Fotheringay

by Bruce EderThe Fledg'ling remastering of Fotheringay's only finished LP is a significant improvement upon the old Hannibal Records CD from the late 1980s, with a fuller, richer sound and a much closer sound as well -- voices and instruments alike have much more presence here, and that extends from Jerry Donahue's lead guitar, right through Sandy Denny's acoustic 12-string and down to Gerry Conway's drums; and what it does for Denny's voice, in terms of presenting it in sharp relief, is also quite wonderful -- the first time she heads toward those high notes on "The Sea," the improvement is clear. What's more, this CD includes four bonus tracks that encompass more of Fotheringay's history than any prior release on the group; along with the original nine-LP tracks as four songs cut live by the group at the Holland Pop Festival in Rotterdam on June 28, 1972. Those songs include their hauntingly dramatic version of Dave Cousins' "Two Weeks Last Summer" and the album's opener "Nothing More"; the traditional "Banks of the Nile" (which is virtually a Denny solo piece until the final seconds of its seven-minute-length), and Chuck Berry's "Memphis Tennessee," which comes off surprisingly well, even if it's a long way from its origins. The fidelity on the live tracks is a long way from perfect, but as bonus material it is suitable, and serves as a reminder that, if the band didn't have a lengthy recording history, it did have a history beyond the one finished LP.