REVIEWING SANDIE

Original released on  LP PYE SPL 18323

(UK, 1969/12)

 In December of 1969, right at the end of the most remarkable decade ever for recorded music, Pye Records released this fifth Sandie Shaw studio album proper "Reviewing the Situation". This was an album that seemingly ran so counter to all that Sandie had released before or has happily celebrated it as her defining album producing debut. The album sported an in-vogue gatefold sleeve with psychedelic cover design (by Clifford Richards) featuring kaleidoscopic dedications ‘to the people who have, by their presence or ability influenced pop in the last decade’. This statement, printed on the inside of the gatefold, could equally be applied to the music. Kicking off with an upbeat version of Lionel Bart’s “Reviewing the Situation” from the hit musical Oliver!, Sandie next gives us her seductive take on Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”. A jangling “Mama Roux” is followed by a plaintive reading of The Bee Gees “Sun in my Eyes” and with a cabaret fuelled reading of Rufus Thomas’ 1963 hit “Walking the Dog” which closes side one.

A lounge-club favourite, a Latin jazz-lite recording of The Beatles’ debut single “Love Me Do” slides effortlessly into a quintessentially Shaw vocal on Donovan’s “Oh Gosh”. Next up, and astonishing if you contrast with the oom-path and kazoo of the “Think it All Over” single released only weeks earlier, is a gutsy take of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones’ “Your Time is Gonna Come” – giving Sandie Shaw the honour of being first known artist to cover a Led Zeppelin song. Downbeat again for “Coconut Grove” then to the closing the original album with a part genius / part insane (isn’t it always?) extended work out of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil”. “Frank Mills” (from Hair) and a beautiful a cappella version of Paul McCartney’s “Junk”, two previously unreleased tracks recorded around the same time as the album sessions, are included as bonus tracks. A long lens judgement of "Reviewing the Situation" would be as a kind of historical ‘all back to mine’ album compiled and perfomed by the artist; a tantalising glimpse into 1969’s private musical world of Sandie Shaw. Which is exactly why this album, for all its apparent contradictions, is so vital.