The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
Encyclopedia
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 unexpected harmonies.
dissolved when producer Joe Boyd
left to take up a job with Warner Brothers in California when the band were halfway through a second album that was left unfinished until 2008 when it came out as Fotheringay 2
. Denny now launched the sequence of solo albums that underlie the claim that she is one of Britain's finest recent singer-songwriters.
sessions, Late November, inspired by a dream and the death of Fairport band member Martin Lamble
, and John the Gun were re-worked for the album and supplemented by a further six self penned songs and two cover versions, Bob Dylan
's Down in the Flood and Let's Jump the Broomstick, recorded by Brenda Lee. Sessions began with Andy Johns producing but in the end the album was produced by Denny herself, current bandmate Richard Thompson and John Wood
, who recommended to Denny the film-score arranger Harry Robinson, who added strings to Next Time Around, a cryptogram about former boyfriend Jackson C. Frank
(one of her many portraits in song) and Wretched Wilbur. Robinson would arrange strings for Denny's further albums as well as for Nick Drake
and other artists signed to the same company.
The first songs recorded were the traditional Blackwaterside
and Let's Jump the Broomstick in March 1971 at Sound Techniques. Sessions continued the following month until the end of May at Island studios, where the album was completed with the cutting of the title track, a sea voyage as a metaphor for death inspired by the loss of her friend 'Tigger' (Paul Bamber) who was in the Merchant Navy.
A number of other songs were attempted and discarded during the course of the sessions including Honky Tonk Women, Walking the Floor Over You
and the traditional Lord Bateman.
The album was issued in a gatefold sleeve with a distinctive cover photograph of Denny reading tea leaves in an old fashioned apothecary
shop. The image covered both the front and rear sleeve, and was taken by Keef (Macmillan) who went on to do a lot of work with another British female singer-songwriter: Kate Bush
. A 2CD Deluxe Edition is scheduled for release by Island Records on 13 June 2011. It features the original album, outtakes and rare demos and a previously unreleased instrumental version of Lord Bateman.
Side one
Side two
Bonus tracks on the 2005 remastered re-issue:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
singer-songwriter Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
. Built mostly around her own compositions, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is distinguished by its elusive lyrics and unexpected harmonies.
Chronology
Denny became a solo artist because her previous group FotheringayFotheringay
Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned...
dissolved when producer Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
left to take up a job with Warner Brothers in California when the band were halfway through a second album that was left unfinished until 2008 when it came out as Fotheringay 2
Fotheringay 2
Fotheringay 2 is the second album by the group formed by Sandy Denny after she left Fairport Convention in 1969, and consists of previously unreleased tracks. The band was short-lived, and this album collects those remaining performances.-Track listing:...
. Denny now launched the sequence of solo albums that underlie the claim that she is one of Britain's finest recent singer-songwriters.
Production
Two original compositions from the Fotheringay 2Fotheringay 2
Fotheringay 2 is the second album by the group formed by Sandy Denny after she left Fairport Convention in 1969, and consists of previously unreleased tracks. The band was short-lived, and this album collects those remaining performances.-Track listing:...
sessions, Late November, inspired by a dream and the death of Fairport band member Martin Lamble
Martin Lamble
Martin Francis Lamble was the drummer for British electric folk band, Fairport Convention, from just after their formation in 1967, until his death in the Fairport Convention van crash in 1969...
, and John the Gun were re-worked for the album and supplemented by a further six self penned songs and two cover versions, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's Down in the Flood and Let's Jump the Broomstick, recorded by Brenda Lee. Sessions began with Andy Johns producing but in the end the album was produced by Denny herself, current bandmate Richard Thompson and John Wood
John Wood (music producer)
John Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Nico and Squeeze.-Career:...
, who recommended to Denny the film-score arranger Harry Robinson, who added strings to Next Time Around, a cryptogram about former boyfriend Jackson C. Frank
Jackson C. Frank
Jackson Carey Frank was an American folk musician.-Early life:When Jackson Frank was 11, a furnace exploded at his school, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga, New York...
(one of her many portraits in song) and Wretched Wilbur. Robinson would arrange strings for Denny's further albums as well as for Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
and other artists signed to the same company.
The first songs recorded were the traditional Blackwaterside
Down by Blackwaterside
Down by Blackwaterside is a traditional folk song, provenance and author unknown, although it is likely to have originated near the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland...
and Let's Jump the Broomstick in March 1971 at Sound Techniques. Sessions continued the following month until the end of May at Island studios, where the album was completed with the cutting of the title track, a sea voyage as a metaphor for death inspired by the loss of her friend 'Tigger' (Paul Bamber) who was in the Merchant Navy.
A number of other songs were attempted and discarded during the course of the sessions including Honky Tonk Women, Walking the Floor Over You
Walking the Floor Over You
"Walking the Floor Over You" is a country music song written by Ernest Tubb and released in the United States in 1941.The original release included only Tubb's vocal and acoustic guitar accompanied by Fay "Smitty" Smith on electric guitar. Tubb later re-recorded the song with his band, The Texas...
and the traditional Lord Bateman.
The album was issued in a gatefold sleeve with a distinctive cover photograph of Denny reading tea leaves in an old fashioned apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
shop. The image covered both the front and rear sleeve, and was taken by Keef (Macmillan) who went on to do a lot of work with another British female singer-songwriter: Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
. A 2CD Deluxe Edition is scheduled for release by Island Records on 13 June 2011. It features the original album, outtakes and rare demos and a previously unreleased instrumental version of Lord Bateman.
Tracks
All songs were written by Sandy Denny except where notedSide one
- "Late November" - 4:28
- "BlackwatersideDown by BlackwatersideDown by Blackwaterside is a traditional folk song, provenance and author unknown, although it is likely to have originated near the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland...
" (Trad.) - 4:12 - "The Sea Captain" - 3:09
- "Down in the FloodDown in the FloodDown in the Flood is a song by Bob Dylan, copyrighted and originally recorded by him in 1967 and featured on his 1971 compilation album, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II. He has recorded it with The Band, too - this version was featured on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) - 3:20 - "John the Gun" - 4:38
Side two
- "Next Time Around" - 4:26
- "The Optimist" - 3:24
- "Let's Jump the Broomstick" (Charles Robins) - 2:42
- "Wretched Wilbur" - 2:38
- "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens" - 3:27
- "Crazy Lady Blues" - 3:22
Bonus tracks on the 2005 remastered re-issue:
- "Late November" (El Pea version) - 4.28
- "Walking the Floor Over YouWalking the Floor Over You"Walking the Floor Over You" is a country music song written by Ernest Tubb and released in the United States in 1941.The original release included only Tubb's vocal and acoustic guitar accompanied by Fay "Smitty" Smith on electric guitar. Tubb later re-recorded the song with his band, The Texas...
" (Ernest TubbErnest TubbErnest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
) - 4.18 - "Losing Game" (Richard Clapton) - 3.25
- "Next Time Around" (alternate take without strings) - 4.45
Disc 1
- Late November
- Blackwaterside
- The Sea Captain
- Down In The Flood
- John The Gun
- Next Time Around
- The Optimist
- Let's Jump The Broomstick
- Wretched Wilbur
- The North Star Grassman And The Ravens
- Crazy Lady Blues
- Next Time Around (Demo)
- Walking The Floor Over You (Duet with Richard Thompson)
- Lord Bateman (previously unreleased instrumental)
- If You Saw Thru My Eyes (Duet with Ian Matthews)
Disc 2
- The Sea Captain (Rare demo)
- The Optimist (Rare demo)
- Wretched Wilbur (Rare demo)
- Crazy Lady Blues (Rare demo)
- Lord Bateman (Rare demo)
- Late November (BBC Session - Bob Harris 24/8/71)
- The Lowlands Of Holland (BBC Session - Bob Harris 24/8/71)
- Blackwaterside (BBC session - Sounds on Sunday 14/11/72)
- The North Star Grassman And The Ravens (BBC In Concert - Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
- Bruton Town (BBC In Concert - Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
- Next Time Around (BBC In Concert - Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
- John The Gun (BBC In Concert - Paris Theatre 16/3/72)
Musicians
- Sandy DennySandy DennySandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
- lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2/3/11), piano (1) - Jerry DonahueJerry DonahueJerry Donahue is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of the rock guitar trio The Hellecasters.-Biography:Donahue was born in New York, the son of big band...
- electric guitar (1) - Richard Thompson - el. guitar (1-5/7-9), accordion (2), vocals (4), ac. guitar (6-7/9-10), bass (7/11)
- Trevor LucasTrevor LucasTrevor George Lucas was an influential folk artist, a member of Fairport Convention and one of the founders of Fotheringay...
- acoustic guitar (1/5/8) - Buddy EmmonsBuddy EmmonsBuddy Emmons , is an American guitarist.Emmons has been called "The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist" and his talent is greatly admired by fellow steel guitarists...
: pedal steel guitar (11) - Pat DonaldsonPat DonaldsonPat Donaldson is a bass guitarist.The 2i's Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street, Soho was a legendary hang-out for early rock artists of Britain. It was here that Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard and Terry Dean played. Albert Lee and Pat Donaldson played here while they were members of Bob Xavier and the...
: bass (1-3/8-10) - Tony ReevesTony ReevesAnthony 'Tony' Reeves is an English bass guitarist/contrabassist, noted for his "extremely prominent and complex bass sound" and use of electronic effects...
: bass (4/6) - Gerry ConwayGerry Conway (musician)Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
: drums (1-4/6-7/9-11) - Roger Powell : drums (8)
- Ian WhitemanIan WhitemanIan Whiteman is a musician, calligrapher and graphic designer from England.- Musical career :Whiteman's early musical career included the band The Action, a 1960s London-based mod and soul music-influenced pop group; he was in Mighty Baby for a while before becoming a session musician, backing...
: piano (4-8/10-11), flute organ (10) - Barry DransfieldBarry DransfieldBarry Dransfield is an English folk singer, fiddler, cellist and guitarist. He has appeared as a session musician on numerous albums by other artists, and has released his own albums as well. Lord of All I Behold was voted Melody Maker folk album of the year...
: violin (5) - Royston Wood & Robin Dransfield : backing vocals (5)
- Harry Robinson - string arrangements (6/9)