6. Sandy DennyThe North Star Grassman And The Ravens

[My interest in 1960s and 70s folk] completely came from working at Bam Caruso with Phil Smee, listening to things like Trees and the Mellow Candle album. Sandy Denny was always the one for me. Just her voice, it’s absolutely peerless as a folk voice.T here’s an underlying sense of foreboding in these songs, this kind of torment, but just absolutely beautiful string arrangements, especially on ‘This Time Around’ where they’re so supportive, cradling the song. The subtlety of the shifting sands of the landscape on this record is incredible. Although I would say I could definitely do without ‘Let’s Jump The Broomstick’. Perhaps that’s why Sandy is still, I think, underappreciated.

I study this kind of music quite a lot. I compiled a triple CD [Deep In The Woods: Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1973] for Cherry Red a while back, and I’ve got another one coming out shortly where I’ve managed to get ‘This Time Around’, my favourite Sandy Denny track, on there. One thing I’ve noticed in compiling records like these is that you don’t have to add much to an arrangement to make it trippy. I can be just one phased guitar, rather than the whole thing phasing.