No More Sad Refrains - The Anthology

Sandy Denny was perhaps the most beloved and singular talent of the British folk revival, and though she was never able to connect with the masses in the way she’d hoped, she accomplished more in 10 years than some artists do in 50. No More Sad Refrains spans 1968 to 1977, during which time she played with Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, and a short-lived supergroup named The Bunch, in addition to her solo work (and not including her cameos with The Who and Led Zeppelin). Though Denny embodied the ancient essence of British folk better than anyone else of her era, she was always working to transcend that persona and stake new territory. While she gets credit for her character portraits and narratives of mysticism, what really defines these songs is how personal they are. The mark of a great singer is that he or she always tells a personal truth regardless of the given material. In every one of these songs, Denny opens channels of beauty and darkness, anger and tenderness, resignation and courage. Though she died young, a troubled soul, these recordings confirm the depth of her experience and the scope of her humanity.