The first song recorded for the album was "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood", a Richard Fariña lyric he had set to a traditional Irish melody "My Lagan Love"; Denny's ambitious multi-tracked vocal arrangement was inspired by the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic. Demo sessions continued at the recently constructed Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, the first studio owned by Richard Branson's Virgin label. It was here that Denny, together with contemporaries, recorded a one-off project called The Bunch, a collection of rock and roll era standards released under the title Rock On. That collection marked Trevor Lucas's debut as a producer for Island Records and he took the helm on Sandy; the album was once again engineered by John Wood. The Manor sessions resulted in rough versions of "Sweet Rosemary", "The Lady", "The Music Weaver", "Listen Listen", "For Nobody to Hear" and "Bushes and Briars". A further two tracks were begun but not finished: a cover version of fellow folk singer Anne Briggs's "Go Your Own Way My Love" and another Denny original "After Halloween", which was reworked three years later for Fairport Convention's Rising for the Moon album. All of the album's songs were finished at Sound Techniques and Island studios in about five sessions between the end of April and late May, during which string arrangements by Harry Robinson were added and two further Denny compositions were recorded: "It Suits Me Well" and "It'll Take A Long Time". A cover version of "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" completed the LP. Allen Toussaint’s brass arrangement on "For Nobody To Hear" was recorded at Deep South Studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The guest musicians include Fairport Convention colleagues Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick, as well as Sneaky Pete Kleinow on steel guitar, and friend and fellow singer Linda Thompson on backing vocals. The album was originally issued in a gatefold sleeve featuring on its front a photograph by David Bailey, which came to define Denny's public image. The gatefold of the LP opened to show the song lyrics handwritten by Denny herself and bordered by garlands of flowers drawn by Trevor Lucas's sister, the illustrator Marion Appleton. The back cover featured the track listing and credits. Radio One DJ Tony Blackburn picked the album's lead single, "Listen, Listen", as his single of the week in September 1972.
Track listing
All tracks credited to Sandy Denny unless otherwise stated
"It'll Take a Long Time" - 5:13
"Sweet Rosemary" - 2:29
"For Nobody to Hear" - 4:14
"Tomorrow Is a Long Time" - 3:56
"The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" - 4:28
"Listen, Listen" - 3:58
"The Lady" - 4:01
"Bushes and Briars" - 3:53
"It Suits Me Well" - 5:05
"The Music Weaver" - 3:19
The remastered and reissued version included five bonus tracks:
