Early Home Recordings

Recorded at home to her finger-picking accompaniment in Wimbledon in 1966 and 1967 – Denny's performing debut was at Kingston's Folk Barge in 1965 – these 27 lo-fi recordings are a fascinating window onto the peerless singer's development as a performer and songwriter. There are early versions of Fairport's ‘Fotheringay’ and ‘Who Knows Where Time Goes’ (including a haunting 1968 version that closes the set), as well the otherwise unrecorded ‘In Memory’. Previously available as a limited-edition 19-CD set in 2010, this double album showcases her magnificent voice and phrasing as it comes into its own; the vibrato across the long notes of ‘In Memory’ will exit stage left in due course. A heart-stopping ‘The Quiet Land of Erin’ and ‘Let No Man Steal Your Thyme’ are among the best of the traditional songs, while Jackson C Frank's ‘Milk and Honey’ and Anne Briggs’ ‘Go Your Own Way My Love’ are the stand-out covers. Sandy Denny fans: you need this.