- Hardcover: 285 pages
- Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing (30 Jun 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1900924110
- ISBN-13: 978-1900924115
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,013,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny
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Product Description
Greenman Review, June 2000
"If you are at all interested in Sandy you must read this book; then go back and read it again." Chris Woods
Book Description
Much anticipated biography of immensely talented but ill-fated singer-songwriter and Fairport frontwoman that draws on hours of fresh interviews and unprecedented access to Sandy's personal papers and unreleased recordings. "She was a perfect British folk voice. Pure and easy." Pete Townshend "My favourite singer out of all the British girls that ever were." Robert Plant "In her strongest moments no female singer of the past ten years could touch her." Greil Marcus, 1978 Both with Fairport Convention and in her solo career, Sandy Denny had one of contemporary music's great voices - in many ways she was the English Janis Joplin - and Melody Maker voted her best female singer in 1970 and 1971. She was also a highly acclaimed songwriter, composing most of her own material. But, Sandy was troubled by her own demons, and took refuge in drink and drugs. Sandy Denny died aged 31 in 1978 in circumstances surrounded by rumour and mystery. Since her death she has been name-checked in song by Kate Bush, and her songs have been covered by Nina Simone, Nancy Griffiths and Mary Black. This is the first ever Biography. Drawing on hours of fresh interviews with Sandy's closest friends and musical collaborators and unprecedented access to her journals, diaries and unreleased recordings, Heylin has produced a moving portrait of a complex, driven and ultimately human, flawed genius who may well have been this land's greatest ever female singer-songwriter. Clinton Heylin is a highly respected historian of popular music, whose book on Dylan's recording sessions - Dylan Behind Closed Doors (1996, Penguin) - was nominated for the Ralph J. Gleason award.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A sharp-edged record of Sandy Denny's life & death,
By A Customer
This review is from: No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny (Hardcover)
For many people, Sandy Denny remains Britain's foremost female singer-songwriter. After a brief stint with the Strawbs, she came to prominence in the seminal folk-rock band Fairport Convention. Three ground-breaking albums later she left to form her own band, Fotheringay, and then recorded four beautiful solo albums. (She was also the only singer ever to guest on a Led Zeppelin album, on "The Battle of Evermore".) The last line of the last song on her last album was, "I won't be singing any more sad refrains." In April 1978, less than a year after its release, Sandy Denny was dead, aged just 31.Denny's most famous song is "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?", and somehow it's taken over two decades for the unvarnished story of her life and death to come out. Clinton Heylin's biography is no hagiography; Sandy Denny was no saint. Most of her fans will be surprised to learn that she was a heavy drinker, and terribly insecure. Heylin blames many of those around her for making her insecurity even worse. He brands her adored but roving husband Trevor Lucas (who died in 1989) "a mediocre musician" who badgered Denny into writing more songs, then dismissed them as sounding too much the same. He blames Denny's early producer, Joe Boyd, for pulling the plug on Fotheringay half way through recording their second album, forcing her unwillingly to go solo. ("Solo" is one of her most ironic songs, as much about broken love as about singing.) Heylin's book, which includes photographs, some of Denny's drawings, pages from her diaries, and unrecorded and draft lyrics, is a sharp-edged record of her personal and professional frustrations and missed opportunities. It's sad to read of so much sadness, especially considering, as one of her friends said, "When you listen to her voice you think, God, what did she have to be insecure about?" And Heylin ends by quoting another great Fairport alumnus, Richard Thompson: "I've not heard a singer since with that much of a gift... Sandy's songs [are] some of the best songs written since the war." -David V Barrett
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extremely readable "must.",
By A Customer
This review is from: No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny (Paperback)
Sandy Denny has to be one of the greatest British singers ever. Her voice had a haunting quality and a truly natural sound and was able to make your spirits soar or break your heart.This book acquaints you with the woman behind the voice. As the author says, "Solo the voice could now be heard in all its resonating purity, driven by an unerring instinct, but the secret Sandy remained a deeply unhappy person, for whom the songs remained her only release." There are lots of touching anecdotes, like the time Sandy invited her friend Bambi Ballard to a studio at one in the morning to play the songs of the album "Sandy." After each song the insecure Sandy asked "You don't want to hear any more, do you?" Bambi Ballard, the sole audience, with tears running down her face had to reassure her that each song was lovely and to urge her to play another. The book also corrects the notion that Sandy fell as a result of falling downstairs - and helps to explain why the some of the facts were played down. In short if you like Sandy Denny's music, this book is a "must" and is extremely readable.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A moving story,
By
This review is from: No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny (Paperback)
If you have ever enjoyed Sandy's music, you should read this, but be warned. It is very depressing to read about someone so talented and so hell-bent on self-destruction. Despite the total contrast in their voices, Sandy consciously modelled herself on Janis Joplin, and the ensuing lifestyle wreaked the inevitable consequences. If I have one criticism of this book, it is in the sometimes shoddy writing/editing. There are a number of spelling and grammatical errors, but by far the most annoying feature is the way Heylin insists on inserting his own words into other people's quotations - ostensibly for reasons of clarity, but in most cases completely unnecessary. I don't have an actual example to hand, but to give you the idea, if someone says something like "She was a bit of a heavy drinker", it's likely to come out as "[Sandy][at that time] was a bit of a heavy [brandy] drinker". It adds nothing to the meaning, and after a while becomes highly intrusive and irritating. That aside, it's a very good (if sobering) read.
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