Another British Invasion

The folk rock group Fotheringay was formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny upon her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from Fotheringay Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in England.

Two former members of Eclection, Trevor Lucas and Gerry Conway, and two former members of Poet and the One Man Band, Jerry Donahue and Pat Donaldson (bass), completed the line-up responsible for the quintet's only album. This folk-based set included several Denny originals, notably "Nothing More", "The Sea" and "The Pond and The Stream", as well as my absolute favorite versions of Gordon Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel" and Bob Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing". The album failed to match commercial expectations and pressures on Denny to undertake a solo career—she was voted Britain's number one singer in Melody Maker's 1970 poll—increased. Fotheringay disbanded in 1971 during sessions for a projected second set.

My wife accidently broke my album during the early days of our marriage and I mourned it for years. One day a few years ago, I mentioned this sadness to my kids and they suggested I look for the album on eBay. I found it! I bought it for $25 from an English vendor and it wasn't until it had actually arrived that I realized...I had no way to play it!

My mother bought me a CD player/turntable for Christmas in 2006, which allowed me to enjoy those great tunes again...I'll never forget the song "Too Much of Nothing" with its lyrics that could be torn out of today's headlines:

Now, too much of nothing

Can make a man feel ill at ease.

One man's temper might rise

While another man's temper might freeze.

In the day of confession

We cannot mock a soul.

Oh, when there's too much of nothing,

No one has control.