FAHEY, JOHN The Mill Pond (Little Brother) 2x7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A double 7" in a handsomely silkscreened package from this modern legend. Guitar, voice and electronics.

FAHEY, JOHN The Yellow Princess (Comet Records) cd 16.98
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Reissue of classic Fahey from 1969, and originally released on Vanguard Records. Fans of his early work such as "Death Chants" will love this, his eighth album. Pretty near faithful recreation of the original artwork (exactly for lp). The cd comes in a handsomely printed gatefold cardboard sleeve with all the original liner notes. Recommended!

FAHEY, JOHN The Yellow Princess (Vanguard) cd 16.98
Here's a nice new reissue of this Fahey classic (his eighth album, originally released in 1968). The iconoclastic "American primitive" guitarist is at his finger-pickin' best here, performing pieces loaded with spacious, aching, pristine loveliness, like "View (East From The Top Of The Riggs Road/B&O Trestle)", "Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg", and the title track, indeed a jaunty clipper ship of a tune. All in some ways traditionally inspired, but with a unique, creative talent to additionally experiment and innovate. Entering Fahey's world on The Yellow Princess (or via other classic albums of his like Death Chants, Breakdowns And Military Marches or The Legend Of Blind Joe Death), is to behold a wondrous architecture of beauty and meaning, held aloft by one man's fingertips, with help from the spirits of the past.
One reason that this new reissue is so nice is that they've tacked on several bonus tracks! Three of 'em, recorded in 1965 ("the lost Elektra demos"), all previously unreleased. And, appended to Fahey's own original, inimitable and illuminating liner notes in the thick cd booklet, there's new notes also from modern day Fahey acolytes/appreciators Glenn Jones (of Cul de Sac) and M. Ward.
MPEG Stream: "The Yellow Princess"
MPEG Stream: "March! For Martin Luther King"

FAHEY, JOHN The Yellow Princess (Comet Records) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Reissue of classic Fahey from 1969, and originally released on Vanguard Records. Fans of his early work such as "Death Chants" will love this, his eighth album. Pretty near faithful recreation of the original artwork (exactly for lp). The cd comes in a handsomely printed gatefold cardboard sleeve with all the original liner notes. Recommended!

FAHEY, JOHN Voice of the Turtle (Takoma) cd 15.98

FAHEY, JOHN Womblife (Table of the Elements) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another wonderful record of Fahey's experimental bluegrass guitar.

FAHEY, JOHN & CUL DE SAC The Epiphany of Glenn Jones (Thirsty Ear) cd 15.98
Boston psych/folk/space rockers Cul de Sac covered a Fahey tune on their first album, Ecim, and here they finally get to collaborate with their hero, an ordeal (so say the liner notes) but with quite excellent results as expected.

FAHEY, JOHN, AND HIS ORCHESTRA After the Ball (Collector's Choice) cd 16.98
John Fahey's second major label album was sort of a continuation of the fuller-sounding, more-musicians, New-Orleans-brass-band direction he had begun with the 1972 album Of Rivers and Religion. There's clarinet, trombone, trumpet, ukulele, mandolin, alto sax, etc. all (in my opinion) drowning out the perfect-on-its-own sound of Fahey's guitar. After the Ball is okay, but for Fahey completists only.
And let's all get a kick out of the terrible, terrible cover art, featuring a couple in prom gear waltzing blissfully under a disco ball. Oh my GOD it's bad.
RealAudio clip: "Hawaiian Two-Step"
RealAudio clip: "New Orleans Shuffle"

FAIRPORT CONVENTION Heyday (Island) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For some time now I've been meaning to make this *great* album "Oldie but Goodie of the Week", and then lo and behold, it got reissued with 8 extra tracks! So it is with great pleasure that we offer Fairport Convention's Heyday. I'm a big fan of this band, who formed in the late '60s and whose sound melded traditional British Isles folk music with rock influences. Heyday is actually Fairport at their most rock -- it predates their better known (and much more "traditional" classics such as Unhalfbricking and Liege & Leaf), and is almost completely comprised of covers. This earliest incarnation of Fairport (which has since seen almost all its founding members move on) included the immensely talented Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Simon Nicol, Ian Matthews. Thompson's sublime guitarwork on Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" absolutely brings that song to its feet, plus they cover Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and animate tracks by Joni Mitchell, Richard Farina, the Everly Bros, Gene Clark, etc. The eight extra songs included with this extended version of Heyday were similarly recorded in the late '60s and are mostly covers / traditionals, including tracks by Bob Dylan and Jackson C. Frank. They're more folky and less rock than the proper Heyday tracks, but in that they tantalize the listener by offering a glimpse at where the band was going, they're more than worthwhile.
That these tracks made it to tape is lucky -- the band performed live on the radio about once a month but tried to never repeat themselves! So it is a precious document, and it sounds great. You will never tire of Heyday.
RealAudio clip: "Suzanne"
RealAudio clip: "Tried So Hard"
RealAudio clip: "Si Tu Dois Partir"
RealAudio clip: "Gone, Gone, Gone"

FAIRPORT CONVENTION Liege & Lief (Island) cd 17.98

FAIRPORT CONVENTION Unhalfbricking (Universal Island) cd 16.98

FAIRPORT CONVENTION Unhalfbricking (Water) cd 15.98
The first four Fairport Convention albums are cannon, no doubt about it. But while many may disagree with the inclusion of the first album, the one before Sandy Denny joined, and their full on embrace of traditional folk material on the fourth, Leige and Lief, pretty much all Fairport fans can agree that their second album, What We Did On Our Holidays, and third, Unhalfbricking are their very best. Thankfully Water has reissued both.
Unhalfbricking? What the hell does that mean? Perhaps the title was alluding to the transitional shedding of American rock elements that had featured more prominently on their first two records and laying the foundation towards redefining a traditional British sound. Sure there are still Dylan covers, in fact three of them, but the exiting of Ian Matthews brought in another Fairport stalwart, fiddler Dave Swarbrick which tipped the balance musically towards classic British folk. And what's more British than this cover? We think that's Sandy Denny's parents. So awesome! Of course, strong songwriting doesn't hurt, and Sandy Denny contributes her most famous song, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" and the equally haunting "Autopsy". But the finest moment of the album (and prescient of their future sound) goes to the eleven minute take on the traditional tune, "A Sailor's Life". Rumor has it, that they recorded this song in a single take because Denny, suffering from a cold, didn't think she could sing it more than once (though she wouldn't stop smoking). It's definitely the band at their peak and one of the finest recordings they made. Unfortunately, as we mentioned in the "What We Did On Our Holidays" review, the band was cursed and this was the last record for teenage drummer, Martin Lamble, who died in a freak accident involving the band's van. This cemented their future foray towards traditional material as the band refused to play live any of the music that they previously recorded with Lamble. But it's the air of that legendary rock curse (which would also tragically claim Sandy Denny, eight years later) that gives the early music of Fairport Convention it's mysteriously bewitching and dark edge. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Autopsy"
MPEG Stream: "A Sailor's Life"
MPEG Stream: "Who Knows Where The Time Goes"

FAIRPORT CONVENTION What We Did On Our Holidays (Water) cd 15.98
The first four Fairport Convention albums are cannon, no doubt about it. But while many may disagree with the inclusion of the first album, the one before Sandy Denny joined, and their full on embracement of traditional folk material on the fourth, Leige and Lief, pretty much all Fairport fans can agree that their second album, What We Did On Our Holidays, and third, Unhalfbricking are their very best. Thankfully Water has reissued both.
What We Did On Our Holidays is our definite favorite. If there were one classic British folk-rock record we could recommend, it would be this one, mainly because it's so unclassic sounding. Here is the band at their most adventurous and unsettled, moving into different territory with each song. Mixing covers of American songwriters Joni Mitchell and Dylan with a wide array of original numbers and spirited takes on traditional material, we're taken through a trip of lively blues stomps, eastern mysticism, ghostly ballads and the best pairing of male and female vocal harmonies from Ian Matthews and Sandy Denny. Fairport Convention had the blessing of being made up of many other talented songwriters and musicians as well, including Richard Thompson, Martin Lamble, Simon Nicol, and Ashley Hutchings, but they were forever cursed by never having the same line-up twice on any of their records. While replacing former co-lead singer Judy Dyble (Giles, Giles and Fripp, Trader Horne) with Sandy Denny definitely upped their musical profile, this was sadly the last record for Ian Matthews. He went on to found Matthew's Southern Comfort and then later pursue his own solo work, but it just wasn't on the same par as his work on the first two Fairport albums. This is arguably the best line-up they had which makes for our highest recommendation.
MPEG Stream: "Book Song"
MPEG Stream: "Tales In Hard Time"
MPEG Stream: "She Moves Through The Fair"

FAITHFULL, MARIANNE Come My Way (Lilith) cd 16.98
Where the long, amazing and intense road that is Mariane Faithfull's music career began. This is her debut (actually one of two simultaneous debuts) she released in 1965. This was the darker companion to the more cheerful pop of her self titled release of that same year. The record gives a sneak peak at the darker side of Faithfull, that would unravel in the decades to come. She takes on many folk standards and with her immaculate voice and charismatic touch and makes them very much her own. Relevant as ever, as these days you can hear her influence all over the recent great underground folk scene through the voices and stylings of folks like Marissa Nadler and Josephine Foster amongst many. With her own great release last year Before the Poison it's really nice to get a listen back to her roots and marvel at the trajectory of an amazing artist's career. The record ends perfectly with "Sister Morphine" which she penned with one time lover Mick and his cohort Keith, which predated their rendition on Sticky Fingers. When you can love what someone made in 1965 as much as you love what they came out with in 2005 you know you are dealing with someone so totally special. While those boys Mick and Keith, we haven't cared about them for decades.
MPEG Stream: "Lonesome Traveller"
MPEG Stream: "Sister Morphine"

FARRAR, JAY Sebastopol (Artemis) cd 15.98
Nothing special about our Northern California city of Sebastopol compelled Jay Farrar to name his new album as such, he just liked the sound of it. With an array of new (for a geetar traditionalist like Farrar) instrumentation like Roland keyboards, tambura, sax and melodica, and a bunch of non-traditional tunings that he both looked up and made up, Jay Farrar augments the trademarked dusty backroads sound that he perfected in Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. His gritty introspective vocal tone is still intact, and the music is still much more grounded in "no depression" style country than his former bandmate Jeff Tweedy's work with Wilco, who're getting more pop with each record. Still, I have to admit this record doesn't have the instantly classic sound that Uncle Tupelo or even Son Volt featured. If you're new to Farrar, try to pick up Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne (fucking stunning!) or Son Volt's Trace first. Maybe I just have to get used to the slight development in his sound, and along with that Jay's newly-shorn locks with wire rimmed glasses (yech, we liked him better when he had stringy long hair and looked like Ian Christe!)
P.S. Gillian Welch and Kelly Joe Phelps guest.
RealAudio clip: "Voodoo Candle"
RealAudio clip: "Vitamins"
RealAudio clip: "Make it Alright"

FARRAR, JAY Stone, Steel & Bright Lights (Artemis) cd 16.98
While his former Uncle Tupelo co-frontman Jeff Tweedy's country rock roots have sprouted into exploratory pop blossoms, Jay Farrar has nurtured and honed his own, keeping them closer to the country trellis both in his band Son Volt and goin' solo. We (particularly Andee and Cup) have been waitin' and waitin' for him to make an album as good as (if not better than) that of his old band's -- an album worthy of his remarkable voice -- but neither his previous albums, Terroir Blues and Sebastopol, nor his ThirdShiftGrottoSlack ep, have been quite able to capture that elusive magic. This being a live album filled mostly with songs from those three solo releases means we're probably not going to find our Farrar fix here. That said, some of the live renditions do outshine the album versions. And as always that voice is still so rough and gorgeous. Nineteen songs including two new ones and a closing double-whammy of Pink Floyd and Neil Young covers. Includes a bonus live dvd.
MPEG Stream: "Doesn't Have To Be This Way"
MPEG Stream: "6 String Belief"

FARRAR, JAY Terrior Blues (Act/Resist) cd 15.98
Even though Jay Farrar was the better songwriter in Uncle Tupelo, and had THE VOICE that defined their sound, all whiskey soaked and gravelly, he has been totally eclipsed post-Uncle Tupelo by his ex-band mate Jeff Tweedy and his band Wilco, who have been critical darlings since day one, and over the last year or two have managed to win over the public as well, selling tons of records and having the tale of their label swapping debacle and their subsequent artistic and commercial triumph told time and time again. And actually it makes a lot of sense, as Tweedy's songwriting really blossomed once he was on his own and out from under Farrar's formidable songwriting shadow. While Farrar's work in Son Volt and on his solo records has lacked the spark that made his work in UT so intense. And unfortunately that continues to be kinda true...
Now, the sound is there. It always has been. Drifting and plaintive and melancholy with that gruff gorgeous voice. Unfortunately, there are no songs. And that's the problem. If you can get it into your head that this is not a pop record of actual songs, but an extended assembly of sounds, then it may be more satisfying for you. Slippery slide guitars pick out warbly melodies, alongside thick rich acoustic guitars and warm reverberant cellos. And again, there's that voice. And this release boasts some interesting production as well as a six part suite of spacy, experimental instrumental interludes scattered throughout, but all that just doesn't quite make up for the lack of CATCHY songs. But like I said, it does *sound* SO GOOD. I just desperately want Farrar to knock one out of the park the way Tweedy did with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I know it'll happen. And I'm willing to wait, 'cause I know it'll be worth it.
MPEG Stream: "California"
MPEG Stream: "No Rolling Back"
MPEG Stream: "Hard Is The Fall"

FARRAR, JAY ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (Artemis) cd ep 7.98
This five song EP from former Uncle Tupelo founder Jay Farrar is, well, okay. As in *just okay*, i.e. there's nothing that stands out as extraordinarily beautiful here -- none of the heartbreaking chord changes, the instantly hummable melodies, the abject naked emotion -- that made his previous quality work so memorable. Not even one great song to make the price of the disc worth it. It's a bummer; I mean he still plays a worthy, if slightly generic, brand of twangy Americana, but it isn't as vital or intense as before. So I say, if you're a fan, you'll probably want this, but if you're new to Farrar, Uncle Tupelo, or his post-Tupelo band Son Volt, then you should really start with any of the Uncle Tupelo records (Anodyne being my fave, but all are grrreat).
RealAudio clip: "Kind of Madness"

FAY, BILL s/t (Eclectic Discs) cd 21.00
We had never really heard of Bill Fay, at least until we started hearing him mentioned as an influence on folks like Ben Chasny of Six Organs Of Admittance, Jim O'Rourke, Current 93 and the like. Which made perfect sense when we finally heard Fay's music. A reissue of Fay's debut album, originally released in 1970, this is majestic, emotional singer songwriter stuff, simple, beautiful songs, wrapped in lushly orchestrated, sweeping strings, regal horns, totally epic and emotionally grand arrangements (think Scott Walker). The sticker on the cover boldly proclaims Fay as "the missing link between Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Bob Dylan" and while we can perhaps dismiss that as hyperbole to a certain extent, there is definitely something special about Fay's voice and his songs. They definitely work best when they tend toward the more maudlin and miserable, it's then that the Nick Drake comparison makes the most sense. The orchestral filigree has the definite downside of occasionally making some of the songs a bit too saccharine and overblown. Which is unfortunate as Fay's songs are the sort that would work just as well with just a guitar or a piano, dark and brooding, and emotionally charged, stripped to its bare essentials. That said, some of the string parts are absolutely stunning, and the horns give some of the tracks a bit of a Chicago vibe which in no way is a bad thing. Not necessarily dreary or depressive or fucked up enough to transcend their seventies singer songwriter sound, but some close listening will reveal how ultra personal and simply fantastic these songs are!
Features extensive liner notes from Fay himself as well as two bonus tracks: both songs from Fay's rare 1967 "Screams In The Ears" / "Some Good Advice" seven inch single.
MPEG Stream: "Garden Song"
MPEG Stream: "The Sun Is Bored"

FAY, BILL Time of the Last Persecution (Eclectic Discs) cd 23.00
This is the second record, originally released in 1971, by Bill Fay, who we had never even heard of until recently, when we started reading how Fay was "the missing link between Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Bob Dylan" and hearing his name bandied about as an influence on groups like Six Organs Of Admittance and Current 93 among others. And once we heard this record in particular, it didn't seem so far fetched. Unlike his self titled debut album released a year earlier (and reviewed elsewhere on this list), Time Of Last Persecution is a much more immediate, stripped down record, mostly guitar based, with simple insistent piano, even some horns, but without all the swooping strings and lush orchestration that was all over the first record. And Fay's songs do indeed shine when allowed to be heard naked and exposed like this. His voice sounds so much more forceful and emotional, the simple melodic underpinning so much more effective. Even the photo on the cover, featuring a bearded and bedraggled Fay, hints at the personal intensity and intimate emotion within. Intense and incredibly moving, moody and melancholy, you can definitely here some Davies and Drake, even some Eagles, some E.L.P (at their most balladeering) and most definitely some Allman Brothers. As if the songs and the amazing vocal performance weren't enough, the record features occasional inspired and frenzied bursts of ferocious psychedelic guitar freakout from jazz legend Ray Russell!
MPEG Stream: "Omega Day"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Let My Marigolds Die"

FEATHERS s/t (Gnomonsong) cd 13.98
Originally released on lp by the band, now available on cd via the Gnomonsong label run by Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic of Vetiver.
A customer turned us on to this Vermont-based group who have quietly been making their own brand of druggy hippy psych folk, releasing loads of cd-r's and this here s/t album, and it seems like only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on and they'll be psych-folk household names like Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart. Simple strummed guitars, sweet sweet harmonies, banjo and occasional acid fried guitars, simple and insistent tribal drumming, very reminiscent of seventies British folk a la Incredible String Band, Shirley Collins, even Comus (but not nearly as psychotic). However, they do occasionally wander down a darker path, exploring moody and minor key acoustic dirges, each one curiously ominous folky swirl beneath a brooding strum and thump. There's also an old timey element to Feathers, the tracks sound so old, but timeless at the same time, almost otherworldly (assuming the other world had banjos and folk music and record players) sounding a lot like sitting in a dusty room listening to old 78's. So so nice. Includes a big booklet with lyrics, and lots of photos of the band all fringed and tassled and feathered up, frolicking in the forest.
We loved this already, when that LP first showed up, but now we're even more fascinated by Feathers in light of how amazing (and different from this, being soooo heavy) that Witch album featuring two Feathers members is!
MPEG Stream: "Old Black Hat With A Dandelion Flower"
MPEG Stream: "To Each His Own"

FEATHERS s/t (Feathers Family) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A customer turned us on to this Vermont-based group who have quietly been making their own brand of druggy hippy psych folk, releasing loads of cd-r's and this here lp, and it seems like only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on and they'll be psych-folk household names like Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart. Simple strummed guitars, sweet sweet harmonies, banjo and occasional acid fried guitars, simple and insistent tribal drumming, very reminiscent of seventies British folk a la Incredible String Band, Shirley Collins, even Comus (but not nearly as psychotic). However, they do occasionally wander down a darker path, exploring moody and minor key acoustic dirges, each one curiously ominous folky swirl beneath a brooding strum and thump. There's also an old timey element to Feathers, the tracks sound so old, but timeless at the same time, almost otherworldly (assuming the other world had banjos and folk music and record players) sounding a lot like sitting in a dusty room listening to old 78's.
Comes with a big poster of the band all painted up and luxuriating in the tall green grass.

FEATHERS Tour Paint (self-released) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Folks who witnessed Feathers opening for Vetiver and Espers a few weeks back, mentioned that they were one of the quietest bands that had heard. So much so, that a rock venue was hardly the best venue to witness their delicate beauty. While the band was here we managed to snag the last of this tour-only ep, a gorgeous self released, hand sewn and packged glimpse into their ethereal dark folk world. The first track is so quiet, it's like Feathers are whispering in your ear, the candlelight flickering, their warm breaths as loud as he barely strummed guitars. So lovely. The next two tracks are much more rambunctious, some seventies British style pagan folk, with Syd Barret like vocals and lots of druggy psychedelic filligree. The final track returns to the hushed beauty of the opening song, a dark dolorous minor key lament, with angelic vocals and haunting steel string guitars.
Packaged in a hand screened paper sleeve, sewn together with colored thread. Each and every one is unique.
THESE ARE THE LAST 30 COPIES. ONCE THEY ARE GONE THEY ARE GONE FOR GOOD!
MPEG Stream: "Wandering With You"
MPEG Stream: "Angel In The Sky"

FEATHERS, CHARLIE Get With It: Essential Recordings (1954-69) (Revenant) 2cd 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here is a 2 cd retrospective collection of the often underrated, and totally amazing rockabilly, country great Charlie Feathers. We have carried this before, now it is reissued in fancy packaging. Charlie grew up tending his parents farm. He sang in church and listened to the Grand Ole Opry. A local sharecropper named Junior Kimbrough taught him how to play guitar. He reminds me at times of Hank Williams, Eddie Arnold, and even Hasil Adkins. Feathers wrote "Can't Hardly Stand It" which was later covered by the Cramps. He has the talent of mixing the best elements of blues, country, bluegrass and rockabilly in an original and inventive way. Some songs are slow lazy sad country, and then some are rockin' and tough. As this collection proves he was hard working and eclectic in the mid '50s, but it was during the '70s resurgence of rockabilly in Europe that he was revered and appreciated. Many country and rock n rollers credit Feathers for inspiration (Johnny Cash for one). Dispite horrible health problems he persevered till the end recording and touring, mostly in Europe. Charlie Feathers died August 29, 1998 of complications following a stroke; he was 66. Here are all his Sun, Flip, King, Meteor, Kay, WalMay and Holiday Inn sides, plus rare, unissued tracks including Sun demos, alternate takes and early home recordings with the likes of Junior Kimbrough. You also get a fancy detailed 48 page book.
RealAudio clip: "One Hand Loose"
RealAudio clip: "Can't Hardly Stand It"
RealAudio clip: "Everybody's Lovin' My Baby"

FEATHERS, CHARLIE Get With It: Essential Recordings (1954-69) (Revenant) 3lp 36.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl! A massive trible lp in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve. Here's what we had to say about the cd:
A retrospective collection of the often underrated, and totally amazing rockabilly, country great Charlie Feathers. Charlie grew up tending his parents farm. He sang in church and listened to the Grand Ole Opry. A local sharecropper named Junior Kimbrough taught him how to play guitar. He reminds me at times of Hank Williams, Eddie Arnold, and even Hasil Adkins. Feathers wrote "Can't Hardly Stand It" which was later covered by the Cramps. He has the talent of mixing the best elements of blues, country, bluegrass and rockabilly in an original and inventive way. Some songs are slow lazy sad country, and then some are rockin' and tough. As this collection proves he was hard working and eclectic in the mid '50s, but it was during the '70s resurgence of rockabilly in Europe that he was revered and appreciated. Many country and rock n rollers credit Feathers for inspiration (Johnny Cash for one). Dispite horrible health problems he persevered till the end recording and touring, mostly in Europe. Charlie Feathers died August 29, 1998 of complications following a stroke; he was 66. Here are all his Sun, Flip, King, Meteor, Kay, WalMay and Holiday Inn sides, plus rare, unissued tracks including Sun demos, alternate takes and early home recordings with the likes of Junior Kimbrough. Massive batch of super informative liner notes!
RealAudio clip: "One Hand Loose"
RealAudio clip: "Can't Hardly Stand It"
RealAudio clip: "Everybody's Lovin' My Baby"

FINCHES, THE Six Songs (self-released) cd 7.98
A no-frills and super down to earth debut. As the title states this is a half dozen tunes from Bay Area folksy folks The Finches. The duo of Ms Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs and Aaron Morgan share the singin' and guitar playin' duties, and Morgan also handles the bass playin' too. Each of their songs is thoughtful, well-crafted and slightly rough around the edges much like Carolyn's lovely lino-cut cover art. Achingly intimate and pretty, and quite along the lines of folk-pop songstresses such as Cat Power or Julie Doiron. Nic

MPEG Stream: "The Road"
MPEG Stream: "The Horse With Two Front Doors"

FINN, SIMON Magic Moments (Durtro Jnana) cd 14.98
Very few things have changed for Simon Finn's mythological folk music in the twenty-five years between his nearly forgotten debut Pass The Distance (1970) and his second album Magic Moments (2005). If anything, the current infatuation with the acid folk meanderings of Six Organs of Admittance, Devendra Banhart, the Skygreen Leopards, and Fursaxa has opened the way for obscure folk artists from the '70s such as Simon Finn. Without David Michael of Current 93 stumbling across one of few original copies of Pass The Distance, Finn would have continued to toil as farmer in Canada; but fortunately, David (don't call him Tibet anymore!) Michael reissued the album with much acclaim and provided Finn with the impetus to record many of the songs that he has been quietly composing during his 25 year hiatus.
Like Pass The Distance, Magic Moments still speaks of a Gnostic mythology, in which knowledge, revelation, and secrets creep throughout his tales of death, sex, gods, devils, and his relationship with those archetypes. It's the darker side of psychedelia, hallucinations, and liminal thought that Finn explores; but the music itself remains a simple vehicle for Finn's expressionism, as his arrangements are little more than voice and acoustic guitar. This bare aesthetic is the major difference from his Pass The Distance album, which enjoyed a complex production with wild stereo pans and eccentric instrumentation from collaborator David Toop. Also missing is the epileptic rage which punctuated several of the tracks from Pass The Distance, but Finn is considerably older allowing his lyrical content to speak through his Syd Barrett meets Cat Stevens voice rather than through phlegm and spit. All things considered, Magic Moments is certainly recommended listening for acid folk fans.
MPEG Stream: "Walkie Talkie"
MPEG Stream: "Eros"

FITZ-GERALD, G.F. Mouseproof (Sunbeam) cd 16.98
Reissue of strangely eclectic and genre-hopping British psych-folk record from 1970, combining country-rock, seventies harmonies, political satire, jazz and early electronic instrumental excursions. This is a mellow hodge-podge of aural recipes akin to the one off releases by United States of America and White Noise. While not every song hits, the album closer, "Opal Pyramid Drifting Over Time", an eight minute instrumental with washes of wah guitar, piano repetitions, jazzy drumming and chanting harmonies is definitely worth the price of admission.
MPEG Stream: "May Four"
MPEG Stream: "Opal Pyramid Drifting Over Time"

FLATLANDERS More A Legend Than A Band (Rounder) cd 16.98
Legendary premiere recording of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely & Butch Hancock from 1972, now on cd.

FLATLANDERS Now Again (New West) cd 16.98
If the names Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, and Joe Ely mean anything to you, then heads up. The three respected singer songwriters came together in the early '70s, in Lubbock TX, and made a completely underrecognized record as The Flatlanders. It was incandescently glowing country music with a twang, a musical saw, and the pure, otherwordly voice of Jimmie Dale Gilmore. In the years hence all three musicians have made names for themselves as solo artists with cult followings, and for those of us who hadn't heard them before 1990, that year saw a reissue of The Flatlanders album on disc, with extra tracks, that turned a lot of folks on to the Lubbock sound. If you don't already have that amazing first Flatlanders album, with its classic, breathtakingly gorgeous lead track "Dallas", then get that first. In fact, get it now... you'll be glad!
Besides a couple sporadic appearances in the ensuing years (a track for "The Horse Whisperer" soundtrack, a live reunion concert, etc), this disc is the first time in 20 years that the three guys have come together to write songs and record a brand new album. It is very nice, altho' not quite as good as what they did in the '70s (maybe that's cos I like '70s country a lot more than '02 country in general. Ahem.) Anyway, 12 of the 14 songs represented here were collectively written by the three, plus there's a Hancock-penned song and the lead off track is by Utah Phillips (I think it's the best on the whole album). The personalities of the three musicians are a bit more distinct than on the '73 record. The legend is back. Enjoy.
RealAudio clip: "Going Away"
RealAudio clip: "Now It's Now Again"

FLATLANDERS, THE Live '72 (New West) cd 14.98
A wonderful early Flatlanders performance from back in '72. Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely were in top form for this Austin, TX concert. Classic downhome country twang with multi-part vocals by those unmistakable voices plus a little musical saw to boot. So good! We'd expect more audience response than the smattering of applause and handful of hoots 'n' hollers that follow each of sixteen songs. Maybe you can add your own!
MPEG Stream: "Honky Tonk Blues"
MPEG Stream: "I Know You"

FLATLANDERS, THE Wheels Of Fortune (New West) cd 16.98

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS s/t (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
We were pretty skeptical when we first hear about Flight Of The Conchords. Who in their right mind would dare try follow in the footsteps of Tenacious D? And we're talking just the original six HBO episodes. Never has a shitty open mic, dual acoustic guitar band been so metal, so funny, and so fucking genius as Tenacious D.
So when we first checked out New Zealand's Flight Of The Conchords, our reaction was that these guys were just ripping off the D. But the more we watched, the more they demonstrated that they were definitely their own thing. The duo, Bret and Jemaine (NOT Jermiane) are super charming, and super hilarious in a weirdly deadpan way. If you haven't seen the show, definitely check it out. Their manager Murray steals the show, as does their only fan Mel, and their dirtbag only friend, the guy who runs the pawn shop. And the songs are pretty funny too, loosely tied into whatever happens to be going on in that episode, and occasionally the whole show is tied instead into the concept of the song, which results in much more tweaked and whatthefuck goings on.
So yeah, love the show, and love the music, which might pose the only problem. As with Tenacious D, we love the songs EXACTLY as they are on the show, the same instrumentation, the same arrangement, the same production, THOSE are the songs we want to hear. So it's frustrating to hear them re-recorded as they are here, the vibe is definitely more polished and less loose, but thankfully still can't take way from the charm of these songs.
Fans of the show might feel the same, taking a while to warm up to these alternate versions, but a lot of this stuff wasn't really focused on in the show, or maybe not in the show at all, and the ones that were, you've probably been dying to hear again. And for fans, all the hits are here: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)", "Business Time", the amazing rap track "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopapoatumus)", the dancehall jam of "Boom", and of course the awesome 'binary solo' in "Robots". Not only are the lyrics funny, but the songs are catchy as hell. Not sure how this would play to someone who hadn't seen the show, but if you haven't, what the heck is wrong with you anyway? Buy it, or rent it, and you might as well buy this too, you're gonna want to hear these songs over and over, since after one viewing they stick in your head like crazy. And if you're not interested in the show, but dig clever goofy silly novelty folk, then this will definitely hit the spot.
The packaging is pretty excellent too, a six panel digipak with a cool pop up of Bret and Jemaine, behind which is the cd and a massive poster.
MPEG Stream: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
MPEG Stream: "Robots"
MPEG Stream: "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopopotamus)"

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS s/t (Sub Pop) lp 15.98
We were pretty skeptical when we first hear about Flight Of The Conchords. Who in their right mind would dare try follow in the footsteps of Tenacious D? And we're talking just the original six HBO episodes. Never has a shitty open mic, dual acoustic guitar band been so metal, so funny, and so fucking genius as Tenacious D.
So when we first checked out New Zealand's Flight Of The Conchords, our reaction was that these guys were just ripping off the D. But the more we watched, the more they demonstrated that they were definitely their own thing. The duo, Bret and Jemaine (NOT Jermiane) are super charming, and super hilarious in a weirdly deadpan way. If you haven't seen the show, definitely check it out. Their manager Murray steals the show, as does their only fan Mel, and their dirtbag only friend, the guy who runs the pawn shop. And the songs are pretty funny too, loosely tied into whatever happens to be going on in that episode, and occasionally the whole show is tied instead into the concept of the song, which results in much more tweaked and whatthefuck goings on.
So yeah, love the show, and love the music, which might pose the only problem. As with Tenacious D, we love the songs EXACTLY as they are on the show, the same instrumentation, the same arrangement, the same production, THOSE are the songs we want to hear. So it's frustrating to hear them re-recorded as they are here, the vibe is definitely more polished and less loose, but thankfully still can't take way from the charm of these songs.
Fans of the show might feel the same, taking a while to warm up to these alternate versions, but a lot of this stuff wasn't really focused on in the show, or maybe not in the show at all, and the ones that were, you've probably been dying to hear again. And for fans, all the hits are here: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)", "Business Time", the amazing rap track "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopapoatumus)", the dancehall jam of "Boom", and of course the awesome 'binary solo' in "Robots". Not only are the lyrics funny, but the songs are catchy as hell. Not sure how this would play to someone who hadn't seen the show, but if you haven't, what the heck is wrong with you anyway? Buy it, or rent it, and you might as well buy this too, you're gonna want to hear these songs over and over, since after one viewing they stick in your head like crazy. And if you're not interested in the show, but dig clever goofy silly novelty folk, then this will definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
MPEG Stream: "Robots"
MPEG Stream: "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopopotamus)"

FLOYD, GARY Back Door Preacher Man (Innerstate) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"On the 8th day the Lord created the voice and gave it to Gary Floyd", or so says the obi prominently displayed on this cd. But for some weird reason the obi doesn't mention that Gary was the singer for the punk group The Dicks, although it does namedrop his other much-loved-and-now-defunct group Sister Double Happiness. Gary's voice is in full display here as this record features mostly folksy country and blues material. Local folks will be happy to know it is available.

FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS Hot Burritos!: Anthology 1969-1972 (A&M) 2cd 22.00
Remastered and reissued, this release collects pretty much all the essential material by this seminal post-Byrds California country rock band featuring Gram Parsons. Includes everything from their first three albums, "The Gilded Palace of Sin," "Burrito Deluxe," and "The Flying Burrito Brothers". In addition you get some later stuff and singles, and 2 songs from the live album "The Last of the Red Hot Burritos". Informative liner notes, photos (man, what outfits!), and credits round out the package.

FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS Sin City: The Very Best Of... (A&M) cd 17.98
The Flying Burrito Bros were formed in 1969 by Gram Parsons, dearly departed father of country rock whose legend is still growing ever larger as his influence continues to be felt. I could go on and on and on about what a genius Parsons was, but then this description would be pages long, and anyway Ben Fong-Torres already wrote a book about 'im (Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons, highly recommended).
After leaving The Byrds, with whom he recorded just a single perfect album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Parsons formed the Burritos with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and other compatriots. Though the Burritos have released many records since their inception, the only ones that Gram appears on are the first two, both of which appear here in their entirety (the "Train Song" single is also included here, making Sin City more complete than the other best-of comp, Farther Along). While the second Burritos album was in progress, Parsons starting hanging with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who let him record the stunning version of "Wild Horses" found here. He drifted away from the band (or was asked to leave). In 1971 and '72 he released the two flawless solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, that sealed his reputation as legend. By 1973 he was dead.
The two Burrito Brothers albums, then, are essential to any Parsons fan's collection, as well as fans of country rock, and "No Depression"-style alt.country in general. The combination of catchy melodies, rollicking good humor, joyous twang, and solid rock backbone make these records essential listening. Get this now!
RealAudio clip: "Sin City"
RealAudio clip: "Christine's Tune"
RealAudio clip: "Wild Horses"

FLYING CANYON s/t (Soft Abuse) cd 14.98
How can you resist a record with a sticker on the front proclaiming it to be "California doom folk"? Well, we sure as heck can't. And what if that sticker was pasted over a huge floating white-bearded head floating in the clouds like some spirit of Yahowha back from the dead to haunt our musical dreams? Well, you'd have us again. So we were pretty much sold before we got the disc to the player. But in all fairness, we should also mention that not only is Flying Canyon the project of one half of Golden Hotel, who we raved about on a past list, but that half also happens to be AQ regular Cayce Lindner, who you can see on the AQ customers page, and who haunts the hallowed halls of AQ on an almost daily basis.
But the fact that Cayce is a friend of ours isn't the reason we were so enamored of Golden Hotel, or the reason this slab of California doom folk has been kicking our asses. Nope. It's because Cayce has a way with a guitar and a killer knack for abstract free folk songsmithery. It helps too that in Flying Canyon he's teamed up with members of The Skygreen Leopards and Kelly Stoltz's band. Where Golden Hotel was dark and lugubrious, dreamy and droney, Flying Canyon is much more druggy and desert-y, twangy and sun baked, laid back and lysergic.
From the opening track, "In The Reflection", a dead ringer for Terry Reid's "Seed Of Memory", you're already wandering in a dreamlike daze, across some dusty windblown musical world, a wounded wasteland, that while inhospitable and rife with death and misery, is still strangely warm and safe, you find yourself clearing away some dust and rubble, dead leaves and brittle branches, laying back, eyes closed, the sun turning the inside of your eyelids a blood red, and letting the sun burn you away, bleaching your bones, as you become part of the landscape, your dust part of the swirling storm, the sound, a disembodied floating free folk, perfectly captured by the Flying Canyon.
The label website describes Flying Canyon as the Eagles on Robitussen, but it's a little closer to Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young on horse tranquilizers. A super lo-fi arid expanse of murky late afternoon haze and stoned fuzzy fug. The strainer on the snare drum rattles and drifts like the warning of a snake coiled up in the hot summer sun. The bass is thick like melted tar, a fuzzy fat rumble, warm warbly melodies wrapped around a soft focus folk drift, in the distance, fluttering flutes and warm swells of shimmering organ, like a musical mirage. All left all to hover in a lush field of room sound and drifting fuzz, above which float Lindner's ghostly vocals, an about-to-crack Neil Young warble, emotional and rich and honest, so much so that Lindner even manages to sing the words "rock and roll" in a song, without it sounding wrong. Instead, you can imagine that this is some sort of rock and roll. A rock and roll that was left in the sun too long, allowed to melt and change shape, a dusty, almost forgotten relic, that still retains some mysterious inner glow, a beauty that transcends the ravages of time. Go ahead. Sit back. Rest those weary bones, close those tired eyes. This is just about the perfect place for waitin' around to die...
MPEG Stream: "In The Reflection"
MPEG Stream: "Down To Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Crossing By Your Star"

FLYNT, HENRY Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Volume 1 (Locust) cd 14.98
Even packaged to look strikingly similar to an old Folkways LP release, this pair of Flynt releases on Locust sure do fit the "Hillbilly Blues" label more than any other release we've heard yet from him. And what's more, they're fucking great! No, you won't find any pseudo-ragas on either of these discs. This is wild and relentless, drone-y and hypnotic, sonically overwhelming neverending foot stomping, finger picked blues work outs. But as one might expect the workouts are static, shifting minutely and almost imperceptably if at all. Like a redneck hillbilly Terry Riley or La Monte Young.
The tracks on volume one go a little like this:
Track 1: Three and a half minutes of solo electric blues guitar, thankfully stripped of that awful standard blues chord progression.
Track 2: a short two and a half minute blast of nasal auctioneer style vocals, over a primitive country electric guitar riff.
Track 3: A massive twelve minutes of retarded toe tapping, to a hillbilly pizzicato on the fiddle that develops into increasingly manic sawing on just three notes.
Track 4: A gorgeous chunk of primitve, droney minimal blues, with humming vocals clocking in at a whopping 16 minutes.
RealAudio clip: "The Snake"
RealAudio clip: "Blue Sky, Highway And Tyme"

FLYNT, HENRY Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Volume 2 (Locust) cd 14.98
Even packaged to look strikingly similar to an old Folkways LP release, this pair of Flynt releases on Locust sure do fit the "Hillbilly Blues" label more than any other release we've heard yet from him. And what's more, they're fucking great! No, you won't find any pseudo-ragas on either of these discs. This is wild and relentless, drone-y and hypnotic, sonically overwhelming neverending foot stomping, finger picked blues work outs. But as one might expect the workouts are static, shifting minutely and almost imperceptably if at all. Like a redneck hillbilly Terry Riley or La Monte Young.

The tracks on volume two go a little like this:
Track 1: Five minutes of minimal amplified fiddle with lots of echo/delay, like music for some sort of space rodeo.
Track 2: 13 minutes of what sounds like a similar version of the first track, although this time without the echo/delay and a little more sawing on the higher notes of the fiddle.
Track 3: very traditional sounding blues progression on the fiddle, but stretched out a little. Definitely the easiest listening on either disc.
Track 4: Ten minutes long. Revisits the melodies of track two, but the sawing is more feverish and the sound is more thick and much less minimal. Eventually mutates into a super saturated, head nodding, blissed out transcendental hoedown!
RealAudio clip: "Echo Rock"
RealAudio clip: "Jamboree"

FLYNT, HENRY Graduation and Other New Country and Blues Music (Ampersand) cd 14.98
After hearing the excellent "hillbilly drone improv" found on the recent double cd archival release "You Are My Ever Lovin'/Celestial Power" by this obscure but fascinating Fluxus artist, we were excited to see this additional archival release (of material unreleased these past 20-odd years) see the light of day. But, our enthusiasm was dampened somewhat by the preponderance of vocals (!) found here. There's some prime drones on this disc, to be sure, but you'll have to also deal with some not-so-prime folksy singing. We couldn't. Disappointing.

FLYNT, HENRY New American Ethnic Music Volume 3: Hillbilly Tape Music (Recorded) cd 16.98
Aquarius' favorite fluxus hillbilly intellectual returns with yet another collection avant-folk. We say 'returns' and yet, with the exception of one from 1976/2001, these tracks come from 1971 and 1978. Much of the goods here are similar to his last two releases on Locust ("Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Vols. 1 & 2"). For instance track one, "Violin Strobe", begins with slowly pulsing notes scratched out on violin which, through some tape device, begin to accumulate a hypnotizing tapestry under Flynt's playing. Hillbilly tape music indeed! Track two, "Guitar Rebop", is a duet for demented tremolo laden swamp guitar and sitar-like drone. Not all Flynt's tracks here are of the hillbilly variety though. For instance, two "Leather High" compositions in A and E (recorded in 1978 appropriately enough) sound like an erstwhile disco guitarist recovering from trauma. In both, a boogying disco rhythm guitar rapidly decays into a series of reverberant swells of guitar through a volume pedal. It's these two tracks, along with the 15 minute ending track "S&M Delerium" -- a continuation of "Leather High in E" -- which make up the bulk of the play time on this disc. It's too bad as, while they're fine tracks in moderation, it would be nicer if the earlier tracks like "Violin Strobe" (which lasts a mere 5 minutes) could be left to degenerate for another 10. Or 20!
MPEG Stream: "Violin Strobe"
MPEG Stream: "Leather High in A"

FLYNT, HENRY You Are My Everlovin' / Celestial Power (Recorded) 2cd 21.00
First in this label's "New American Ethnic Music" series. "Avant-garde hillbilly and blues music" by violinist (and Fluxus conceptual artist) Henry Flynt.
Each disc documents a live improv session, the first from 1981 and the second from 1980, and both are quite lovely indeed. I guess it's "hillbilly" 'cause he's playing a fiddle, and there's echoes of Appalachian trad music amidst the drone.
For one concert/disc he's joined by a tambura player, and on the other by a guitarist (both strangely uncredited). Definitely in a Tony Conrad / fake Indian raga mode, and good at it. Fans of the aforementioned, as well as those into (Flynt associate) LaMonte Young, Ashtray Navigations and even the Dirty Three (it's actually VERY Dirty Three sounding at moments, with Flynt's melancholy, almost psychedelic violin being the dominant voice). More specifically, these are (we're told) "extended extemporizations on extended alpha-state ascension through excessive application of overtone-series note relationships/harmonics over a single chord/form". Check out www.henryflynt.org for more info on the man's art and writing (there's some strange essays to be found there). A very cool archival release, can't wait to hear more in the series.

FONTAINE, BRIGITTE Brigitte Fontaine est... (Saravah) cd 17.98
One of Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth's very favorite artists, Brigitte Fontaine did a kind of acid-folk French pop thing (from the early 70s) that's just delicious. These are reissues.

FONTAINE, BRIGITTE Je Ne Connais Pas Cet Homme (Saravah) cd 17.98

FONTAINE, BRIGITTE s/t (Saravah) cd 16.98
Brigitte Fontaine may get filed next to yeh-yeh girls like Francoise Hardy and Chantal Goya, but the eclectic avant-folk records she has been making with the help of percussionist Areski Belkacem since the seventies take the pop seed and mutate it far beyond the reach of any other French chanteuse. She cut a record with Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1971, and is making amazing records to this day, as evidenced by last year's excellent "Kekeland," featuring collaborations with the likes of Sonic Youth in addition to Areski. This is a reissue of her self-titled album from 1972, and it moves through the sounds of gorgeous pychedelic folk, string and organ-backed polyphonic liturgical-style chants advocating power to the people, medieval prog stylings, bizarre poetics, spoken word, barnyard avant-jazz, and the odd bout of screaming or anti-capitalist rallying. Her seductive voice grounds a kind of dada futurism that emerges alongside the deft navigation of styles, a hallmark of her work. Brigitte Fontaine's brand of cerebral pop experimentalism puts her in a strata attained by few artists. What reference points I can dig up-- Art Ensemble (of course), the best Os Mutantes records, Yoko Ono as a French situationist-- don't really suffice to explain Briggitte Fontaine's haunting oeuvre. Let me just say that listening to this album makes me giddy with joy (seriously!), and comes highly recommended, as does the reissue of 1971's "L'incendie."
RealAudio clip: "Brigitte"
RealAudio clip: "Marcelle"
RealAudio clip: "L'Eternal Retour"

FONTAINE, BRIGITTE / ARESKI Vous Et Nous (Saravah) cd 16.98
An awesome, quirky slice of French hippy avant-pop with lots of ethno-electronic action. Allan's favorite of Fontaine's ouvre.

FOREST Forest / Full Circle (BGO) 2cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A release we've had before, but not for a while, 'cause it's been hard to get -- but recently Allan & several of his friends really really got into Forest, so he managed to track down and order a bunch (though, probably not enough...).
This double cd contains Forest's entire output -- two albums, one from 1969 and one from 1970 -- and should definitely be of interest to anyone into that whole '60s British folk-psych vibe. Y'know, if you liked the Tony, Caro & John or Fairport Convention reissues we've recently listed, or dig that excellent current interpreter of the genre, P.G. Six (or that other modern psych-folkster guy, Greg Weeks, who is heavily into Forest).
Forest were a trio of hippie musicians (Martin, Dez, and Adrian) from the town of Walesby in Lincolnshire. All three of 'em are responsible for the quite excellent male vocals that help make these albums the amazing lost treasures they are, along with their strong songwriting, and their adept and varied instrumental backing (mostly acoustic, with guitars, harmonium, mandolin, pipes, cello, electric harpsichord, organ, percussion, etc.). Their vocal harmonies recall the folkish stuff on those great early Wishbone Ash albums. Their songs and lyrics are rural, pastoral, lovely -- with titles like "A Glade Somewhere", "Rain Is On My Balcony", "Bluebell Dance", "Lovemaker's Ways" -- and darker too ("The Midnight Hanging Of A Runaway Serf", "Famine Song", "Graveyard"). But, while 'folky,' this is by no means trad folk; they are down with prog rock moves that remind us as much of Pink Floyd as the Incredible String Band. They can be sunshiney and twee a la Tyrannosaurus Rex, but also have a pagan, dark aspect as we said, coming pretty close to Comus territory at times (with the song "Fading Light", for one). Yep, 'folky' but not folk -- the ruined castles and fairy folk that inhabit the forests and fields of Forest's world exist, shadow-like, in the present day (well, Forest's England of thirty years ago), so it's not surprising when a song like "Hawk The Hawker" has kind of a Lou Reed/VU vibe, for instance. Their music is informed by the ancient British ballads, but you can tell that Martin, Dez, and Adrian were three young long hairs sleeping in a van, no matter how idyllic their songs sometimes sound.
This double cd reissue includes John Peel's original liner notes from the first album -- they're quite silly, but accurate at least in his closing comment "It would be nice for the Forest if you purchased these results of their lives and labours -- but nicer still for you." Definitely one of those "this is SO good why didn't these guys get famous??!" listens.
RealAudio clip: "A Glade Somewhere"
RealAudio clip: "Fading Light"
RealAudio clip: "Gypsy Girl & Rambleaway"
RealAudio clip: "Graveyard "

FOREST s/t (Phoenix) cd 17.98
This has been out of print for a while, but now has been re-reissued by another label. We're happy 'cause Forest is an all-time fave 'round here, as British acid folk rock albums go. Here's the review we wrote a few years back about the previous edition:
The time is definitely right for this ('though, *any* time would be right for this since it's such a great album). The whole acid-folk revival of which we're sure you're aware -- heck we've done our part to plug albums by Six Organs Of Admittance, Skygreen Leopards, Espers, P.G. Six, Tower Recordings, and the like -- of course owes a lot to the genuine old timey hippie British acoustic psychedelic folk scene back in the '60s and '70s. Originators like the Incredible String Band and Tyrannosaurus Rex and Fairport Convention... and Forest. Who were never a famous band, but definitely cult favorites. And AQ favorites. So we're happy that at long last this is back in stock. Actually when we reviewed this before, it was with Forest's second album Full Circle as a double cd two-fer. But now it's been re-re-issued as it's own cd (with Full Circle to follow later on), remastered at Abbey Road where it was originally recorded back in 1969, with the participation of former Forest-er Martin Welham. And no longer being packaged as two-fer means the wonderfully pagan cover art gets the whole front of the cd booklet instead of appearing thumbnail-sized!
Forest were a trio of hippie musicians (Martin, Dez, and Adrian) from the town of Walesby in Lincolnshire. All three of 'em are responsible for the quite excellent male vocals that help make their albums the amazing lost treasures they are, along with their strong songwriting, and their adept and varied instrumental backing (mostly acoustic, with guitars, harmonium, mandolin, pipes, cello, electric harpsichord, organ, percussion, etc.). Their vocal harmonies recall the folkish stuff on those great early Wishbone Ash albums. Their songs and lyrics are rural, pastoral, lovely -- with titles (we're gonna mention tracks from both of their albums here) like "A Glade Somewhere", "Rain Is On My Balcony", "Bluebell Dance", "Lovemaker's Ways" -- and darker too ("The Midnight Hanging Of A Runaway Serf", "Famine Song", "Graveyard"). But, while 'folky,' this is by no means trad folk; they are down with prog rock moves that remind us as much of Pink Floyd as the Incredible String Band. They can be sunshiney and twee a la Tyrannosaurus Rex, but also have a pagan, dark aspect as we said, coming pretty close to Comus territory at times (with the song "Fading Light", for one). Yep, 'folky' but not folk -- the ruined castles and fairy folk that inhabit the forests and fields of Forest's world exist, shadow-like, in the present day (well, Forest's England of thirty years ago), so it's not surprising when a song like "Hawk The Hawker" has kind of a Lou Reed/VU vibe, for instance. Their music is informed by the ancient British ballads, but you can tell that Martin, Dez, and Adrian were three young long hairs sleeping in a van, no matter how idyllic their songs sometimes sound.
This reissue boast new liner notes and photos, but also still includes John Peel's original liner notes from the first album -- they're quite silly, but accurate at least in his closing comment "It would be nice for the Forest if you purchased these results of their lives and labours -- but nicer still for you." Definitely one of those "this is SO good why didn't these guys get famous??!" listens. We look forward to bringing you the reissue of their other, equally essential album Full Circle (1970) when it too gets reissued, and we also hear that vinyl is in the works. Plus, we've heard from Martin Welham himself that not only are there plans for the release of some vintage live Forest recordings on another UK label hopefully sometime in the next year, he also has a *new* band called The Story who'll be putting out a record soon [2008 update: The Story has 2 records by now, and they're both great], and also doing a split LP with none other than Santa Cruz folksters Whysp this summer. So lots of excitement for Forest fans for sure -- get this and become one.
MPEG Stream: "A Glade Somewhere"
MPEG Stream: "Fading Light"
MPEG Stream: "Do You Want Some Smoke?"

FOSSON, MARK Lost Takoma Sessions (Drag City) cd 14.98
Just when you thought that the mine of Appalachian, finger pickin', Fahey influenced guitar records had gone dry out comes one of the best unknown records we've heard in ages, and whaddayaknow? It's on Fahey's own Takoma imprint. Mark Fosson's playing recalls the amazing sound of the first two Leo Kotke albums (yes Leo made a couple great records before getting, umm... sort of not so hot) in fact a few times that we've been playing this in the store different customers have freaked out thinking it was some early unreleased Kotke gem. Actually when Fahey first heard a tape of Fosson's demos he wrote on a piece of paper "The best thing since Kotke." Recorded in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1976 these songs by Fosson not only resonate with as much beauty as anything that's come out on Takoma, but has also quite nicely stood the test of time. Besides the Kotke guesses many folks in the store also thought they were hearing a new recording by one of our favorite present days guitar masters, James Blackshaw. We're really happy Drag City have unearthed these long lost sessions as these are sounds that deserve to be heard!
MPEG Stream: "Quarter Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Arrival of the Grand Picayune"