Karen Dalton ~ Cotton Eyed Joe: The Loop Tapes - Live in Boulder - 1962 [Megaphone, 2007] 320/FLAC

CDMEGA15

Disk 1

01. It's Alright [Ray Charles] (5:45)
02. Everytime I Think Of Freedom [Adapt. Trad. Spiritual] (3:03)
03. Cotton Eyed Joe [Trad.] (4:31)
04. Pastures Of Plenty [Woody Guthrie] (3:52)
05. One May Morning [Trad.] (4:16)
06. Red Are The Flowers [Fred Neil] (5:31)
07. Blues On The Ceiling [Fred Neil] (3:19)
08. Run Tell That Major [Trad.] (3:22)
09. Down And Out [Cox-Feldman] (3:42)
10. Fannin's Street [Huddie Ledbetter] (2:33)

Disk 2

01. In The Evening [Leroy Carr] (5:10)
02. Old Hannah [Trad.] (3:27)
03. Pallett On Your Floor [Jelly Roll Morton] (3:38)
04. Prettiest Train [Trad. - Lomax Prixon Recordings] (4:10)
05. Mole In The Ground [Trad.] (5:47)
06. Darlin's Corey [Trad.] (4:42)
07. It Hurts Me Too [Mel London] (4:12)
08. Katie Cruel [Trad.] (2:33)
09. Blackjack [Ray Charles] (3:12)
10. No More Taters [Trad.] (4:57)
11. Good Morning Blues [Ledbetter] (3:36)



'Tall, beautiful, and haunted by hard drugs and alcohol, a situation that left her homeless and nearly toothless at her death in New York in 1993, Karen Dalton never found commercial success in her lifetime, but her extremely small recording legacy [just two albums, 1969's It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best and 1971's In My Own Time, and now this double-disc live set from 1962] reveals a maverick and singular musician utterly unlike anyone else on the folk [or any other] scene. Possessing an eerie, riveting voice and vocal style that could almost be called harrowing if it didn't carry so much of the real world in its emotional depths, Dalton's folk-blues repertoire consisted of odd bits of traditional fare [which she generally took in directions only she could have imagined], an assortment of Fred Neil songs [the artist she most resembles emotionally], Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" [Dalton's vocal phrasing has recalled Holiday's for many listeners], and assorted R&B songs, often those made famous by Ray Charles, which she stripped down and took into startling new places. Accompanying herself on a Gibson 12-string acoustic guitar or her trademark long-neck banjo, Dalton performed live sets that were tense, draining affairs, leaving little doubt that this was a woman who sang from a place few others had ever even glimpsed. This remarkable live set was taped in October of 1962 at the Attic coffeehouse in Boulder, CO, by Joe Loop, and it unveils as a stilled and stark reading of Dalton's musical story, offering her eerie and moody version of Ray Charles' "It's Alright," an absolutely haunting take on the old fiddle tune "Cotton Eyed Joe," a real-as-it-gets rendition of Fred Neil's "Blues on the Ceiling," and a stunning run-through of the traditional [and for all practical purposes, Dalton's signature tune] "Katie Cruel," all of it done with the unhurried pace of an intense all-night conversation. Dalton has said that one doesn't sing songs, one speaks them, and that philosophy helps explain her idiosyncratic vocal style, which shifts lines into unexpected patterns, mimicking, in a way, the pace and flow of solo speech, although make no mistake, what Dalton does is singing, and singing done with a hushed urgency, and in a way, it is more like a free-flight jazz horn break on an old blues standard than anything else. Dalton's approach isn't for everyone, and this is far from an album to throw on at a party -- the barely veiled emotional power of these vocal performances is much more likely to produce a stunned silence than any kind of levity. She was one of a kind, and the real tragedy is that people are only discovering that now some dozen years and more after her death.' Steve Leggett

doug schulkind played one of these tunes on his increasingly sublime give the drummer some web radio stream on fmu this afterlunch & i was reminded of how pearlesque the majority of these performances really are. as doomed as doomed can be, yknow? during the extended winter of 2007-08 somewhere in portland, oregon, an entire haushold of broken-hearted junkies became utterly transfixed & haunted by these harrowing recordings. now some 3 years later, under a different roof & waning moon, more flavourful youngsters who don't shoot drugs are still getting turned on :) sweet progress!

E.C. Ball with Orna Ball & The Friendly Gospel Singers [Rounder, 1973]

LP 0026

A1. Trials, Troubles, Tribulations 2:47
A2. When I Can Read My Titles Clear 2:19
A3. Born To Serve The Lord 2:17
A4. Chow Time 2:29
A5. Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party 3:41
A6. Do You Call That Religion? 2:02
A7. The Cabin In The Valley 2:18
A8. Give Me Just A Little More Time 1:52

B1. I See God In Everything 2:21
B2. House Of Gold 1:53
B3. Aint No Grave Can Hold My Body Down 3:08
B4. Raggin' The Wires 2:16
B5. The Early Bird Always Gets The Worm 2:37
B6. John The Baptist 3:06
B7. I'm Glory Bound 2:35
B8. The Parting Hand 2:37

Bonus 1. Black Mountain Rag
Bonus 2. Jennie Jenkins



Acoustic Guitar, Baritone Vocals - E.C. Ball
Accordian, Backing Vocals - Orna Ball
Edited By - Mark Wilson
Mastered By - Toby Mountain
Recorded By - Bruce Kaplan, R.N. Drevo

'Estil Cortez Ball [1913-1978] was first recorded by John Lomax in 1937 for The Library of Congress. JL's son Alan Lomax would record Ball & others in 1941 & 1959, and this would encourage many folk and bluegrass musicians to follow suit, see John Cohen & Mike Seeger. E.C. Ball had a prolific songbook of hymns, country gospel, ballads, blues, instrumentals, and comic songs. His day job would find him working in a service station or driving a school bus and he grandly looked the part. With his wife Orna, Ball was the unquestionable interpreter of the white folk spiritual. He was raised and buried in Rugby, Grayson County, Virginia'

one of the most enduring & endearing sacred & secular singing couples, first met by mine ears on alan lomax's superlative sounds of the south box, pon which they're predominantly represented. these tunes just radiate purity & understated beauty. included are a couple bonus tracks too; jennie jenkins has to be heard to be believed cuz there aint no words (or if there are, i can't confidently convey em :) 320 bits of benevolent bliss

Christina Carter ~ Texas Blues Working 2xLP [Blackest Rainbow, 2011]

BRR056

A1 Pale Rose Cream
A2 A Blind Eye

B1 The Outer Planet
B2 Bird's Nest

C1 Preserve Our Face
C2 Dinner Plate Of Dust

D1 Lady Friend

re-release of the cassette issued in 2008 but with 1 long bonus track 'Lady Friend'. beautiful black & white photographs by Joe Blanchard

'Texas Blues Working features six tracks of stunningly haunting guitar and vocals, creating an immensely deep and emotional listening experience. The previously unreleased track, the sublime 21 minute 'Ladyfriend', is another example of Christina's incredible voice and guitar playing. Her voice is just unreal, so deeply emotional and mournful it gives you goosebumps.'

instantly sold out dubble long player version of the superb k7 from 2k8. spooky americana at its finest, just in time fer spring? some lovely late nite glistening

William Eaton ~ Music By William Eaton [1978, EM 2006]

EM 1059CD

'...Beautiful handmade looking sleeve, the design on the cover appears to have been done with a magic marker. If I was asked what the record sounds like I'd have to say it sounds somewhat like a cross between Fahey and Eno. It has a very sparse, mellow and cosmic vibe to it. Acoustic melodies drift in and out as what sounds like a harp or a zither through a delay pedal, echo, the sounds just hang in the air.' ~ waxidermy

gorgeous proto-new age private press folk strains from 1978, featuring 18 untitled tracks played on owl manner of odd guitars created & built by eaton himself. this was re-ished by EM a few years ago to like zero acclaim, which is a shame. some of the vibes are not unlike laraaji's celestial vibration in places, which coincidentally enuff came out the same year. i think optimism must've just been in the air for some cats, blissfully ignorant of how nightmarish the 80's would really become for hippies. the liner notes [thoughtfully incruded] are a thing of beauty in themselves, as billy endearingly traces his trajectory from playing guitar along to CSN & joni mitchell, to living out in the wilderness & finally discovering his passion for the intricacies of wood patterns & instrument building. in fact he is now a legit instrument maker. nice bio just hither

Terry Reid ~ Seed of Memory [1976] 320 kbps

A1. Faith To Arise 4:28
A2. Seed Of Memory 5:25
A3. Brave Awakening 6:27
A4. To Be Treated Rite 5:52

B1. Ooh Baby [Make Me Feel So Young] 4:03
B2. The Way You Walk 4:40
B3. The Frame 4:33
B4. Fooling You 7:13



Terry Reid: composer, guitar, vocals
Graham Nash: producer, vocal harmonies
David Lindley: acoustic/slide guitar and violin
Lee Miles: bass
Soko Richardson: drums
James Gadson: drums [5 & 6]
Ben Keith: pedal steel
Jesse Ehrlich: cello
Al Viola: balalaika
Plas Johnson: saxophone
Tim Weisberg: flute
Joel Bernstein: acoustic guitar [4]
Fred Wesley: horn
Clifford Solomon: horn
Blue Mitchell: horn

'Terry Reid moved to California in the mid-'70s, befriending a number of musicians from those parts & broadening his sound in the process. One result was this album, produced by Graham Nash and featuring David Lindley on acoustic and slide guitars. Seed of Memory isn't as heavy as his earlier work, and not remotely the bold, strident virtuoso rock production of his first LP -- most of it, apart from the vaguely Led Zeppelin-ish 'The Way You Walk,' is fairly laid-back by Reid's standards.

'Ooh Baby' tries for a kind of meld of funk and British blues. But several numbers, like 'Brave Awakening,' with its relaxed beat, high harmonies, and understated backing orchestration, or the ominous acoustic-textured 'To Be Treated Rite,' seem more like outtakes from Nash's Songs for Beginners or his subsequent albums, or one of Neil Young's mid-'70s albums, than they do like the work of one of England's most promising '60s bluesmen.' ~ some lame

first heard this bra many moons ago, rite round this thyme of year. there we was, watchin the devil's rejects [by roberto zombi] when we found ourselves extremely moved by several crosby stills & nash tunes in the soundtrack that we did not know. after a quick search in the engine, we came to find out it was this cat terry reid & thus managed to trace this righteous album, appropriately produced by graham nash who owlso contributes some soaring harmonies. further lore indicates that in the pre-embryonic stages of zep, jimmy page offered reid the lead-singer-slot in the burgeoning band & was turned down by terry who had contractual obligations, but lovingly recommended his mate bobby plant instead. & according to a nina simone interview from the period, reid was the only songwriter from the uk doing anything interesting in the early 70's [citation needed :-] where does that leave us then? with a high quality remaster of a sweet album. i'm pirty partial to side A & this one is worth it for those tunes alone in my humble estimation. 320 fanx to the originilluminator

VA ~ Music From the Lost Provinces: Old-Time String Bands from Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity, 1927-31 [Old Hat, 1997]

01. Train 45 - Grayson & Whitter
02. Nine Pound Hammer - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
03. Last Gold Dollar ~ Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands
04. Ground Hog - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
05. My Name Is Ticklish Reuben - Smyth County Ramblers
06. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
07. Nobody's Darling - North Carolina Ridge Runners
08. Short Life Of Trouble - Grayson & Whitter
09. Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
10. Cluck Old Hen - The Hill Billies
11. Likes Likker Better Than Me ~ Woodie Brothers
12. Way Down in Alabama ~ Smyth County Ramblers
13. The Fatal Courtship ~ Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands
14. I've Always Been A Rambler - Grayson & Whitter
15. I've Got No Honey Babe Now - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
16. Governor Al Smith For President - Carolina Night Hawks
17. Chinese Breakdown - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
18. Be Kind To A Man When He's Down - North Carolina Ridge Runners
19. Old Aunt Betsy - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
20. Chased Old Satan Through The Door - Woodie Brothers
21. Handsome Molly - Grayson & Whitter
22. Sally Ann - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers



'An outstanding collection of 22 songs and tunes first recorded between 1927-1931 by string bands from Ashe County, North Carolina, a mountainous area in the northwest corner of the state once known as “The Lost Provinces” because of its extreme isolation. The music includes traditional fiddle tunes, folk songs, Anglo-Irish ballads, comic songs, topical numbers and original compositions, all from the time period often called the “golden era” of old-time string music. The anthology brings together for the first time the complete recordings of Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers, the Carolina Night Hawks, the North Carolina Ridge Runners, and many more.'

the first comp we ever picked up from this superb label sometime last century & still a stunner, due in no small part to the presence of the venerable Grayson & Whitter on several cuts. do yer homework. these are just the kinda jams that make me wanna live waaaaaaay out in the country & a dam fine way to enjoy yer stay on this planet. 320 hillbilly hollers

Shirley Collins ~ The Sweet Primeroses [Topic, 1967]

A1 All Things Are Quite Silent 2:33
A2 Cambridgeshire May Carol 1:16
A3 Spencer The Rover 3:59
A4 The Rigs Of Time 3:08
A5 Polly Vaughan 2:42
A6 The Cruel Mother 5:48
A7 The Bird In The Bush 1:56
A8 The Streets Of Derry 3:27

B1 Brigg Fair 2:52
B2 Higher Germaine 2:40
B3 George Collins 3:41
B4 The Babes In The Woods 2:29
B5 Down In Yon Forest 2:23
B6 The Magpie's Nest 2:25
B7 False True Love 3:42
B8 The Sweet Primeroses 3:30



Vocals ~ Shirley Collins
Arranged By, Portative Pipe-organ ~ Dolly Collins [tracks: A1, A3, A7, B3, B5, B8]
5-string Banjo ~ Shirley Collins [tracks: A5-6, B2, B4, B7]
Guitar - Shirley Collins [tracks: A2, B1]
Chorus ~ Peter Bellamy, Royston Wood, Heather Wood
Recorded By - Bill Leader

likely our fav shirley collins joint. ya got her big sis dolly drippin those sweet electric harmonium droplets on many of these tunes & the young tradition chiming in on the choral parts. a 320 rip with scrounged booklet skans. pretty much unmissable if you're a singer