A wonderful treat for Sandy's fans
Mr. John L. Ward | Manchester, England | 09/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"(For the revised and extended tracklisting look at Amazon.co.uk. - the listing that appears here as of September 10 is the two disc version that Universal had originally planned.)I had the good fortune to see Sandy Denny four times - with Fotheringay in 1970, twice with Fairport Convention in 1974/75 and with her own band in 1977. The last of these wasn't long before her all too early passing - and since then, of course, she has lived on in our record collections. The first thing that hits you about this smashing little package is just how much it mirrors the 'Fairport Convention Live At The BBC' set from earlier this year. It has exactly the identical dimensions and format - and the booklet and discs are positioned in precisely the same way. Just as the Fairport release was a spectacular expansion of their 'Heyday' album, this one from Sandy builds on the 1997 Strange Fruit CD, 'The BBC Sessions' - which as many will know to their cost, disappeared almost immediately. This latest set takes the two themes from the earlier release - studio and concert - and gathers enough material from additional BBC sources to be able to devote an entire CD to each theme. The studio sessions date back to 1966 and the recording quality for these early songs really isn't bad. The concert CD includes her heartbreakingly beautiful reading of 'Bruton Town'- previously only available on her two box sets. The DVD material is the same that has been available on Youtube for the last year or so - although we also have (in keeping with vogue of own times) a photo gallery. Disc Four's 'Off-Air Recordings' are, it has to be said, a little on the rough side - especially the early ones. Should you part with so much of your hard earned cash to bring this treasure trove into your own life? Well if you're like me, there can only be one answer to that. Sandy Denny was in my view, the finest female singer-songwriter Britain ever produced - she was up there with Joni Mitchell. 'Live At The BBC' is an essential part of her magnificent legacy."
Pretty good!
rock of ages | 03/23/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I like this ok, and being a big Sandy Denny fan, the completist in me is glad to have it, but I don't know if the replay factor will be real high. A minor annoyance is the DVD has only 3 songs on it! There are plenty of (admittedly) non-BBC clips that they could have included. The sound quality overall is ok, but considering the source it's the best we will get. For a casual Sandy/Fairport fan I would not recommend it, but I am glad I got it as it appears to be out of print already!"
Great collection of performances by Sandy Denny
W. Dougan | Washington DC | 02/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Live at the BBC is a very nice collection of previously unreleased recordings. It's a good mix of old familiar favorites with some lesser-known songs. As always, Sandy Denny's voice is in fine form throughout. Let's face it - the lady has a great set of pipes and knows how to use them. The DVD is a bonus, but if you choose to buy this set, buy it for the music and not the DVD material."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1