''Live at the BBC'' is a four disc compilation of British folk singer songwriter

Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer". After briefly w ...

's BBC sessions from 1966 to 1973 and contains almost all her solo work for the corporation. Disc 4 of the set is a DVD of Denny performing three songs on the music programme ''One in ten'' in 1971: the only surviving solo footage of her. This compilation superseded the earlier one-disc set issued on the Strange Fruit label in 1997 that due to rights issues was withdrawn on the day of release thereby creating a highly collectable disc up until the release of this comprehensive set. The set contains early solo sessions during her time with Alex Campbell and

Johnny Silvo Johnny Silvo (born John Frederick Woods; 2 December 1936 – 19 December 2011) was a British folk and blues singer. Biography Born in 1936, Silvo started his career playing skiffle and jazz and singing solo in nightclubs. When the folk scene ...

, as well as her solo sessions post

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

and post

Fotheringay Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer-songwriter and musician Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition " Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay ...

comprising performances for Bob Harris,

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, Sounds on Sunday and

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

promoting her solo albums ''

The North Star Grassman and the Ravens ''The North Star Grassman and the Ravens'' is a 1971 album by English folk rock singer-songwriter Sandy Denny. Built mostly around her own compositions, ''The North Star Grassman and the Ravens'' is distinguished by its elusive lyrics and unexpe ...

'', '' Sandy'' and '' Like an Old Fashioned Waltz''. A seven song concert broadcast from London's Paris Theatre is also included which captured her at the peak of her powers. The collection is supplemented by a rare and insightful interview with Denny for the BBC's World Service programme ''Tomorrow's People'' with Clive Jordan. The set was issued in a 5.5 x 7.5 inch package that was designed by Phil Smee using lyrics and illustrations from Denny's notebooks and photos from her personal collection, many of which had not previously been published.

Critical reception

It has long been asserted amongst fans of Denny's work that her solo acoustic performances showed her work in its best light with the immediacy of her voice and acoustic accompaniment showing the real quality of her vocal style and compositions. When the Live at the BBC boxset came out in September 2007 it was rapturously praised wherever it was reviewed including the ''

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' who also ran a two-page spread on Denny's career. The set gained 5 star reviews in ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'', ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' and ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'', whose critic Jim Irvin asserted in his review that "(The set) provides more evidence that she's among the finest singer-songwriters who ever sang and wrote".'Sandy Denny Live at the BBC' review by Jim Irvin, (November 2007) ''Mojo'', p116 This favourable critical response did much to continue the resurgence of interest in

's work. A one-disc highlights edition of the boxset was issued in April 2008 called ''Sandy Denny: The Best of the BBC Recordings''.

Personnel

*Sandy Denny - vocals, piano, guitar *Johnny Silvo - guitar D 1 track 3-4*Roger Evans - guitar D 1 track 3-4, CD 4 tracks 1-4*Dave Moses - double bass D 1 track 3-4, CD 4 tracks 1-4*Hughie Burns - guitar D 1 track 16-19*

Pat Donaldson Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer-songwriter and musician Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay C ...

- bass D 1 track 16-19* Willie Murray - drums D 1 track 16-19

References

Sandy Denny: Live at the BBC Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Live At The Bbc Sandy Denny albums 2007 compilation albums 2007 live albums BBC Radio recordings Island Records albums Compilation albums published posthumously