Something a bit different tonight, and maybe a marked contrast to the 90's and PJ Harvey. Sandy Denny was probably the most influential singer/singer-songwriter to bring the concept of Folk-Rock to the UK. From her memorable association with the ground-breaking Fairport Convention in the 1960's, Denny moved away into a more broad-based sound with her next band Fotheringay in 1970 and continued a string of successes and milestone albums all the way until her untimely death in 1978.

Here are the first and second sessions the newly formed Fotheringay recorded for the BBC and the Top Of The Pops program, hosted by Brian Matthew.

Here is what's on the player:

BBC Radio Top Of The Pops, host Brian Matthew recorded April 13, 1970:

The Way I Feel (4:36)
Interview (1:31)
The Sea (4:52)

Top Of The Pops with Brian Matthew - recorded November 12, 1970, broadcast November 21, 1970:

Eppy Moray (3:55)
The Lowlands of Holland (2:40)
Interview / Gypsy Davey (4:13)

Seldom heard tracks from a memorable band and an unforgettable singer.

(Fairport Convention - before they were an institution)

Early Fairport Convention tonight from a session recorded for the BBC on May 28th, 1968 and not issued commercially until the late 1980s. This track, I Don't Know Where I Stand is a Joni Mitchell title that didn't appear on any of their early albums. Fairport had only been together since the year before and there was still growth and fine-tuning to take place. However, the voice of Sandy Denny was unmistakable and, even at that early stage in their careers it was evident Fairport Convention were not just another folk/rock band doing American singer-songwriter covers. They had their own sound and their own material. Although it took a good long time for Fairport to get recognition here in the states, they had an almost instant following in the UK and Europe and one that continues to this day.

So here is a taste of what they sounded like almost from the beginning, performing a song they never recorded commercially.