll ever hear from any singer doing this or any other style of music. It really is special.
This collection includes a nice sampling of her solo work along with some of her Fairport Convention work. I would have liked to see the great Fairport epic "Tamm Lind" included here but it is not. You'll have to buy "Liefe and Liege" to get that but "Liefe and Liege" is something a fan of this type of music should certainly own anyway.4.5 Stars- Very Good. October 18, 2007

A great voice

Sandy Denny, one of the greatest voices in music. A collection of her songs spanning a long, but sadly a shortened career. July 17, 2006

Mournful, memorable melodies.

This is a well thought out and well produced compilation that gives a good overview of Sandy's work. The insert notes, by her biographer Clinton Heylin, are very good, except that they inexplicably omit any mention of The Bunch - Rock On, and Pass of Arms, albums from which 4 of the tracks are taken. Pass of Arms in particular contributes the 2 most musically interesting arrangements here, so it is odd that Heylin ignores them.

The first 2 tracks, Fotheringay and Who Knows Where the Time Goes? are her best known, and deservedly so. It has to be said that her writing acquired a certain sameness, and her best later vocals are treatments of traditional songs, like Banks of the Nile. I would also add that the Judi Collins cover of Who Knows Where the Time Goes? is superior to Sandy's own version, in my opinion. Fotheringay, by the way, was the name of the English castle where Mary, queen of Scots was imprisoned.

Sandy was the archetypal late-sixties Folkie, complete with mini skirt, long flowing hair, guitar and bundle of ballads. She was sixties dolly-bird on the way to becoming seventies hippie; sixties folk-revivalist on the way to becoming seventies folk-rocker. Hers was a sweet, melodic voice that she sensibly kept within its range, and which had a persistent, mournful coloring, which she unfailingly indulged. Her lyrics are often mysterious (even to her) and always thoughtful. She and the smoke-filled Folk den were made for each other.

She died aged 31, shortly after declaring at a Royal Albert Hall concert that she would sing 'no more sad refrains', which became the title of the last track on her last album. If she seriously intended to renounce sad songs and take her writing to new places, it could have led to something great. Sadly, we'll never know.
June 11, 2006

great voice, mediocre songwriter

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but this collection only reminds why I soured on Sandy Denny in the first place. Some of the early material is terrific; besides her justly-praised vocal talents, the earlier songcraft is good and sometimes terrific. But a dreary sameness overtakes much of these sides; Denny was one of many artists over the past four decades whose songwriting seems to have mainly consisted of setting up a chord progression, then intuitively establishing predictable melody lines around it in "connect-the-dots" fashion.

The result is that few of these tracks are especially memorable. One of the songs included here, the early Fairport/Richard Thompson gem, "Crazy Man Michael," provides an exception that proves the rule: with a gorgeous melody that comfortably inhabits but also transcends its chordal foundations, this tracks blows most of the other tracks on this compilation out of the water. Yes, she remained a fine singer, and much here is pleasant enough in an innocuous way. But life is too short to spend much time with most of these songs. February 5, 2005

Her legacy lives on

Sandy-we hardly knew thee...
Theres a gaping hole in the music universe now that Sandy has moved on. Sandy synthesized traditional English folk music with popular music and made it her own.
Timelessly appealing and ever fresh, she was a trailblazer who made this genre of music accessible to new fans thoughout the 60's and 70's.
If you like Steeleye Span, Pentangle, Renaissance and Jethro Tull, you will love Sandy. Folk music and countless others, owe her a debt that can never be paid.
Do yourself a favor and buy this testament to her talent.
November 16, 2004

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