Search - Jim Ford :: The Sounds of Our Time

The Mysterious Jim Ford

Michael Macdonald | 05/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Friend of Sly Stone and Bobby Womack, revered by Nick Lowe and co-writer of the Swamp Rock nugget 'Nikki Hokey" should be enough to establish Jim Ford as an artist of renown. Possibly because much of his legacy can be traced to only one LP "Harlan County' it's difficult to get a proper handle on Ford. Now with Bear Family's "Sounds Of Our Time " compilation which expands on the "Harlan County" album with fifteen extra tracks ( rare 45's, abandoned album projects and demos)it's quite easy to comprehend why Lowe has such an admiration for this mystifying man. In essence Ford comes from the Country side of the Soul or R&B equation but one with a singular lyrical premise. The bonus tracks reveal Ford as a singer/writer who belongs in the same neighbourhood as Dan Penn, Eddie Hinton and Joe South. Tracks such as "Go Through Sunday" and "She Turns My Radio On" suggest a backwoods Van Morrison whereas "Rising Sign" evokes the Voodoo Swamp Funk of a Dr John. Anyone with even a passing interest in Southern white R&B needs to hear this. Also the CD's liner notes are easily the most comprehensive ever written on Ford with much input from the man himself. An essential re-issue."

A brilliant lost songwriter found ... and a stunning reissue

C. Steward | Castro Valley CA | 04/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a revelation on several counts. Bear Family not restores the out-of-print cult classic ``Harlan County'' album in its majestic entirety and adds 15 superb, rare singles and unreleased masters, it also solves the mystery of this eccentric talent. Liner notes writer and reissue producer L-P Anderson tells the story of embarking on a search into the remote Northern California coastal hinterlands and finding the long-lost Ford living in a trailer park. Ford not only tells his fascinating story of why he disappeared from the music scene after a promising career start in the late 60s/early 70s, he reveals that he has scores of tapes of unreleased material ... enough to ``fill several future CDs with amazing stuff.'' Just getting all of the extra cuts on this disc is revelatory enough, because the additional cuts stand up so well against the Harlan County disc. How can one not become enchanted by a title such as ``Happy Songs Sell Records, Sad Songs Sell Beer.'' ``Big Mouth USA,'' presented in slow and fast tempos, is a scathing ditty on small-town religious hypocrites. The album closes with a number that leaves you yearning for more: ``Hanging From Your Lovin' Tree.'' But there are no weak tracks among the rediscovered gems, and the Harlan County cuts have already been established as underground delights.



The notion that more could be coming is almost too incredible to believe. Ford was simply an amazing songwriter in a distinctly Southern funky vein, and those who worshiped his talents were people as diverse as Sly Stone and Nick Lowe. Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and the Temptations recorded his songs -- he wrote an entire album for the Temps -- and Ford says he also wrote the Bobbie Gentry hit ``Ode to Billie Joe'' during a time when he had a romantic fling with her. He reveals the unknown session players on the Harlan County album and they turn out to be some of the best session men in the history of the music business -- guitarist James Burton, drummer Jim Keltner and keyboardist Mac Renneback (Dr. John).



Now 65, Ford clearly is still an eccentric -- he loves restoring old Peugeots, for one -- but he seems happy that his music has been rediscovered. Hopefully, in future years, we will hear more of what made Jim Ford so special, but for now, this is a healthy slice of evidence. Such an important reissue. Anderson and Bear Family should be commended for such a fabulous, thorough job on this remarkable archival find. Nice to someone understands why it's worth searching the ends of the earth for great music. Essential for any comprehensive pop music collection."

Jim Ford - an instant classic from a long time ago.

Spencer Marquart | St. Louis, MO USA | 05/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is essential for any lover of late 60's, early 70's country-soul-funk. Amazingly, his album "Harlan County" has never received the attention it deserves. I heard of this through a friend. Nick Lowe confirms in the wonderful liner notes that Jim Ford was his biggest influence. As a huge Nick fan, it seems appropriate to dig into this stuff. The CD is in a great digipack form and includes an in-depth story and interview with Jim Ford by a guy from Sweden. So Jim is alive and well to appreciate this overdue collection.

The "Harlan County" record features a great band. It was recorded in 1969 and includes James Burton - he's played with Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison and tons others, Jim Keltner on the drums - who I've long adored as a drummer laying down possibly his best drum beats in 1969!! If you do a search on Keltner you'll see an incredible list or artists that he's played with and made their records better. Amazingly, not many Keltner discographies even mention this record! I've heard many Keltner performances - this is my favorite! Also features Dr. John on piano and keyboards. What's not to like with that band? Then the songs kick in. The title track is a classic romp through Jim's childhood in the coal mining hills of Kentucky. The rest of the album builds with slower tunes like "Changing Colors" which includes a lo-fi sound, but with string section and Jim singing wonderfully almost in a Glen Campbell style. Another classic is "Love On The Brain". Man, a great groove ala the Stones. Then it goes into overdrive with "Long Road Ahead", "Under Construction" and "Working My Way To L.A.". You won't hear three more soulful groovin', yet hard hittin' tunes in a row. Once again, I've never heard such impassioned drumming from Keltner! The album finishes up with a scathing take of "Spoonful" (the old Howlin' Wolf tune) and then Jim really lays out every bit of his vocal with "To Make My Life Beautiful". And that's just the "Harlan County" record. The rest of the tunes show more promise and get stuck in your head quite easily. "Big Mouth USA" is just classic country ala "Harper Valley PTA". "Ten Inches High" is a song I'd originally heard covered by Nick Lowe. Jim's version will give you chills. I'm not going song by song, but all of these rare tunes and outtakes ending with his first single "Hangin' From Your Lovin Tree" make this release ideal to any "real" lover of country-soul music! The interview and story with the CD are interesting. Sounds like a few breaks here or there - especially missing out on signing with Atlantic w/ Jerry Wexler (the classic producer of Willie Nelson etc.) hurt Jim's chances of making a great career. There may be more tapes out there with more tunes in hopes of unearthing for another lost Jim Ford collection.

This is the stuff of legends. But it's real - it's here. Pick it up. It's fantastic!



Spencer Marquart"