Sandy Denny & The Strawbs - All Our Own Work 1973

The Strawbs had only recently shortened their name from the Strawberry Hill Boys when leader and principle songwriter Dave Cousins heard Sandy Denny sing at a folk club in London, and was impressed enough to ask her to join his group that evening. Denny's tenure with The Strawbs lasted less than a year, but she was with them long enough to record an album with the group, cut in 1967 for a label in Denmark. The LP, titled All Our Own Work, has been reissued in a variety of forms over the years, and this 2010 edition on Witchwood Media is the most complete presentation to date, featuring the original 12 tracks from the album, nine outtakes, alternate versions, and demos, and three early demo recordings that appear here for the first time. In some respects, this music is atypical for both Denny and The Strawbs; this is a far cry from her more complex and traditionalist work with Fairport Convention and as a solo artist, and the progressive elements of The Strawbs music hadn't quite taken hold yet, with this music suggesting a middle ground between folk and pop with a dash of psychedelia. But if this is juvenilia for Denny and Cousins, it's also lovely music. Denny clearly possessed a glorious voice, and the two early recordings of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" show she had the talent that would make her an icon of British folk, while in her performances of "And You Need Me" and "Sail Away to The Sea" she was a splendid interpreter of Cousins' material. Cousins' own singing is strong, confident, and charming, he was writing fine folk-leaning songs, and the two bluegrass-style instrumentals boast great picking from Cousins, Tony Hooper, and Ron Chesterman. All Our Own Work is ultimately a footnote in the careers of Sandy Denny and The Strawbs, but even though the band and their short-term female vocalist would go on to different things, this captures a fresh, youthful spirit and creative enthusiasm that's charming and thoroughly pleasing. allmusic.com

Tracklist:
01.Nothing Else Will Do
02.Who Know Where The Time Goes
03.How Everyone But Sam Was A Hypocrite
04.Sail Away To The Sea
05.And You Need Me
06.Poor Jimmy Wilson
07.All I Need Is You
08.Tell Me What You See In Me
09.I've Been My Own Worst Friend
10.On My Way
11.Two Weeks Last Summer
12.Always On My Mind
13.Stay Awhile With Me
14.I've Been My Own Worst Friend (Bonus)
15.Two Weeks Last Summer (Bonus)

The Strawbs:
Dave Cousins - vocals, guitars, banjo
Tony Hooper - vocals, guitars
Ron Chesterman - bass
Sandy Denny  vocals, chorus vocals, guitar
Ken Gudmand - drums, tablas
Cy Nicklin - sitar