FOTHERINGAY
Fotheringay 2
Fledg’ling CD
www.thebeeskness.com
When Sandy Denny was persuaded to launch a solo career in early 1971, British music was robbed of a truly unique band. Fotheringay lasted but a year before the machinations of the music industry ripped them apart. Their self-titled debut has since become a benchmark of progressive folk-rock but sessions for a follow-up were abandoned overnight. Teasers have surfaced over the years, most notably on the Denny box set A Boxful Of Treasures, but it’s only now – 37 years later – that we’re able to hear what the second Fotheringay album might have sounded like.
Well, it’s predominantly more of the same: a mixture of originals, covers and radical re-workings of traditional folk tunes, coloured by Jerry Donahue’s liquid guitar work and the powerhouse rhythm section of Gerry Conway and Pat Donaldson. And then there’s Miss Denny. It’s not for me to wax lyrical here about the talents of this lady. Actually I’m rather surprised at the inclusion of just two Denny compositions – ‘John The Gun’ and the superb ‘Late November’ – both of which she re-cut for her solo debut (using members of Fotheringay – I think internecine is the word). Trevor Lucas also scores two writing credits: ‘Restless’ echoes the forlorn country flavour of Fotheringay’s ‘Peace In The End’ while ‘Knights Of The Road’ is a straight-ahead windows down, foot-to-the-floor rocker, though not without its charms.
The real meat here, however, is the holy trinity of ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, ‘Gypsy Davey’ and ‘Silver Threads And Golden Needles’. The first, a duet between Denny and Donaldson, could have been written for them, so perfect is its execution. ‘Gypsy Davey’ finds the band turn in the kind of mercurial groove that enlivened their debut’s ‘The Way I Feel’. ‘Silver Threads...’, first recorded by country siren Wanda Jackson in ‘56 and covered by everyone from The Springfields to Dolly Parton, is transformed into a heartbroken waltz with a Denny vocal to rank among her greatest. That said, it comes in a close second to the pedal steel-enhanced version on Boxful and it’s something of a mystery why that was passed over here.
My only niggle is that, despite painstakingly helming the project and supervising every aspect of its completion – an admirable show of commitment, Donahue has sweetened some of the tracks using guitar sounds which, while sympathetic, do occasionally jar in such rarefied surroundings.
Such minor quibbles aside, this is a fascinating and worthy addition to the British folk-rock canon and a no-brainer for fans of Sandy Denny and the band.
Andy Morten
FOTHERINGAY drummer Gerry Conway remembers the good times.
Shindig!: So, how does it feel to hear these tapes again after 37 years?
Gerry Conway: Very nice! I can hear the youthful exuberance in my playing, which is sometimes flawed but undoubtedly sincere. We were all in awe of Sandy and I think her vocals sound fantastic throughout. When I listen to the tracks I do get a nice warm feeling that reminds me of how fortunate I was to be in Fotheringay with Sandy, Trevor, Jerry and Pat and the good times we shared together.
SD: What memories do you have of the recording sessions and of hanging out with the band during this time?
GC: It really was a band that hung out together. Mostly at Sandy and Trevor’s in Chipstead Street, Fulham. It felt like an open house much of the time and many other musicians and singers would drop by. We did eventually rent a farmhouse in Chichester to get it together in the country which was the fashionable thing for groups to do. I just remember having a really great time and feeling as though I was on a permanent voyage of discovery. We recorded at Sound Techniques Studios just off the Kings Road. A place that Pat, Jerry and myself would virtually move into and record many other albums with different people. There was a pub conveniently opposite and the best cake shop in the world with chocolate cake that remains unrivalled to this day. We spent many happy hours in that place honing our craft. Sessions would often go on all night and Pat and I would usually end up at four or five in the morning on Chelsea Bridge at the tea stall with a cup of tea and a cup cake.
SD: You and Pat Donaldson were a formidable rhythm section but that’s often overlooked as people tend to focus on Sandy’s role.
GC: Thank you for your kind words. I think Pat and I clicked more or less straight away. He has a huge generosity of spirit and is great company. It’s difficult to define what we were looking for when we did a track but it was certainly not the safe or tried and tested. Just for the record Pat and I are both left handed people that play their instruments right handed so perhaps there is something in that.
SD: Any favourite tracks? For the record, I think both ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and ‘Silver Threads And Golden Needles’ are among the best things Fotheringay and Sandy ever recorded.
GC: I agree. ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ does it for me. When we were adding to the tracks we tried some harmonies with Jerry, Pat and myself but I thought Pat sounded best singing a duet with Sandy and I love the way it sounds. Actually I like all the tracks. Trevor’s vocal on ‘Bold Jack Donahue’ is great; ‘Eppie Moray’ I like very much. Most of all I’m amazed and delighted that this album has finally been released. This would never have happened without the hard work and diligence of Jerry Donahue. |
