FOTHERINGAY

Seriously, clean up the prog-related section OR include artists like Motorhead, Megadeth, Angel, Tame Impala, even the Beach Boys... Get yourself some younger admins, because for a site dedicated to PROG this site is outdated.

PS: as far as this album goes, I would rate it 3,5 stars based on the music. But since it's not prog and I want to make a statement, here's 1 star. Bye

Fotheringay, fronted by the very talented Sandy Denny, released one album in it's lifetime. The second was shelved but released in 2008. There's a lot of talent on this album. One could argue that it does not reach the heights of the first, classic album but I think that they are almost as good.

Sandy Denny possesses a voice that is simply remarkable. Her warm tone and genuine understanding of the story to be told makes her, in my opinion, the foremost interpreter of the genre. From what I have gathered her approach in the studio was all about feeling. Playing by heart and soul. That I like very much.

A couple of tracks re-appear on Denny's solo effort 'North star grass man and the ravens', such as 'John the gun' and 'Late november'. These tracks say everything about the traits that attracts me to the genre. Whether the versions on '2' are better than on 'North star grass man...' I will refrain from debating. They are sort of similar and at least they are of the highest quality.

There are really only a couple of tracks I care less about. 'Knights of the road', 'Restless' and 'I don't believe you'. They are more in the country vein and while I do like country music it disrupts the flow, I'm sad to say. Otherwise I love every other track. In particular I am moved by the gentle and very beautiful 'Wild mountain thyme', the raging 'John the gun' and the wonderful 'Gypsy Davey'. Great stuff.

So, what rating is apt, then? Well, I suppose the accurate rating would be 3,5 stars but I will round that up to an even 4. This is an excellent album, just as the first one, and you would do well hearing it if you are into this kind of music.

Favorites: Denny's three: 1. 'Nothing More" (4:39) (10/10),'2. 'The Sea" (5:33) (9/10), and 'The Pond and the Stream' (3:20) (8/10); the most proggy tune on the album, 9. 'Banks of the Nile' (8:04) (10/10); the wonderful harmonized vocal approach to Gordon Lightfoot's 'The Way I Feel" (4:45) (9/10), and;'the delicate 4. 'Winter Winds' (2:13) (8/10)

1. "Nothing More" (4:37) a Sandy Denny-penned song that is one of the most shining examples of Prog Folk perfection you'll ever come across, Sandy Denny is something so special and this is a great band. The only song on the album on which piano appears as the lead accompanist of the vocalist and band. (10/10)

2. "The Sea" (5:32) another Sandy Denny song that is built upon by her amazing band so that it sounds like the foundation for one of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS' best songs with comparisons also appropriate for bands like JONI MITCHELL and SEALS & CROFTS. Outstanding musicianship of this gorgeous, many-layered composition. (10/10)

3. "The Ballad Of Ned Kelly" (3:34) a song created by guitarist-vocalist Trevor Lucas and sung by Lucas in his Kris Kristofferson-like voice. A now-famous song that fails to impress (me; but then, I'm not a lyrics guy). (8/10)

4. "Winter Winds" (2:13) a third Sandy Denny song that opens with guitars and bass and Sandy's plaintive voice. Drums join in for the final stanza. (8.5/10)

5. "Peace In The End" (4:02) written by Sandy and Trevor strummed guitars, thick C&W bass, pedal steel guitar, choir vocals with a male in the lead, later alternating with Sandy. The chorus approach feels church-based--definitely oriented to a sing-a-long crowd-appeal. (8/10)

6. "The Way I Feel" (4:46) a Gordon Lightfoot song that opens with fast arpeggio from guitar, fast strumming from another, bass and drum lines potent with latent power waiting to bust out. Beautiful choral vocals with perfected harmonies carry this song from start to finish. Again, the little instrumental flourishes and nuances added here and there are so cool--they remind me of the sophisticated layering of peak LYNYRD SKYNYRD. (9.5/10)

7. "The Pond And The Stream" (3:20) multiple picked guitars with bass and drums in gentle support of Sandy's solo voice. A true folk song, very JONI MITCHELL-like. (9/10)

8. "Too Much Of Nothing" (3:55) a male-voiced cover of a Bob Dylan song that is delivered in a very Country & Western style and sound; the whole thing sounds like something from THE BAND, the MARSHALL TUCKER BAND, or HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH. Smooth and memorable. (9/10)

9. "Banks Of The Nile" (8:04) a Fotheringay/Sandy Denny arrangement of a traditional folk song, the key is, once again, Sandy's amazing vocal delivery. Great simple and sparse support from the guitar, bass and cymbals over the opening four minutes allows Sandy and the story to have the listener's full attention (as it should). Still, this is a Prog Folk song with a more rock'n'roll musical support in the second half. Full of subtleties and nuances that add greatly without distracting or detracting from Sandy's story delivery. Gorgeous outro to fade over the last 30 seconds. (13.5/15)

Total Time: 40:03

In 2008 Jerry Donahue released an album entitled Fotheringay 2 using previously unreleased material from the band's original 1970 recording sessions'some of which had seen the light of day on 1970s releases by FAIRPORT CONVENTION and SANDY DENNY. It is an equally wonderful album--definitely worth checking out! Check out "Nothing More" (4:39) (10/10), "The Sea" (5:33) (9/10), "Banks of the Nile" (8:04) (13.5/15), "The Way I Feel" (4:45) (10/10), and "John the Gun" (5:06) (8/10) (from their second album of songs recorded in their 1970 recording sessions but only released as the album Fotheringay 2 in 2008).

Five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a wonderful display of diverse Prog Folk.

If anything, in fact, it's Lucas who's the real find on this album, since in him Denny had found a male vocalist easily on a par with her own high standards. Ironic then, that after the dissolution of the project that Lucas (along with guitarist Jerry Donahue) would end up joining Fairport Convention! (Indeed, bassist Pat Donaldson is the only Fotheringay not to join the Fairport lineup at some point after the winding-up of this project).

The music on the album is a combination of British folk/rock songs and US influenced folk/rock/country songs. Sandy Denny wrote the songs "Nothing More", "The Sea", "Winter Winds", "The Pond And The Stream" which are all in the British folk/rock tradition and by far the most intriguing compositions of the album. Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas wrote "Peace In The End" which has an American country sound to it which doesn´t sound right along side the above mentioned material. "The Ballad Of Ned Kelly" was written by Trevor Lucas and is also in the American country style. Fotheringay also covers the Gordon Lightfoot tune "The Way I Feel" and even though this one is also influenced by American folk and country it´s the most interesting song here in that style. There´s some truly great guitar playing in that one. There´s a Bob Dylan cover on the album too in "Too Much Of Nothing". Honestly it´s one of the low points of the album. "Banks Of The Nile" is a traditional British folk/rock song re-arranged by Fotheringay. It´s one of the better songs on the album.

The musicianship is excellent on the album. The shared vocal duties by Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas works well. They are both great strong and distinct sounding vocalists. The rhythm section works very well too. I´m especially fond of drummer Gerry Conway´s style. Jerry Donahue is the one who most deserves a special mention though. His guitar playing on this album is nothing short of outstanding.

The album features a well sounding production job. The sound is warm and pleasant with an emphasis on the organic, which suits the material perfectly. "Fotheringay" is a good quality folk/rock album although I could have done without the US country influences which I feel disrupt the flow of the album. It´s too bad this would be their sole album release, as there is certainly a lot of promise here. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

I enjoyed very much the low key sound of the group as a whole: they were fine musicians working for the music, not for their egos. It is ok for me that Lucas tunes are a bit too simple and not entirely convincing, as it is his cover of Dylan´s Too Much Of Nothing, but they are just some minor flaws, on an otherwise very powerful album. Denny´s opener Nothing More is a fine showcase of her talents both as an original singer and a sensitive songwriter. The Sea, Winter Winds and The Pond And The Stream are other strong compositions, while her interpretation of the traditional Banks Of The Nile is as poignant as anything she has done in the Fairport fold. The band is shining on that track too, making it the most progressive tune in the whole album.

Another surprise is the cover of Gordon Lighfoot´s The Way I Feel: very well arranged, played and sung, this tune is one of Fotheringay´s highlights for its emotional and convincing interpretation. My Hannibal CD booklet and tracklist gives no hint that Two Last Weeks In Summer and Gypsy Davey were not included on the original LP (now I know they were in fact recoorded for their second, shelved, album). Both are great bonus tracks and fit very well with the others. Nice touch (my CD does not include the 3 live tracks of the UICY release).

Fotheringay was a very promising group that unfortunatly never really reached its full potential. But they left a very fine debut CD that I recommend to all fans of prog folk.

The least that can be said is that this second album is the worthy successor to their sole album, even if it was unfinished, (Donohue doing a fantastic job on the voices that were recorded live), but this album suffers the same schizophrenia that pervades through their debut album: it is torn between folk rock and country rock. There are some really excellent tracks (usually those written or arranged by Denny), such as the dramatic John The Gun with its sac solo (courtesy of Donohue's brother Sam), the traditionals Eppie Moray and Wild (not so ;-) Mountain Thyme and Gypsy Davey, the impressive Late November (Sandy's voice is at its top, despite the rehearsal tapes conditions), while BJ Donahue would've appeared to be the highlight of the album with its extended running time with its almost 8- mins (the only one of the album over 5 minutes), but fails to peak instrumentally. So the closing Strawbs classic Two Weeks Last Summer gets the highlight spot.

As expected, tracks from Lucas such as Knights Of The Road (including twin lead guitars, one sounding like a lapsteel), Restless, the obligatory Dylan cover Don't Believe You (can't myself ;o(((), Silver Threads And Golden Needles (I guess as close to the artwork's subject) are much less interesting, relying on country instrumentation and typical barnyard beats.

Overall this album is just as good as the historical album, sharing the same strengths and flaws and those liking the debut simply must have this one. For my part, just like the debut, the intrusion of country (due to Trevor Lucas) is simply too much (both artistically and in terms of %age of tracks) to make any of Fotheringay's albums essentials.

Soooo aside the obligatory Dylan cover Too Much Of Nothing (and more surprisingly a Gordon Lightfoot cover), the album does have the semi-stinking country rockers like Neal Kelly, but there is plenty of excellent tracks as well. This includes the enchanting album-opening Nothing More, one of these tracks that showed why she left Fairport. The Lightfoot track The Way I feel is probably the best I heard cover of one of his song, it holds some powerful drumming from Conway, some dramatic vocals and great dual guitars and even a solid tempo change to allow some final wailing. The Sea is another pure beauty in the folk realm adding much charm to the album, while Peace In The End is one of those song that have a slight country tinge, but it's nothing over-dramatic >> there are more coming up and not quite as good.

The usual Cd reissue comes with three bonus tracks (sometimes more), most of them likely from their second unreleased album, my version having Gypsy Davey and Two Weeks Last Summer from that session, recently available through the reworked tapes of the second album. Another bonus track, and much worthier is the lengthy Banks Of The Nile, where the band really lets go of itself. A really awesome track that pushes Fotheringay in the prog folk realm

Rating: 3.5 stars

Fotheringay's sole album is this self titled release from 1970. The band took their name from an early Fairport Convention song, which in turn was named after the castle in England where Mary Queen of Scots was put to death by her cousin Queen Elizabeth the First of England in 1587.

Effectively a Fairport Convention spin off project, "Fotheringay" is founded on the wonderful signing voice of Sandy Denny (the only guest singer on any Led Zeppelin track - "The battle of evermore"), the voice and guitar of her soon to be husband Trevor Lucas, and the lead guitar of Jerry Donahue. While there are therefore significant similarities with the music of Fairport, this is actually closer to sounding like a Denny solo project, the folk influences being somewhat less here.

The album opens with a couple of reflective Denny compositions. "Nothing more" and "The sea" both focus on Sandy's emotional delivery style, the latter sounding like a fine updating of "Who knows where the time goes". "Winter Winds" follows a similar pattern, with Denny's delicate vocals being given significant dominance over the sympathetic acoustic backing. In terms of Denny's song-writing, by this time she had become highly competent at creating melodies which suited her voice well. Lyrically, the subjects covered, as evidenced by the titles, are traditional folk fare covering subjects such as the seasons, the sea (sic), and the countryside. There is however a slight laziness in the lyrics, which use the right words, but do not actually say anything by way of portraying a picture or telling a story. "The pond and stream" is better lyrically, finding Sandy becoming bored of city life and yearning for open spaces.

Five of the nine tracks are composed by Sandy Denny, one being a collaboration with Trevor Lucas. Lucas also writes "The ballad of Ned Kelly" which he sings. He has a fine voice, not unlike that of Gordon Lightfoot, whose "The way I feel" opens side 2. Indeed, Lucas also takes lead vocal on that track, delivering a fine performance. "Ned Kelly" has a barroom sing-a-long chorus, as does the Denny/Lucas composed "Peace in the end". This was released as an unsuccessful single, the pleasant optimistic lyrics and melodic chorus sadly failing to capture the imagination of the singles buying public.

The remaining tracks are a cover of a Bob Dylan composition and an adaptation of a traditional song. "Too much of nothing" is interesting as, although it was written in 1967, it did not actually appear officially on a Dylan album until the release of "The basement tapes" in 1975. The song, which was also covered by Peter Paul and Mary, therefore has the feel of a song by The Band more than by Dylan himself.

The closing "Banks of the Nile" sees Denny reverting to the sparsely backed vocal style on which this album is founded.

In all, a highly melodic album which largely acts as a showcase for the vocal talents of Sandy Denny. The jigs and reels, and indeed story telling of Fairport Convention are absent, but then this was never intended to be a Fairport album.

The LP comes in a very attractive gatefold cover, with a mediaeval flavoured illustration of the band on the front, a tasteful crest on the back, and a photo of the band playing live inside.