Sheila Chandra - Echo *Pre-Order

Release Date Friday 25th September 2026
All pre-orders will be dispatched/made ready for collection on that day.

‘Echo’ is likely Sheila Chandra’s final album. A collection of live performances, the title
loosely references the nymph of Greek myth who lost her voice – just as Chandra did 15
years ago.

A shy and infrequent live performer in her time, and very much aware that so many of
her fans were disappointed never to have seen her in concert, Chandra has put together
this collection of recordings to give them a taste of what her breathtaking virtuoso solo
voice performances were like.

It’s a set drawn from an extensive search for every concert, TV or radio session
recording that Chandra ever made. From these she has picked the finest performances
of her songs, drawn largely from the first two albums of her 90s solo-voice-and-drone
trilogy, which was reissued on vinyl on its 30th anniversary, in 2023. Other additions here
include two songs from her fifth solo album ‘Roots and Wings’ where she was refining
the techniques she would later come to use on ‘Weaving My Ancestors’ Voices’, and ‘The
Zen Kiss’ - and a final track drawn from her appearances during the first ‘Imagined
Village’ tour in 2007.

The digital release comes with five bonus live tracks not included on the LP format.

“My performances were co-created, by my audience and myself,” says Chandra, and that
“it’s a performer’s presence and heart that an audience come to hear, not technical
perfection. Concerts are one of the few places where another person gives us their
undivided, undistracted and ‘in the moment’ presence, and we, as audience, ‘borrow’
their stilled mind. It’s one of the vanishingly few spaces in our society where that still
happens.

The performances embodied on this album, reflect that truth. They are not perfect. And
sustaining 100% focused concentration when you’re carrying an entire show alone is
impossible. In some cases, I had access to performances of the same song with greater
technical perfection, but less ‘soul’. In every case, I have chosen feeling over precision –
even, in some cases, chosen ‘soul’ over the best available recording quality.

That said, listening to an album is not the same as being at a live performance, and the
listener will pick up on technical flaws, so it’s a balance. But I’ve tried to ignore the
impulse to ‘change history’.”

“At her most triumphant… she pushed her voice into physical and affective spaces,
nothing short of wondrous, exceeding boundaries of pop and art music and finding new
means of embodying and expressing meaning in musical ways…”

Pop Matters 2023

Side A

1. Speaking in Tongues III (Live)

2. Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean (Live)

3. Dhyana and Donalogue (Live)

4. The Enchantment (Live)

5. Waiting (Live)

Side B
1. Speaking in Tongues II (Live)

2. Lament of McCrimmon/Song of the
Banshee (Live)

3. Mecca (Live)
4. Sacred Stones (Live)
5. The Blacksmith (Live)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for looking at our listing, below are a few points to consider before making a purchase:

- All records we sell are Brand New - pre-orders will normally come sealed but if you are purchasing in stock items, please note the copy may have been unsealed for display in the shop. Please email straight after purchase to enquire if this is of importance to you.

- Orders won't ship until all items are released, so keep this in mind when purchasing multiple pre-orders or a mix of in stock and pre-order items.

- The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.

- We unfortunately don't offer tax/vat outside of the UK via the website so please keep in mind that when the items arrives in your country you may be liable to pay a further charge before delivery. (all UK orders the price you see is the price you will pay). Please also note that we are unable to adjust the declared value on items sold internationally.