Sandy Denny: Folk Music's Unsung Pioneer (Full Documentary) | Amplified 

Sandy Denny is still one of the preeminent voices in any genre to come out of Britain. She is not forgotten, never forgotten.

It isn't just her (Magical) voice, but also the songs she has written. I mean "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - Is one of the Most Poetic, Wise and Mystical songs ever! In just a few Verses and Chords she somehow manages to Capture and Portray something of that deepest of questions that dwells at the heart of us all.

Like many,I first heard Sandy’s duet with Robert Plant on the “Battle of Evermore” I’ve never heard a more beautiful voice before or since.Some of her songs moved me to tears,and always will.R.I.P. beautiful Sandy.❤️

This should have millions of views! Sandy is a musical heavy weight. I’m 65, and had the privilege of seeing the heart of the Rock era take place in front of my eyes (and ears!). I’m Irish born but Canadian raised (just 90 min from Detroit! In the 60’s and 70’s! - sooo lucky!) I was a huge Fairport fan! As well as the MC5 and the Allman Brothers - I was a total “equal opportunity” listener. I ended up having 40 year career in the Canadian music industry, from performer to festival owner to radio DJ. I totally loved this! Thanks for the post! Peace

Sandys voice has a magic that is extremly rare. Incomparable.

I engineered the audiobook of record producer Joe Boyd, which he narrated. During a break, I asked him about the first time he'd heard Sgt. Peppers. He told me he had been out at a pub with Sandy, and they went back to her place (she was living at her parents' house) to listen to it being played on (I think) Radio Belgium. So as not to wake her parents, they huddled in the coat closet, covered in coats to dampen the sound. They listened to the entire record that way. There's no real point to this story, just thought I'd share. Sounds like a great memory.

I worked in the CD department of an electronics store back in the late 90s, I put on a copy of Unhalfbricking one day because the cover intrigued me, I fell in love with that voice immediately. R.I.P.

I was born long after she had died, but she was the first ever female voice who totally and utterly impressed me...my father used to listen to her a lot when I was really young...she is one of the people who made me start singing and get into music and far too few people know of her today. Thank you so much for sharing this really beautiful documentary, which so lovingly describes her without shaming her for who she was... She remains my No 1 voice idol...

I was lucky enough to see her live three times after my intro to Fairport in 1972. A female singer/songwriter beyond compare.

Strange and kinda sad...a documentary of a powerful female singer in a male dominated music industry at that time and all commentary in this documentary by males...... surely there has to be a female perspective from women of her ilk giving us more of the insight to her 'insecurities'......

Sandy was a class act. It is often forgotten that she was the ONLY guest vocalist to appear on a Led Zeppelin album, singing with Robert on "The Battle Of Evermore". LZ knew how brilliant she was. Her work with Fotheringay was as compelling as her stint with Fairport Convention. Along with Nick Drake, Sandy still remains in a field of one. Nobody has managed to replicate her and her music.

Over intellectualizing music is a generally a game for people who mostly lack talent. Sandy Denny was a pure artist so none of that was necessary.

Oh dear. Got excited this was something new for 2022, but alas this is just the 'Under Review' DVD documentary from 2006. This features a rather average chronology with too many careful interviewees (holding their tongues from the beautiful / painful truths) and is littered with photos frequently out of sequence with poor relevance. Shame. She deserves so much better!

Her phrasing and her purity give me shivers.

There's no sense to be made of this loss. So many angelic and beautiful souls, leave too soon. Every moment is sacred & precious. Not fade away Sandy. RIP

Martin Carthy,a wise sentient man,and a gift to music.His daughter Eliza,is an awesome talent.

Love seeing the great Sandy Denny get her due. Just wish she was still here and I can’t believe there’s no actual film footage of her with the original Fairport Convention line up.

Her voice was magical. In 44 years, no one has replaced her. No one ever will.

Unsung? She won best female singer in UK polls for several years.

one great voice, such power, managed to see her live just before she died, unforgettable

Living in West London in the ‘70s and seeing all my favourite bands at the Hammersmith Odeon or The Rainbow I thought mistakenly it would only be a matter of time I’d get to see Sandy in concert sooner or later. I can still remember that sinking feeling I experienced when reading in the music press in 1978 that Sandy had passed away. Life can be oh so cruel sometimes. Still her legacy lives on.

I totally disagree, the North star grassman... Is an amazing album, sometimes critics talk rubbish.

I would like to see a doc about PENTANGLE

I saw Fairport Convention at Dacorum College Hemel Hempstead in 1969. They performed tracks from What We Did On Our Holidays. Sandy Denny was superb. To date it is the most perfect gig I have been too and I’ve seen some of the biggest bands in the world.

I have always been in awe of her many gifts. Such utterly moving and powerful music. And she could play numerous instruments, compose unforgettable songs and sing them with that voice that cannot be forgotten. I wonder where she would have gone had she not died too young.

Best 'rockumentary' I've seen in ages. I hope it helps to generate Sandy's richly deserved rediscovery and for the uninitiated to appreciate her awesome talent.

I fell in love when I listened to her voice, she was really fantastic.

Thank you for making this documentary. May it be the first of many to pay tribute to Sandy's great talent. RIP Sandy Denny.

I was introduced to SD via Fairport Convention. Warm, lovely voice and incredible songwriter. “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” will play at my memorial service.

Sandy Denny possessed the voice of life and death, perhaps best exemplified in Fairport Convention's A Sailor's Life and Fotheringay's Banks of the Nile, two epic songs mourning the loss of her lover due to tragic circumstances. Even her classic composition Who Knows Where the Time Goes that speaks of being warm with her lover, also has sad undertones about how life is fleeting and questioning why it has to be that way. It is as if there was always something unfulfilled in her and for which nothing in this world could ever satisfy. The emotional depth in her voice is too unnerving for most people, but she will always have a smaller fanatical following of devotees, myself included. I think she came off best in a group setting where she enjoyed a sense of belonging that helped redirect her natural inclination towards melancholy into a more positive outlook on life.

"Unsung"? Rubbish. She was and is revered.

If God ever invented anything sweeter than Sandy's voice, he kept it for himself.

Been a fan of Sandy since the 60s. Loved her voice and her music. Good docu, but no Richard Thompson, no Ashley Hutchings, no Simon Nicol? Why?

She reminds me a lot of Nick Drake.

...Having been born in 1957, I certainly remember "the voice" and the folk movement. I was sad to hear of her struggles passing away but I read many "geniuses" encounter such. Thank you for the documentary.

Wow, this was bad. No clips, no tunes, just a bunch of talking heads.

Extraordinary voice and wrote some beautiful songs. Sadly, right place, wrong time. Like fellow Island artist Nick Drake she will eventually be properly appreciated.

I'm so glad they made this while John Renbourn was still alive so his observations could be recorded. Brilliant musician.

No contribution from Richard Thompson?

Sandy Denny unsung? She's like easily the most famous folk singer of all time! A total legend.

Joni Mitchel i was a lot into and still today then came Sandy with her tone and grandiloquence in songs to whom i already been attached too, only few have this capacity to transform our life like over the distance, to reach ourselfs and give a special feeling in our hearts and chills. Sandy's not forgoten.

Quite a number of people in this doco have died: Colin Irwin. 3 Nov 2022 John Renbourn 26 Mar 2015 Jackson C Frank 3 Mar 1999 Judy Dyble 12 Jul 2020 Dave Swarbrick 3 Jun 2016 Gerry Conway 29 Mar 2024

I fell in love with Sandy Denny’s music in middle school/ high school in the early 80’s as I was growing up and becoming a then folk singer songwriter myself. I hung around the local library in Saratoga Springs, NY and checked out record albums to take home to borrow more so than books. This was my first hearing and I knew then immediately what an amazing musician she was. Her impact is so great. I am still astonished how she is not a bigger deal in the overall music world. She is a big deal in my world. I sang “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” and “Listen, Listen” quite often at Caffe Lena open mics as a teen. I was fortunate to have made acquaintances with Maartin Allcock and purchase his collection of her songs in a songbook. It is one of my most-prized possessions. Thank you so much the post of this documentary. I am grateful to the makers as well. Yours in music, Mary

I'm quite disappointed with this. I don't much like the handful of 'informed critics' who manage to make the documentary more about them and their reviews of Sandy's music and her career. We get samplings of Denny's performances, but then there's all these critiques of what worked and didn't work, and what was good and maybe not so good...and I didn't find most of them at all interesting to listen to.

Beautiful voice and what a loss...she may not have known how much she was loved by fan's here in america as I was hooked after hearing her the first time and always watched and waited for more record's as time went by...the internet has been so incredible as I found ton's of stuff I had no knowledge of or access so nirvana for an old feller like me...I still miss Sandy ..what a Lady..

If You Gotta Go wasn't "a fairly obscure Dylan" tune. Manfred Mann went to number 2 with it in 1965.Lots of these musical docos are peopled by "experts" who weren't around at the time, and don't really know their history.

Sandy had a voice I could listen to all day and not grow tired of hearing her. RIP you beautiful, talented lady.

Not a bad documentary, although a bit ponderous and occasionally sycophantic. Silly title - Sandy Denny was regarded as very important during her lifetime and beyond, and her influence can be heard both in almost every female folk singer in the UK and, through her work with Fairport and Fotheringay in just about every contemporary folk band, whether they even know it or not. A pleasure to see and hear. May her soul rest in peace.

Fairport Convention's album Liege and Leif with Sandy up front is possibly the best English folk rock (?) album ever. Can only urge anyone who has never heard it ! do yourself a favour look for it and listen now ! .

Her double album Flight she recorded with Roger McGuinn and Roy Harper still has to be released,beyond the bootleg version.~Please reissue!

サンディ･デニーは私にとってもっとも印象的な Vocalでした。 フェアポートコンベンションが好きでしたので、時々　アルバムなどを聴いています。 イギリスのトラッドフォークがアメリカのキャロル･キングなどより遥かに良いです👌😁

I had the incredible luck to see her perform live in a small "coffeehouse " under the student union building at my small New Jersey college. She opened for Randy Newman! Five years later she was gone. Loved her...great loss.

Loved Sandy since I discovered her in 1984! Please do a documentary like this on Kate Bush and Annie Haslam from Renaissance

I loved sandy from the beginning both as a person and that incredible voice. Once sitting on a boat on the Norfolk broads alone with a glass of wine and listening to her. Heaven

Luckily I spent many an hour listening to her at her prime, in the Country Club, with Fairport. Wonderful moments I shall never forget. I always have time for Sandy.

Sadly, Sandy Denny was just before my time. I first heard her beautiful voice when I was a child, hearing my brother playing the Led Zeppelin IV album and I asked who was the female singer on 'The Battle of Evermore'? I can remember my brother's reply "Sandy Denny. She died recently, after falling downstairs". Very sad. Took me another decade or more to discover the early Fairport albums. It is only in recent years that I bought all her solo albums, Fotheringay album and box sets, with the wonderful demo versions of her songs, without the overproduction that marred her studio solo albums. She blazed a trail for other female singer-songwriters to follow, and she influenced other great artists such as Natalie Merchant, Kate Bush, Julianne Regan and Beth Orton. US artist Alela Diane wrote the beautiful 'Song For Sandy' as a tribute on her recent 'Cusp' album.

Sadly, videotape technology of the late 60s/early 70s was such that there’s so little footage of Sandy performing. TV executives also thought no one would want to see so many programs a second time and Britain didn’t have a second-run syndication market as found in the US. But we still have all the records.

A very talented beautiful legend 💕 A great pianist and guitar player with her crystal bell voice that reached Led Zeppelin too

I like the weird High Vocals she contributed to the Led Zeppelin song Battle of Evermore, she sends the track over the edge

I've always thought: if you merged Joni Mitchell with Grace Slick, you get Sandy Denny?

The greatest non classical female voice (pace Dusty) to have emerged from England. The voice of my childhood and simply artistically and technically unparalleled. Utter beauty and artistic truth.

Remarkable young woman whose presence I have been aware of for decades. Great shame the husband, and perhaps family and friends, did not take more interest in Sandy's health. And taking the Child? But, too many young in music die....far too many.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were such good friends and fans of Sandy Denny they asked her to share vocals with Plant on Battle of Evermore.

Maybe these interviews were done before Richard Thomason’s Beeswing autobiography? In that he makes it clear Sandy was asked to leave Fairport, a group decision due to issues with not only her direction musically, but also her drinking and unreliability. Perhaps they should have asked the principals in Fairport directly? Perhaps some details didn’t fit the narrative arc of this look at her career? She was an extraordinary talent, evident from the very beginning. But the idea that she really drove the development of Fairport underestimates the input of Hutchings and Thompson in particular, and the whole band as it developed from early beginnings to be anything but a “rock n roll band”. Still, hindsight sees their career and hers peaking over those three albums. A magic of being more than the sum of the parts, I guess. Interestingly, Sandy appears as a real life character in the novel Electric Avenue by David Mitchell. The titular band in that novel is clearly modelled at least partly on Fairport.

Beautiful nothing else to say ❤

She moves through the fair is still a classic that have loved since day 1 X

Amazing to think that Sandy smoked about 40 cigarettes a day and yet her singing voice remained untainted . Not wishing to be negative , but I entirely agree with Joe Boyd's opinion of Trevor Lucas as a mediocre musician .

I love that Fotheringay record. And I love Trevor Lucas's voice. It's weird that he is so often dismissed.

I first heard of Sandy during the ‘74 tour but first listened to her in 1977, when I bought Unhalfbricking w/that awful US cover (just glad to find FC discs in Sept 1977 in Atlanta)! Anyway, been listening to her ever since. Thank you so much for making this video available. I agree w/those who assert the Fotheringay album is horribly underrated & Trevor Lucas has been unfairly vilified. However I also recall that band had a very problematical high profile gig and went on tour with a young pianist who ended up drawing unexpected accolades, Elton John.

never heard this voice before she is so pure to folk music beautiful sorry i missed her in life

Though a lot of people still don't know her, she'll never be forgotten; every year you can discover new fans of her. Sandy's singing is more than a legacy; it'll be in this world for many more years, just like classical music (Beethoven etc.) is! And Sandy is singing in heaven now and sensitive folks may hear that.......enuff said! Mr. RNB

the only 3 humans on the planet ive heard sing like that,joni mitchell judy collins and her, beautiful depth and resonance in her voice

North Star Grassman is my favourite by far. Many haunting songs, images and lyrics.

I can't understand how she isn't better known. Her voice lives inside of the listener like no other voice ever has.

This has been a wonderful memory documentary. I loved Sandy Denny.

Very much enjoyed the interviews with Musicians who were part of the folk and folk rock scene during the 1960's and beyond but some of the Talking head Journalists were just boring, I really Enjoyed most of Sandys work over the years but this documentary is really overly long and could have been more concise if it was just one hour long, I highly rate the album she did with the Strawbs and would not in any way consider it "throwaway" however Leige & Leif with Fairport is probably her finest moment.

The “solo artist” is a direction the managers want a musician to go purely for monetary gain. The music is almost always sacrificed in these situations.

No comments from R.T. Shame! Was she pushed?

Jackie mcshee I think was name of pentangle singer.

She is a heavyweight

Thank you for helping us to remember her greatness!

Unsung? She's universality recognised as a major figure in folk music.

I love you for posting this, she is my favorite singer of all time

Goddess...

I'm an American who only learned of Sandy first when I saw her name on the Led Zeppelin album. I was a Tolkien reader for years already, so The Battle of Evermore was not a mystery to me. But the voice on that song was. I felt that I should know who it was because it was as if Arwen was singing with Robert Plant on that song. Two years later I heard Matty Groves on the big sound system at ESS where I worked at the time and became a fan of British Folk Rock, and Sandy Denny. By the time I caught up, I learned that she had already left this world. The late 70s were tough on a lot of earlier bands. It would have been tougher for someone like Sandy. I wish Ian Anderson had snatched her up or something - just out of love. JT could have used a female voice in its choruses.

5 minutes total of Sandy Denny and 1 hr. 42 m of mansplaining.

Sandy Denny was not just another pretty voice, though she certainly could have settled for that. She was interested in the essence of traditional songs, not in reproducing the surface of them. Sandy was a Dylan fan.

The UK's Joni Mitchell, and I say that with the utmost respect 👏

I love her songwriting.. Wonderful songs about time, seasons and change. Always loved her, and i was a baby when she left this world. Whenever it gets cold I put on No End and drift away xx

Oh hark! the drums do beat, my love, no longer can we stay. The bugle-horns are sounding clear, and we must march away. We're ordered down to Portsmouth, and it's many is the weary mile. To join the British Army on the banks of the Nile. Oh Willie, dearest Willie, don't leave me here to mourn, Don't make me curse and rue the day that ever I was born. For the parting of our love would be like parting with my life. So stay at home, my dearest love, and I will be your wife. Oh my Nancy, dearest Nancy, sure that will never do. The government has ordered, and we are bound to go. The government has ordered, and the Queen she gives command. And I am bound on oath, my love, to serve in a foreign land. Oh, but I'll cut off my yellow hair, and I'll go along with you. I'll dress myself in uniform, and I'll see Egypt too. I'll march beneath your banner while fortune it do smile, And we'll comfort one another on the banks of the Nile. But your waist it is too slender, and your fingers they are too small. In the sultry suns of Egypt your rosy cheeks would spoil. Where the cannons they do rattle, when the bullets they do fly, And the silver trumpets sound so loud to hide the dismal cries. Oh, cursed be those cruel wars, that ever they began, For they have robbed our country of manys the handsome men. They've robbed us of our sweethearts while their bodies they feed the lions, On the dry and sandy deserts which are the banks of the Nile.

How can the guy say it was an obscure Dylan song when Mannfred Mann did it in English in 66. Si Tu Dois Partir.

Speaking of "Like An Old Fashioned Waltz", "No End" is one of the best ending songs from any album.

It's sad when people resort to alcohol/drugs to push the sadness and pain away.

The elephant in the room - no woman in this film. Most of the guys on here are very judgemental with their comments. Where's Richard Thompson?

I wanted to learn about her so much. Thanks for this

I have to be alone when I listen to Sandy I don't want anyone {including my wife}, to see my eyes well up with tears

Listen to "No End" a excellent sandy denny song..

Praise Sandy Denny. I am pleased to see here that every single comment that I have noticed here, is making a full effort to be sufficient praise. It baffles me how Sandy Denny could possibly have not understood the extent of her power and influence. It may be that the record companies had hopes of getting more sales. I also cant get how anyone who produces such resources ever even considers what a critic says about it. Who knows. I hope the few pennies that trickle up at least to some Sandy's friends through buying records can make up for the planets and castles and precious jewels which I am unable to pay. Furthermore, I am of the metalhead community, and it is rare that I praise folk musicians, even those of great merit. Thank you.

Britain's Joni Mitchell.....

Sandy is the Queen. Back in 1970 at the University of Missouri I had some buddies who took LSD one night & listened to Matty Groves 57 times in a row.