German songstress records a stunning collection of intimate acoustic ruminations in the early 70s and keeps them locked away in her closet for some 35 odd years, until they are compiled by her son and handed over to J. Mascis, who in turn passes them on to the people at Orange Twin Records.
1982 was a year of both tremendous highs and lows for Richard and Linda Thompson. After a decade of critical praise but abysmal record sales, they managed to break into the American market with Shoot Out the Lights, their best selling album to date, and completed a triumphant tour of the U.S. Their brush with success was to be fleeting however, as it coincided with the breakup of their marriage and the end of their artistic partnership. So in an effort to cool down and gather his bearings, Richard Thompson embarked on a low-key solo-acoustic tour of the States. This album contains recordings from two of those shows, both in New York. The song selection is varied, but for the most part he chooses to perform slower numbers, many of them songs that his ex-wife had sung on record. Other than that there are a couple of older tunes dating from his time in Fairport Convention, a Hank Williams cover, and bizarre but funny little song about a person who may or may not a drag queen.
Definitely one of the more interesting figures to emerge from the 60s folk revival. Bert Jansch is as authentic a rambling bluesman as the British Isles ever produced. Hailing from Scotland, he spent several years traveling and busking for a living, developing his folk-blues songwriting style and perfecting his unique approach to the guitar, before a bout of dysentery in Tangiers forced him back home. He took part in the budding London folk scene of the mid-60s, recording his first album at friend’s home and selling it to Transatlantic Records for £100 (it went on to sell 150,000 copies). Several albums followed, including Jack Orion, his first serious foray into traditional folk material. That record featured fellow acoustic guitar luminary John Renbourn, with whom he would found the short-lived but groundbreaking jazz-folk band Pentangle. He’s been steadily releasing solo records ever since, highlights including the upbeat Birthday Blues, the uncharacteristically gentle and largely instrumental Rosemary Lane, which was recorded at his country home, and the 2006 guest-star-laden comeback record The Black Swan.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mudvym0tmze
One of the prettiest things I've heard in a while.
Acoustic guitars, ghostly voices and nature sounds. Good stuff.
I ripped this from a beat-up old vinyl. A long and arduous task, considering I don’t have any of the proper equipment. Some hissing and popping here and there, but it sounds OK overall. Dedicated to my buddy Daboolal and to his lady, and to the lovely afternoon spent sitting around in their apartment listening to this record.
I was sad to hear about Davy Graham's passing a couple of months ago. A truly adventurous and eccentric musician, his open-tuning acoustic guitar stylings were massively influential, inspiring such luminaries as Bert Jansch, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and Johnny Marr. While primarily associated with the 1960s British folk scene due to the seminal duo record he put out with singer Shirley Collins, his playing included elements of jazz, blues, North African and Indian music, and he constantly traveled the world in search of new sounds. His albums can be pretty hard to find on the internets, so I figured I’d upload the ones that I own. The first one, Folk Roots, New Routes, is the aforementioned Shirley Collins collaboration. Mostly folk tunes and a couple of neat instrumentals, including a Thelonious Monk cover. The second one, Hat, is a bit more eclectic. A bunch of covers (Beatles, Paul Simon, Dylan), some wild, nearly atonal guitar instrumentals, and some standard “trad arr” material, all done in his inimitable style. Hope you dig.
Boubacar is the man, but his records can be ridiculously hard to find. If you like this one be sure to check out the awesome tape posted over at Awesome Tapes From Africa.
