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Sandy Denny

Rendezvous - Island 1977

Tracks: 1. I Wish I Was A Fool For You / 2. Gold Dust / 3. Candle In The Wind / 4. Take Me Away / 5. One Way Donkey Ride / 6. I'm A Dreamer / 7. All Our Days / 8. Silver Threads And Golden Needles / 9. No More Sad Refrains / 10. Still Waters Run Deep / 11. Full Moon / 12 I´m a Dreamer (demo) / Easy to Slip / 14. Moments

Comments:

"Rendezvous" was Sandy Denny's last studio-album. Though it's generally agreed that all Denny's records are of the highest quality this album is often referred to as the least succesful. This is mostly due to the fact that some tracks seem a little burdened down by too heavy orchestration. Another problem could be that the album may seem to lack the clear direction of her previous three. Nonetheless, the album contains some of Denny's greatest songs. "One Way Donkey Ride", "Take Me Away" "No More Sad Refrains" and "I'm a Dreamer" are all classic Sandy Denny.

The album features three cover versions. The opening track "I Wish I Was a Fool For You" was written by long-time friend Richard Thompson whose great guitar playing is present on many Denny recordings. It's the most hardrocking track on the album and a great opener. The inclusion of Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" is probably a mistake; Sandy doesn't sound very inspired and the arrangement of the song is not very different from the original. Her version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" is much more successful, it sounds like a Denny original.

The ambitious "All Our Days" has some fine thought-provoking lyrics ( like most of her songs ), but the grandiose classical arrangement makes it seem a little out of place on this album. "Gold Dust" shows the funky/jazzy side of Denny. The song was originally thought to be the title track and it became part of Denny's 1977 live-repertoire, along with a handful of other songs from this album.

The live album "Gold Dust / The Final Concert" released on Island Records in 1998 is highly recommended.

The five bonus-tracks are all fine. I'm particularly fond of the B-side "Still the Waters Run Deep" and her very last studio recording, the moving "Moments".

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