Shelagh McDonald - Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (1970-71) | Plain & Fancy

Shelagh McDonald - Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (1970-71, 2005 double disc re-master)

This album is frankly superb and if you listen to one thing today listen to this . . . . . . 

As much myth as musician, singer/songwriter Shelagh McDonald seemed poised to emerge as a major voice in British folk music when she abruptly vanished mere months after the release of her breakthrough LP. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, McDonald arrived in London sometime in the late '60s. While performing at the Troubadour, she befriended fellow singer/songwriter Keith Christmas, who would prove instrumental in landing her a record deal with the B&C label. Album followed in 1970 to decent reviews but mediocre sales, but 1971's Stargazer was a far different story. With McDonald dubbed "the new Sandy Denny" by the U.K. music press, the record was a critical smash and sold respectably.

But after recording a handful of tracks for a proposed third LP, McDonald suddenly disappeared, leaving no clues to her rationale or her whereabouts. While many friends and fans speculated she returned to Scotland, unhappy with her life and career in London, others believed she fled to either the U.S. or Canada in an attempt to recover from a failed relationship or to cure a drug problem. In truth, it was a life-altering LSD trip that sent her into seclusion and also ruined her voice. After a time spent putting her life back together, she married a Scottish bookstore owner and drifted away from society again, only this time happily. 

With the CD re-release of Album and Stargazer, her music was embraced by a new generation of fans, and in 2005 Castle/Sanctuary released Let No Man Steal Your Thyme, a compilation of McDonald's complete recorded output, including outtakes and demos. 2005 also was the year McDonald finally resurfaced. After reading a story about herself in The Scottish Daily Mail, she submitted to an interview that cleared up much of the mystery behind her disappearance.

by Jason Ankeny

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Hullo Stranger (Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter) - 2:27

2. Street Walking Blues (Traditional) - 2:44

3. Mirage - 4:03

4. Look Over The Hills And Far Away (Gerry Rafferty) - 5:13

5. Crusoe - 3:52

6. Waiting For The Wind To Rise (Keith Christmas) - 4:57

7. Ophelia's Song - 2:50

8. Richmond (Andy Roberts) - 2:47

9. Let No Man Steal Your Thyme - 3:25

10.Peacock Lady - 3:29

11.Silk And Leather - 3:00

12.You Know You Can't Loose (Keith Christmas) - 5:05

13.Ophelia's Song - 2:09

14.Jesus Is Just All Right (Malvina Reynolds) - 3:00

15.Book Of Rhyme - 2:54

16.What More Can I Say? - 2:55

17.The City's Cry - 2:35

18.The City's Cry - 2:46

19.Rod's Song - 3:11

20.Stargazer (False Start) - 0:42

21.Stargazer - 4:12

All words and Music by Shelagh McDonald except where stated

Tracks 1-2 originally released on "Dungeon Folk", an LP spin-off from the BBC Radio One show Country Meets Folk, released in January 1969 on BBC's own label.

Tracks 3-13 originally comprised The Shelagh McDonald Album 1970

Tracks 14-21 demos from mid-december 1970

Disc 2

1. Rod's Song - 3:10

2. Liz's Song - 2:50

3. Lonely King - 6:01

4. City's Cry - 2:32

5. Dowie Dens Of Yarrow (Traditional) - 6:53

6. Baby Go Slow - 3:54

7. Canadian Man - 2:48

8. Good Times - 3:25

9. Odyssey - 6:11

10.Stargazer - 4:11

11.The Road To Paradise - 3:44

12.Sweet Sunlight - 2:27

13.Spin - 5:25

14.Rainy Night Blues - 3:31

15.Spin - 3:21

16.Dowie Dens Of Yarrow (False Start) (Traditional) - 0:25

17.Dowie Dens Of Yarrow (Traditional) - 7:40

All words and Music by Shelagh McDonald except where noted

Tracks 1-10 originally comprised Stargazer 1971

Bonus Tracks 11-17

Personnel

*Shelagh McDonald - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

*Harver Burns - Drums

*Keith Christmas - Guitars

*Pat Donaldson - Bass

*Katy And Mac Kissoon - Backing Vocals

*Mike London - Backing Vocals

*Dave Mattacks - Drums

*Dave Richard - Bass

*John Ryan - String Bass

*Danny Thompson - String Bass

*Richard Thompson - Guitars

*Ray Warleigh - Saxophone

*Ian Whiteman - Organ

*Gerry Conway - Drums

*Mike Evans - Bass

*Tristan Fry - Vibes

*Gordon Huntley - Pedal Steel Guitar, Dobro

*Roger Powell - Drums

*Andy Roberts - Guitar

*Keith Tippett - Piano

On 16th January 2013, Shelagh McDonald made her first official public appearance after more than 40 years away, as a guest of The False Beards at the Green Note, Camden, London.

Among a half hour set of previously unrecorded material, she also delighted with a reprise of her much loved version of the traditional song Let No Man Steal Your Thyme from her first album. 

Here's her story, from an interview around that time. the Shelagh McDonald story here