Tim Hardin 3: Live in Concert

A friend of Karen Dalton's who, sadly, shared her fate. Dalton was the first to perform Hardin's 'Reason to Believe', which we hear a stunning performance of here. Hardin performs both solo and with an excellent 'jazz-esque' combo including bassist Eddie Gomez and vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. We can hear moments of magical, natural music here, although, according to Mainieri, Hardin was often "completely strung out" while performing and this particular night was "in terrible shape". Mainieri goes on to say that "what seemed like hesitancy on the part of us 'jazz' musicians was the result of us having to guess when he would strike the next chord or suddenly move to another section of the song." John Martyn, whose live style can perhaps be heard in its primordial form here, was guilty of this and, in the same way, we could easily call to mind Tim Buckley's freewheeling vocals (the substance abuse of both is well documented). Two songs in particular are a frightening insight into the singer's world: 'Lenny's Tune' makes clear reference both to Lenny Bruce's and (briefly) Hardin's heroin use, and 'Tribute to Hank Williams' also eulogises the singer with particular reference to the morphine that killed him. We hear the word morphine over and over. Tim Hardin would die from a heroin overdose in 1980, just over a decade after this concert and just as Bruce had done in 1966 and Williams before him in 1953. In spite of the roughness of Hardin's insobriety, we do hear wonderful, fantastically original music here that at time soars above and always differs in numerous ways not only from the recorded material, but likely from other live renditions also. Alongside Hardin's originals, we hear two very welcome Scott Walker songs: 'The Lady Came from Baltimore' and 'Black Sheep Boy'.

A1. The Lady Came From Baltimore
A2. Reason To Believe
A3. You Upset The Grace Of Living When You Lie
A4. Misty Roses
A5. Black Sheep Boy
A6. Lenny's Tune
B1. Don't Make Promises
B2. Danville Dame
B3. If I Were A Carpenter
B4. Red Balloon
B5. Tribute To Hank Williams
B6. Smugglin' Man

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Karen Dalton - It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best

The distinctive, stripped-down debut full length of this tragic folk songstress. Dalton is sparsely accompanied here, but more notable is the dazed, dreamlike style of the playing enjoining her pained vocal. A heroin addict and life-long drug user ("even cocaine couldn't ease the pain..."), she stopped performing publicly in the early 70s and died, estranged from her children and family, due to an AIDS-related illness 20 years later. As such, it is no secret that there is real pain in her quietly impassioned bluesy drawl. The closest comparison is with friend and mentor Fred Neil (she sings two of his originals here: 'Blues on the Ceiling and 'Little Bit of Rain'), though her style is very much her own, something that's especially obvious in her adaptions of folk and blues standards (Lead Belly, of course, but a rendition Jelly Roll Morton's 'Sweet Substitute' shows the breadth of her influences and interpretive abilities). This is a rare document of a truly authentic musician who was at the centre of a unique period in musical history, one (for every Paul Simon or Bob Dylan) too often marred by truly tragic tales of substance abuse, depression and commercial neglect.

A1. Little Bit Of Rain
A2. Sweet Substitute
A3. Ribbon Bow
A4. I Love You More Than Words Can Say
A5. In The Evening (It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best)
B1. Blues On The Ceiling
B2. It Hurts Me Too
B3. How Did The Feeling Feel To You
B4. Right, Wrong Or Ready
B5. Down On The Street (Don't You Follow Me Down)

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Johnny Cash - The Last Gunfighter Ballad

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

 A great later effort from Cash to match the peak era of most of the men in our theme. The title is, of course, after the Guy Clark song, which Cash delivers an excellent rendition of here. The 'man in black' proves he never lost it, with his voice sounding every bit as good as it did in 1958. The production is for the most part very traditional, with Cash's vocal given the tight, shotgun reverb that made his early vocals so distinctive, joined by timeless finger-picking. Some songs, the opener 'I Will Dance with You' for example, do make use of contemporary production and songwriting to great effect, while some more traditional numbers are amusingly infused with 1970s effects (hear the wah-wah guitar on 'You're So Close to Me'). We are not, of course, deprived of fantastic religious numbers showing the always awe-inspiring depth of Cash's faith. 'Far Side Banks of Jordan' is a rousing-yet-humble duet with his wife, and her stunning vocal is also clearly audible on the joyful, gospel-infused 'Give it Away' (as well as on other songs). Cast-iron songcraft and an ear to the ground reveal that the supposed desert between the late sixties and the 'American' recordings is (for the most part, anyway) a myth.

A1. I Will Dance With You
A2. The Last Gunfighter Ballad
A3. Far Side Banks Of Jordan
A4. Ridin' On The Cotton Belt
A5. Give It Away
B1. You're So Close To Me
B2. City Jail
B3. Cindy, I Love You
B4. Ballad Of Barbara
B5. That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine

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John Prine - Sweet Revenge

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

Prine's third effort shows the singer/songwriter looser, rougher-voiced and more confident than on his much-praised debut. At times pure honky tonk country, at others a sleek blend of rock and the former, Prine is certainly in his element here with lyrics as carefree or heart-wrenching as each hard-stepping or artfully penned number calls for. His ability to inhabit a character and display stunning empathy, one of his fortes as a writer, can be heard here ('Christmas in Prison'), but on the whole the tone is more dry wit philosophy ('The Accident') and good time tunes ('Please Don't Bury Me'). The powerful influence of Bob Dylan is still very evident here both in Prine's voice and his songwriting (Prine's monologue, dry humour and nasal vocal inflection on 'Dear Abby' is, while wonderfully executed, pure early '60s Dylan), although there is a style here on other songs more concretely his own than on previous albums. An approving Dylan is rumoured even to have played anonymous harmonica accompaniment at some of Prine's live New York dates. With this man's death the world has certainly lost a great American and a great songwriter.

A1. Sweet Revenge
A2. Please Don't Bury Me
A3. Christmas In Prison
A4. Dear Abby
A5. Blue Umbrella
A6. Often Is A Word I Seldom Use
B1. Onomatopoeia
B2. Grandpa Was A Carpenter
B3. The Accident (Things Could Be Worse)
B4. Mexican Home
B5. A Good Time
B6. Nine Pound Hammer

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Rodney Crowell - Diamonds & Dirt

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

Crowell's rise to recording stardom can be linked to Guy Clark. When he moved to Nashville he met Clark, who was writing hits successfully there, and who became a major influence on the younger musician. This is Crowell's fifth effort (and second for Columbia) and his first in a pure, hard-hitting honky tonk style. The whole album was recorded in Nashville, and features an urbane rock 'n' roll sound with clanging country guitars, slapping snare drums and a swinging, elastic vocal singing of hard-living and heartbreak to tie things together. The influence of the successful 'Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.' from Dwight Yoakam could certainly be argued (find it below). Crowell shows a fantastic, pelting energy on both the dance numbers and the ballads. 

1. Crazy Baby
2. I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried
3. She's Crazy For Leaving
4. After All This Time
5. I Know You're Married
6. Above And Beyond (The Call Of Love)
7. It's Such A Small World
8. I Didn't Know I Could Lose You
9. Brand New Bag
10. The Last Waltz

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Guy Clark - Old No. 1

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

An influential Nashville songwriter and an excellent musician in his own right, Clark balances urbane contemporary songwriting with down-home Nashville roots on excellent (and widely covered) originals like 'L.A. Freeway' and 'Desperados Waiting for the Train'. Clark's extant country pedigree is clear even on his debut, with backing vocals from the likes of Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle (the latter of whom he was a mentor to). Harris is certainly audible and in stellar form on 'She Ain't Goin' Nowhere', giving a wonderfully airy, sensitive accent to Clark's vocals. 

A1. Rita Ballou
A2. L.A. Freeway
A3. She Ain't Goin' Nowhere
A4. A Nickel For The Fiddler
A5. That Old Time Feeling
B1. Texas - 1947
B2. Desperados Waiting For The Train
B3. Like A Coat From The Cold
B4. Instant Coffee Blues
B5. Let Him Roll

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Steve Goodman - Steve Goodman

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

Goodman's rise to fame, much like Prine's, was linked to Kris Kristofferson's fine ear for talent. Earlier in 1971 (the year this album was released) he had opened for Kristofferson, who in turn had made the necessary introductions that led to a recording contract. His style is honest, sensitive and endemic of that bohemian anti-country sound of which Kristofferson was a chief architect, without being nearly gritty enough to be called 'outlaw country'. Rather, Goodman was middle class, Jewish, and clearly not putting on any airs. The arrangements are dense and lively, with country instrumentation rolling gleefully under Goodman's muted, humble vocal. 

A1. The I Don't Know Where I'm Going, But I'm Goin' Nowhere In A Hurry Blues
A2. Rainbow Road
A3. Donald & Lydia
A4. You Never Even Call Me By My Name
A5. Mind Your Own Business
A6. Eight Ball Blues
B1. City Of New Orleans
B2. Turnpike Tom
B3. Yellow Coat
B4. So Fine
B5. Jazzman
B6. Would You Like To Learn To Dance?

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Joseph Haydn - Heiligmesse; Nelsonmesse; Kleine Orgelsolomesse; Theresienmesse

"Though Haydn's prescribed duties during his long years at the Esterházy court (1761-90) included the direction of ecclesiastical music, Prince Nicolaus Esterházy had far more of a taste for instrumental music and opera buffa. Not surprisingly, given Haydn's phenomenal activity in these fields, he , composed relatively few liturgical works in this period. Most of those he did write have their origins beyond the Esterházy court; and these include the smallest and most intimate of his masses, the 'Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo', whose florid organ obbligato in the Benedictus has spawned the nickname 'Little Organ Solo Mass'. Haydn composed it some time in the mid 1770s for the Brothers of Mercy, who ran the hospital in Eisenstadt, seat of the Esterházys' winter residence, and whose patron was St. John of God — hence the mass's dedication. The minimal orchestral forces (two violins, organ and bass continuo) were evidently dictated by the tiny size of the chapel's organ loft.

"The chronology of the.first two masses in the series, the 'Missa in tempore belli' and the 'Missa Sancti Bernardi de Offida', is uncertain, though it is likely that the Missa Sancti Bernardi was composed first, during the summer of 1796 and performed in the Bergkirche, Eisenstadt, that September. As the title suggests, it was written to honour not only the Princess but also Bernard of Offida (1604-1694), a Capuchin monk canonised in 1795 for his devotion to the poor. In Austria and Germany the work is known as the 'Heiligmesse' because Haydn conceals in the inner voices of the Sanctus an old chorale 'Heilig, heilig, ('Heilig' is the German translation of 'Sanctus').

"The third and most famous of Haydn's last six masses, the D minor 'Missa in Angustiis' ('Mass in Time of Anxiety' is an approximate translation), was composed in July and August 1798, and first performed in Eisenstadt parish church the following month. The title by which the work is usually known dates from 1800, when Nelson, having routed the French at Aboukir, visited Prince Esterházy on his return journey to England and attended a performance of the Missa in Angustiis in his honour.

"The title of the fourth of Haydn's late masses, the so-called Theresienmesse ('Theresa Mass'), derives from the work's (doubtful) association with Marie Therese, wife of the Emperor Francis II, who sang the soprano solos in The Creation and The Seasons. One feature that immediately sets the Theresienmesse apart from the other masses is its scoring. In 1799 Prince Nicolaus's orchestra was reduced to strings, trumpets, timpani and organ, and the work is designed only for these instruments, plus a pair of clarinets imported from Vienna. These relatively subdued orchestral forces influence Haydn's treatment of the soloists, who as a closely-woven quartet have almost as much prominence as the choir. A consequence of this is the unusually private, chamber-musical tone of many parts of the work: the Adagio outer sections of the Kyrie, for instance, framing livelier music subtly based on the same material; the gentle, meditative Sanctus; or the Crucifixus, which has none of the anguished drama found in the other late masses at this point but quietly and searchingly develops the music first heard at 'Et homo factus est'." (Richard Wigmore. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Neville Marriner

1.1. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Kyrie
1.2. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Gloria. Gloria In Excelsis Deo
1.3. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Gloria. Gratias Agimus Tibi
1.4. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Gloria. Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
1.5. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Credo. Credo In Unum Deum
1.6. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Credo. Et Incarnatus Est
1.7. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Credo. Et Resurrexit
1.8. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Credo. Et Vitam Venturi Saeculi
1.9. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Sanctus
1.10. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Benedictus
1.11. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei
1.12. Mass No. 9 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:10 'Missa Sancti Bernardi Von Offida (Heiligmesse)': Agnus Dei. Dona Nobis Pacem
1.13. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Kyrie
1.14. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Gloria. Gloria In Excelsis Deo
1.15. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Gloria. Qui Tollis
1.16. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Gloria. Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
1.17. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Credo. Credo In Unum Deum
1.18. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Credo. Et Incarnatus Est
1.19. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Credo. Et Resurrexit
1.20. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Sanctus
1.21. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Benedictus. Benedictus
1.22. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Benedictus. Osanna
1.23. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei
1.24. Mass No. 11 In D Minor, Hob. XX11:11 'Nelsonmesse': Agnus Dei. Dona Nobis Pacem

2.1. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Kyrie
2.2. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Gloria
2.3. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Credo
2.4. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Sanctus
2.5. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Benedictus
2.6. Mass No. 7 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:7 'Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo': Agnus Dei
2.7. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Kyrie
2.8. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Gloria. Gloria In Excelsis Deo
2.9. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Gloria. Gratias Agimus Tibi
2.10. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Gloria. Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
2.11. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Credo. Credo In Unum Deum
2.12. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Credo. Et Incarnatus Est
2.13. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Credo. Et Resurrexit
2.14. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Sanctus
2.15. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Benedictus
2.16. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei
2.17. Mass No. 12 In B-Flat Major, Hob. XXII:12 'Theresienmesse': Agnus Dei. Dona Nobis Pacem

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