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104 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At her best here - as in most of her records, 1 Feb 2005
Let's start with: this is a compilation. Sometimes that means some gems get left out (true of this one) and some big hits get thrown in (not so true - as all the songs are peerless).
Sandy Denny was a folk-rock singer-composer genius and truly wonderful person to meet/be with/listen to live...
This CD gives us a fairly good impression of all that.
For her merits alone, the melodies and lyrics and arrangements alone - 5 stars! With no shade of a doubt.
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30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Miseladingly titled..., 6 April 2006
Although this album is misleadingly called The Collection, it certainly isn't the best of Sandy Denny. Hidden away in the liner notes are claims that the Collection "takes a very special view of Denny's work". Not really special but definitely different, it looks at her role as an interpreter of other songs with three live originals tacked on the end of the package. Certainly not the definitive collection and very variable at best...It's not all bad though. Quite tellingly the best three tracks are probably the first three, all recorded with Fotheringay, the band she formed after leaving Fairport Convention at the end of the 60s. The wonderful Two Weeks Last Summer is built around a hypnotic acoustic riff and Gypsy Davey has a similar mix of crunching electric guitar and folk to that explored by her previous band on their Liege & Lief LP. On listening to just The Collection from Denny's repertoire, one would have to conclude that Sandy operated best fronting a band rather than as a solo artist. Most of her solo interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs on the album have rather bland arrangements and don't really suit her pure vocal style. These include unsuccessful excursions into old standards (Whispering Grass), modern hits (Candle In the Wind) and pub-rock (Down In The Flood). Not much better are the three live originals at the end of The Collection. Recorded live at the Royalty Theatre in late 1977, Sandy's version of Solo is good but the rendition of Who Knows Where The Times Goes is poorly sung and blandly arranged. A far cry from the original Fairport Convention version which is simply one of the best recordings ever made. The Collection is misleadingly titled and certainly not the best introduction to Sandy Denny's major body of work. It has some excellent moments but a lot of the music is rather pedestrian and ordinary. Approach with caution.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A sketchy portrait., 11 Jun 2009
When I heard Fotheringay's "The Sea" on the radio some years ago, I was floored, everything about it blew me away. I came to this collection with high hopes, already owning a best of Fairport Convention and intrigued to discover Sandy's solo work. This cd has succeeded only in making me cautious about exploring further, which I am sure wasn't the desired effect in the minds of the compilers. I'd hoped for a collection of key album tracks illustrating Sandy's progression as a solo artist, but feel that surely this patchy cd doesn't come anywhere near to doing justice to her.
Things get off to a good start with the three Fotheringay tracks, "Banks Of The Nile" in particular stands out as a wonderful performance, and I guess I'd hoped to hear more songs with such grace. From track four onwards things take a turn for the worse, "Down In The Flood" comes as quite a shock, a steep descent in quality and taste from the Fotheringay material, with Sandy effectively taking the role of backing singer, but with both singers sounding shoddy. The performances get progressively flabbier, and distinctly lose the vitality and elegance of her classic work, but in amongst this later fare the traditional "Blackwaterside" and "Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood" remind me why I sought out this cd, providing respite from the banal covers.
Choosing to compile cover-versions over her originals seems a little strange, and only live renditions of the few originals is bizarre, it doesn't make for a balanced overview of her work.
I grew familiar with "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" through it being played on the radio, and came to think of it as a classic, without knowing anything about Fairport Convention or Sandy Denny. It is a fine song but I fear that this live rendition from 1977 makes for a poor closing track. I have listened to it only three or four times because there is something painful about witnessing Sandy sounding unable to live up to her legend. She is struggling, running out of breath, the effortless grace is gone and the result is just a shadow of what once was.
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