There's never quite been a voice like that of Sandy Denny's. A clear inspiration on artists as disparate as Kate Bush, Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), and Emma Pollock (The Delgados), the voice of the English singer is a timeless thing. Denny pursued folk rock, but her vocals were such that they generated attention from all quarters. Famous for an appearance on a Led Zeppelin album among the hard rock set, Sandy Denny's appeal only grew after her untimely death in 1978. Her vocal power was such that, like with Nick Drake later, any good music fan eventually finds their way to her material.
With the new set, Early Home Recordings, Fire Records have offered up one of the most essential reissue projects of 2024. This is breathtaking music which captures a young Sandy at her most vulnerable. What's remarkable is how assured this vocalist was, even early on. A run at Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" is quietly majestic, as is an early version of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?", a signature tune for both Denny and Fairport Convention. This version has a more ramshackle vibe than the more familiar versions we know from later, and that gives this a primitive fire that makes this such a vital piece of our understanding of Denny's artistry.
What makes Early Home Recordings such a great listen is how intimate this feels. "Milk & Honey", for example, is precious and precise, the work of a young woman confident and yet new to the recording business. Elsewhere, "A Little Bit of Rain", a composition by Fred Neil, is a hint of how folk rock would eventually go mainstream, the plaintive and direct song nearly ready for the airwaves here. More traditional numbers like "She Moves Through the Fair", "Setting of the Sun", and "Motherless Children" prefigure work Sandy would do later with Fairport Convention and on her own wonderful solo albums. The pleasures of this set are many, and each of the 27 selections seems to offer a bit more of a peek into the wondrous qualities of the music of Sandy Denny. Given that, this set stands on its own as a superb collection, and just as necessary as any Sandy Denny compilation that's already out.
Early Home Recordings by Sandy Denny is out this week on Fire Records.
[Photo: Courtesty of the Sandy Denny Family Estate]