Intimate collaboration with some wicked guitar
Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 10/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Being a pretty big Davy Graham fan, I've been eyeing this release for quite a while--the one thing that held me back was a fear that Graham's role on album would be one of downplayed, disappointing accompaniment, rather than the inventive, spirited and breathtaking guitar that I've come to love on his later solo albums. After finally taking the plunge, I wish I hadn't waited so long! Rather than existing solely as a side-man for Shirley Collins, this album is really a true collaboration in which each superb artist sits on equal footing, which makes the music slightly greater than the sum of its parts.
For the most part, this is an album of British folk tunes, save a few exceptions. Fans of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Pentangle, Martin Carthy and other major forces in the 60's British folk revival will find a number of familiar folk tunes ("Reynardine," "Hares on the Mountain," "Love is Pleasin'") as well as some that are a bit more obscure. It's pretty clear that this album was an inspirational force in that fledgling folk renaissance (before the real British folk-rock boom that blossomed in the late 60's/early 70's). Collins/Graham's version of "Reynardine" was borrowed from heavily by Fairport Convention, and the more well-known female singers of the aforementioned bands (Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior, Jacqui McShee) all owe more than a small debt to Shirley Collins' crystal clear, gossamer and emotive vocals, which are uniformly superb throughout, including a few endearingly organic flaws.
This is more than just a revival of British folk tunes, though--enter Davy Graham! Folk was never a static thing for Graham, and this album is no different. His lively fingerstyle guitar owes as much to jazz and blues as it does to traditional British music, and it gives these tunes a vibrant, progressive feel. The Indian-influenced raga-folk version of "Pretty Saro" is an album highlight, predicting Graham's later manic Indian-styled guitar workouts, and "Rif Mountain" is one of his most jaw-dropping Eastern-flavored instrumentals (worth the price of admission alone, for me). "Blue Monk" and "Grooveyard" further display Graham's guitar prowess in more of a jazzy vein. It's also worth noting that "Jane, Jane" pretty much lays the blueprint for the groovy, jazzy folk updates that the Pentangle get credit for inventing four years later!
No, this disc is not a disappointment by any standards, and it's the missing link between Davy Graham's debut, The Guitar Player (which featured some good jazz playing but little to none of the wild, genre-fusing and idiosyncratic guitar playing that was really his passion) and his first proper album, Folk, Blues & Beyond..., where his personality really first showed through. I'm also inspired to check out some more of Shirley Collins' work--if it's as good as this, it's definitely worth having."
Davy Graham was the man!
Daniel Ruben Hernandez | miami gardens, florida USA | 05/31/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have heard so much about what a great guitar player Davey Graham was so I had to get this. The guitar playing on here is awesome. I can definitely see how Jimmy Page and a number of other guitar players have been influenced by this guy's playing. Highly recommended for people who love great acoustic guitar playing or all guitar playing aficionados."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1