Sandy Denny – Rendezvous (1977) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip
Folk-Rock, Pop-Rock | 1977 UK LP | Island ILPS 9433
Rendezvous is a 1977 album by English folk rock singer-songwriter Sandy Denny, and was her last release before her death.
Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas left Fairport Convention at the end of 1975 and Denny embarked on Rendezvous in the spring of 1976. Trevor Lucas produced the album with a contemporary rock sound designed to turn Denny into a mainstream act. The album is now generally thought to be overproduced with an excess of Strings, backing vocals and instrumental overdubs. Despite this the album is felt to contain some of her finest compositions, and showed someone continuing to widen and deepen their song writing craft, and who was responsive to new influences; Gold Dust with its Caribbean feel, the soulful torch songs Take Me Away and I'm A Dreamer and most ambitious of all, a seven minute orchestral tribute to the English pastoral symphony in the style of Vaughn Williams called All Our Days recorded live at CBS Studios.
The punishing world tour with Fairport Convention throughout 1974 and 1975 coupled with Denny's heavy drinking and smoking inevitably took a toll on her voice; and by now much of its bell like purity had gone, but the control and power were still there along with her subtle phrasing and characteristic grace notes. For the first time in years Denny recorded portions of the album live, including an extraordinary session at Basing Street on April 25 where Full Moon, No More Sad Refrains and I'm A Dreamer were cut live with the band and strings in a single day. A selection of cover versions were recorded for the album notably I Wish I Was a Fool For You (For Shame of Doing Wrong) by Richard Thompson (The only post-Fairport recording she made of a song by her former band-mate) Silver Threads and Golden Needles (which had been attempted years earlier for the first Fotheringay album in 1970) Losing Game by The Flying Burrito Brothers and Lowell George's Easy to Slip the latter two being discarded from the final record. Several Denny originals were also recorded and not used, including Full Moon, By the Time It Gets Dark and Still Waters Run Deep.
The majority of the album was recorded in a week of sessions between 23 April and 7 June at Basing Street and Island Studios; further sessions from the 9th to the 18th of June were largely devoted to extensive mixing and overdubs. The album originally entitled Gold Dust was finished by July and due to come out in October 1976, but Island repeatedly delayed the release and it finally came out in May 1977 when Denny was pregnant and unable to undertake a promotional tour. During this delay Denny returned to the studio to record a cover version of Elton John's Candle in the Wind, which was added to the album in place of her own composition Still Waters Run Deep: Both tracks were later released on a single. One last session, to record Bryn Haworth's Moments, took place days before the album's release, and this was Denny's final studio recording. Wikipedia.
Track listing:
01. I Wish I Was a Fool For You
02. Gold Dust
03. Candle in the Wind
04. Take Me Away
05. One Way Donkey Ride
06. I’m A Dreamer
07. All Our Days
08. Silver Threads and Golden Needles
09. No More Sad Refrains
Personnel:
Sandy Denny - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (5), piano (6/9)
Jerry Donahue - electric guitar (1/6/8-9)
Junior Murvin - electric guitar (2)
Richard Thompson - electric guitar (3)
Bob Weston - electric guitar (4)
Trevor Lucas - acoustic guitar (6/9)
John (Rabbit) Bundrick - organ (1), synthesizer (1), piano (8)
Steve Winwood - organ (2/4/5), clavinet (2), piano (4), electric piano (5)
John Gillespie - piano (3)
Pat Donaldson - bass (1-2/4-6/8-9)
Dave Pegg - bass (3)
Dave Mattacks - drums (1-4/6/9), tambourine (1)
Timi Donald - drums (5/8)
Brother James - congas (2)
Dick Cuthell - flugelhorn (2)
Benny Gallagher & Graham Lyle - backing vocals (3)
Sue Glover & Sunny Leslie - backing vocals (4/5)
Kay Garner & Clare Torry - backing vocals (6)
The Ladybirds - backing vocals (8)
The Silver Band: John Hudson, Alan Holmes, Ray Grand, Gordon Bland, David White, Robert Richards, Peter Lockett & Philip Goodwin
Harry Robinson - orchestral arrangements (3/6/7)
Steve Gregory - brass arrangements (4)
Robert Kirby - silver band arrangement (8)
Recorded at April - June 1976 at Island Studios (Basing Street and Hammersmith), CBS (London), Strawberry Studios (Stockport), Sound Techniques (Chelsea)
Engineer – John Wood
Produced by Trevor Lucas
Mastered by John Marino, Sterling Sound, NY.
Technicals:
Knosti RCM.
Michell GyroDec full version.
Funk Firm FXR II Tonearm.
Audio Technica AT33PTG/II MC Cartridge.
Harman Kardon HK990 Integrated Amplifier.
Gold Interconnects. E-MU 0204 Audio Interface.
Recording, split and manual de-click with Adobe Audition 3.0.1
Click Repair 3.8.4
Vinyl transfer by son-of-albion