Judy Dyble – Darkness To Light: The Recordings 2004-2006 (3CD Boxset)

Former Giles, Giles & Fripp, Fairport Convention, and Trader Horne vocalist Judy Dyble was, to all intents and purposes retired from the music business, apart the odd one or two guest appearances at Fairport’s Cropredy convention, when in 2004, only 34 years after her last recordings, her debut album Enchanted Garden appeared, followed swiftly by 2005’s Spindle and it’s 2006 companion piece The Whorl.

Now, for the first time in a long time, they are finally back on CD, remastered and in a wonderfully packaged 3-disc slipcase set complete with bonus tracks and sleeve notes by Mike Barnes which capture Judy’s spirit and her sense of fun.

I got to know Judy from many years of being introduced to her at the Cropredy bar, as well as her wonderfully humorous online world on Facebook, and so when she passed in 2020 just before the release of her final album Between a Breath and a Breath (with David Longdon), her friends and fans rightly mourned her talent.

However back in 2004, she had been popped into the footnotes of Fairport’s story, despite the fact that her uniquely English cut glass vocals and autoharp were integral to the sound of their debut album, after which she had been replaced by Sandy Denny. In truth their vocal styles were as different as night and day.

Each disc is repackaged in replica album covers and the lyrics reproduced in full alongside the stunning artwork in this package.

Back in 2002 however, Marc Swordfish from Astralasia realised his guitarist Peter Pracownik was heading to Cropredy so Marc said if Peter saw Judy to give her his number, and thus this most unlikely combination led to Judys debut 2004 solo album, Enchanted Garden being released, and as Judy said in her autobiography, ‘The only relationship it bears to any of my previous stuff, I’ve done, is that none of the previous stuff I’ve done was anything like the stuff I’ve done before’.

With musicians from the Astralasia family like Marc & Peter, Enchanted Garden has guests like Simon House, Stevie B on saxophones, and was recorded between 2003-2004. Originally intended to be an Astralasia project, the way the songwriting developed it made more sense for the album to be Judy’s solo debut and thereby heralded her unexpected return to songwriting and the music scene.

Fans of her crystal voice and clear vocals were glad to hear that she was in fine voice, whilst the sympathetic musical accompaniment from the core band and her guests allowed her vocals room to stretch and breathe. Mixing contemporary sounds, beats, and guitar loops with Judy’s distinctive vocals created something that is both of its time, and also timeless.

With the opening Summer Gathers drawing you in, you’re left enchanted by tracks like the title track with its lyrics by Brian Patten, and New World, Nimbus Thitherwood, with its loops and beats and Judy’s evocative lyrics and vocals, and the wonderful Neu! Blue with its almost metronomic sound in homage to the Krautrock band of the same name.

With Enchanted Garden Judy had shown she was back – with its two follow-ups Spindle and The Whorl, things were to get even more exciting.

Recorded together but released as individual albums, they are finally together here in this one box, and so you can chose to listen to them individually, or as two different parts of a lavish double album. Whilst the core band remained the same, Spindle and The Whorl sees Judy stretching out her sound, and an old friend of hers came along to play as well – a certain Robert Fripp bringing his trademark sound textures and guitar work to tracks across both albums.

Spindle kicked off with a stunning version of the Floyd classic See Emily Play, and its very English psychedelia and whimsy fit perfectly into Judy’s world, and the bonus tracks include the radio edit as well.

The playfulness and confidence shown in this opener continues throughout Spindle, from the extended guitar work-out on the funky Misty Morning, to the guest performances from Dave Rusell (Doc Mahone from the Pogues tribute band Family Mahone) on banjo & bouzouki throughout the more pastoral Fingest, blending an almost ethereal sound with Judy’s crystal clear vocals.

Whilst Shining builds with its unmistakable soundscapes and guitar from Robert Fripp, his delicate touch adding to an already beautiful song (and the bonus tracks include the Fripp demo of Shining & his instrumental mix) and its lovely to hear Judy and Robert reunited on a piece of music that showcases both of their talents, with Robert’s subtle work allowing Judy’s vocals to take centre stage.

Meanwhile Judy’s love of wordplay and whimsy comes to the fore on Spindle‘s Wiggle Waggle, with its percussive instrumentation and looping vocals that build, and its reworked counterpoint on The Whorl Waggle Wiggle are further nods to the fact that these are companion pieces, if not a double album separated at birth.

The final disc in this collection The Whorl kicks off with its soundscapes and styles where Spindle left off featuring the same creative team – this continuity and confidence are shown throughout the material, whilst there is a far more experimental approach to the structure and performances.

Judy puts in a stunning vocal performance on a brilliant cover of the King Crimson classic I Talk To The Wind (seeing her revisit her past association with the original King Crimson musicians), whilst Waggle Wiggle as mentioned above takes the original lyrics and puts them into a far more experimental looped piece, with woozy sax and layered electronic effects. Whilst the closing Forever Shining, sees Judy revisit the lyrics to Shining from Spindle over Fripp’s effects from Shining.

Bonus tracks include two more mixes of Shining, and an alternative mix Enchanted Garden‘s Going Home.

This collection encapsulates the best of Judy’s eclectic musical journey and influences, and anyone who is familiar with her prior work will immediately recognise the distinctive vocals, and if you’ve never heard anything Judy released post-Fairport, this superbly curated box is a perfect place to dive into the career of one of the country’s most underrated vocalists.

TRACK LISTING
Disc One: Enchanted Garden
01. Summer Gathers (6:03)
02. Enchanted Garden (7:41)
03. Rivers Now (4:43)
04. New World (7:59)
05. Nimbus Thitherwood (7:42)
06. Long Way Home (6:16)
07. For You (6:34)
08. Starcrazy (5:52)
09. Neu! Blue (8:22)
10. Going Home (5:28)

Disc Two: Spindle
01. See Emily Play (4:11)
02. Final Hour (4:40)
03. Misty Morning (5:30)
04. Finger (5:57)
05. Honeysweet (7:07)
06. Shining (7:13)
07. Darkness To Light (3:55)
08. Wiggle Waggle (1:22)
09. Thank You My Dear (5:53)
~ Bonus tracks
10. Shining (Robert Fripp demo) (4:55)
11. See Emily Play (radio mix) (3:29)
12. Misty Morning (radio mix) (3:28)
13. Thank You My Dear (Fungus LP mix) (6:03)
14. Shining (Instrumental Robert Fripp mix) (7:46)

Disc Three: The Whorl
01. Starlight (5:57)
02. Breathe The Same Air (5:43)
03. The Teller (6:36)
04. I Talk To The Wind (4:23)
05. Seventh Whorl (5:15)
06. Road To Somewhere (5:49)
07. The Last Kiss (4:24)
08. Waggle Wiggle (1:48)
09. Forever Shining (5:34)
~ Bonus tracks
10. Shining (ambient mix) (4:58)
11. Going Home (edit) (1:13)
12. Road to Somewhere (Fungus LP mix) (4:59)
13. Shining (dulcimer mix) (7:00)

Total Time – 202:00

MUSICIANS
Judy Dyble – Vocals (All), Autoharp (CD2 & CD3)
Peter Pracownik – Acoustic, Electric & Slide Guitar (All)
Marc Swordfish – Keyboard Programming (CD1), Drums, Percussion (CD2 & CD3), Keyboards (CD3)
Simon House – Violin (All), Flute (CD2), Keyboards (CD3), String Arrangements (CD3)
Stevie B – Saxophone (All)
Paul Chousmer – Keyboards (CD1), Organ Solos (CD3)
Buaka – Bass (CD1)
David Gates – Guitar (CD1)
Michael Stammers – Piano (CD1)
Dave (Doc Mahone) Russell – Banjo, Bouzouki (CD2 & CD3)
James Asher – Dulcimer (CD2 & CD3)
Phoebe Thomasson – Flute (CD2
Martin Walker – Bells, Chimes, Percussion (CD3)
Robert Fripp – Guitar, Effects (CD3)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records | Esoteric Recordings
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 27^th June 2025

LINKS
Judy Dyble – Website | Facebook | Info at Cherry Red Records