Description
Label Review.
1970 album with 6 bonus tracks.
Our Overview.
Young folk singer Shelagh McDonald released her first album in 1970 on B&C Records. This and her follow-up record ‘Stargazer’ issued the following year featured the playing of Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, Danny Thompson, Keith Tippett, Keith Christmas, and the Fotheringay rhythm section. These two records drew comparisions to Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny.
Before success beckoned and having recorded a few tracks for a third album, she disappeared. At least from the music scene. In reality, a bad LSD trip led her back to her parents home in Scotland. She found she could now longer sing and after meeting a book seller in Edinburgh whom she married they left her disapproving parents and led a nomadic lifestyle for a number of years.
Her two albums became sought after in folk collecting circles until Mooncrest records reissued them on CD with bonus tracks in 1999. Sanctuary Records put together a double CD set of all her recordings in 2005 which led to several newspaper articles. Shelagh herself turned up at the offices of the Scottish Daily Mail and told them her story. Her husband Gordon died soon after but not before advising her to get back to her music.
Shelagh did return in 2013, playing occasional gigs and even recording a new album. However, the trail ends in 2014 after playing that years Solas Festival in Perth. The new album hasn’t been released and it appears there have been no more gigs since then. For now her two albums are getting reissued by Talking Elephant Records, with bonus tracks.