The North Star Grassman and the Ravens: Solo Album or Fairport Compilation?

Identify the solo album before comparing editions

Sandy Denny’s The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is a solo album released in 1971, not a Fairport Convention compilation. That distinction can be easy to miss in a used-record search: Denny was closely associated with Fairport, and some later packages collect solo, group, demo and broadcast recordings together. This page gives you a quick way to identify the original eleven-track LP, hear how its two sides work as a sequence, and decide whether an expanded archive release answers a different need.

The album-specific discography at Mainly Norfolk lists the UK Island copy as ILPS 9165, the U.S. A&M issue as SP 4317, and a 1972 Japanese King edition. It also lists the album’s producers, recording locations and track order. Those details provide a stronger starting point than a broad listing that says only “Sandy Denny vinyl.”

Check the five-plus-six side program

Side one contains “Late November,” “Blackwaterside,” “The Sea Captain,” “Down in the Flood,” and “John the Gun.” Side two continues with “Next Time Around,” “The Optimist,” “Let’s Jump the Broomstick,” “Wretched Wilbur,” the title track, and “Crazy Lady Blues.” The side break is useful when matching a record with a database entry or listing. A copy that shows only ten titles may reflect incomplete metadata rather than a different original LP; compare the labels and jacket before drawing a conclusion.

The 2005 CD reissue adds four bonus tracks, while the 2011 Deluxe Edition expands further with demos and BBC performances. Those extras can be valuable if you want to hear alternate arrangements and broadcast versions. They are not part of the original two-side vinyl sequence. A bundle that advertises “bonus tracks” might contain a multi-disc package, a digital download, or a later CD; ask what physical formats are included instead of assuming the original LP itself has changed.

Hear the album as Denny’s own project

The release-specific discography credits production to Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson and John Wood, and describes recordings made by Wood at Sound Techniques, Basing Street and Air in May 1971. It lists Denny on vocals, piano and acoustic guitar, with several collaborators on guitar, bass, drums, backing vocals and other parts. The presence of Thompson and other Fairport-connected musicians does not make the LP a Fairport album. Credit the collaborators precisely and keep the release identity intact.

For a first-side listening map, compare Denny’s performance of the traditional “Blackwaterside” with the album’s own songs around it. Note what the voice carries through the changes in material: phrasing, timing, tone or the way a line settles into the accompaniment. Then use “Down in the Flood,” credited to Bob Dylan, as another point where you can test the difference between authorship and interpretation. You do not need to decide that one song is more authentic. Describe what Denny emphasizes in the version you hear.

On side two, listen to the movement from “Next Time Around” through the two shorter songs “Let’s Jump the Broomstick” and “Wretched Wilbur,” then the title track and “Crazy Lady Blues.” Try one uninterrupted side, then replay two tracks with different listening targets: vocal phrasing on one, arrangement changes on the other. Avoid judging the whole record from a famous track title or from a compilation that reorders the material. The original LP’s two-side structure is part of the listening experience you are evaluating.

Keep solo identity and archive extras separate

Denny’s career includes solo albums, Fairport Convention and Fotheringay recordings, collaborations, demos and radio sessions. A collection can legitimately bring those strands together, but a retail heading may compress them into one name. When an edition includes BBC recordings, check whether they are separate bonus tracks and whether the packaging labels the broadcast date and source. The 2011 deluxe discography, for example, distinguishes studio-era demos and BBC performances from the original eleven-song LP.

This distinction matters to a listener who wants a coherent album rather than every available document. Start with the original program if you want to hear the sequence released under Denny’s name in 1971. Consider an expanded CD set if you specifically want session alternatives, a version without strings, or broadcast recordings. If your main interest is Fairport’s band sound, a solo Denny LP with guest players may not be the right substitute for a group album. Decide from the track list and credits, not from the search result’s artist field alone.

Verify territory and catalog information

The UK Island ILPS 9165 and U.S. A&M SP 4317 are two distinct original-market entries. A Japanese King AML 1011 follows in January 1972 according to the same discography. Their sleeves, label layouts and catalog numbers will differ, so do not treat a U.S. label as evidence that a copy is an incomplete UK edition. First identify the territory and issue, then compare the jacket, label text, track order and dead-wax markings against images or an edition-specific catalog record.

Mainly Norfolk is a specialist discography rather than an official label archive; ONAM Records separately lists the U.S. A&M release metadata and helps cross-check that track program. Treat neither as a substitute for inspecting the actual record. Even a correct catalog number does not establish that a seller’s disc matches the jacket, plays quietly or has a particular mastering. Pink rims, textured paper, label color and other visual clues are only useful when they correspond to the exact territory and release under review.

Shop by task, then inspect condition

Before contacting a seller, write down the issue you seek: UK Island, U.S. A&M, Japan King, or a later reissue. Request current jacket, both-label and runout photos, and confirm the eleven titles and side divisions. Stock images cannot verify the actual item.

Next, ask whether the LP has been play-tested and what the seller heard. Inspect the surfaces for scratches, scuffs, residue and warping; check the sleeve for seam splits, ring wear, writing and moisture damage. Ask for a report from a quieter passage as well as a statement about obvious skips. “Looks clean” is not equivalent to a clean playback, and one test on an unknown turntable cannot guarantee how another system will track it.

Separate condition from edition. A worn first issue and a clean reissue serve different purposes; choose by listening goal and set a condition limit. The sources here establish neither universal sound preference nor current value.

A short decision rule

Choose the standard LP for Denny’s eleven-song two-sided album; choose an expanded set when you specifically want its separately identified demos or broadcasts. Confirm territory, catalog number, program and copy condition independently.