Folk, Blues and Beyond

Last updated

Folk, Blues and Beyond
Folk Blues and Beyond.jpg
Studio album by
Davey Graham
ReleasedJanuary 1965
Genre Folk, folk baroque, progressive folk, raga rock, blues, jazz
Length44:26
Label Decca
Producer Ray Horricks
Davey Graham chronology
The Guitar Player
(1963)
Folk, Blues and Beyond
(1965)
Midnight Man
(1966)

Folk, Blues and Beyond is the second studio album by British musician Davey Graham, originally released in 1965. It has been considered Graham's most groundbreaking and consistent work [1] and a defining record of the 20th century. It has also been a primary influence on some of the most popular musicians in Britain ranging from Bert Jansch to Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

Contents

Background

Graham's first album, The Guitar Player, was almost exclusively jazz based. He was also known for his collaborations with folksinger Shirley Collins, which had established his name in the purist folk communities in Britain.

Most of the tracks on the album are a fusion of traditional western folk/blues and Middle-Eastern music. This synthesis of world sounds was inspired by Grahams frequent traveling across the Asian continent from the early 1950s onward.

Graham also utilizes jazz progressions to re-innovate and contemporize traditional sounds, especially on the blues tracks of the album. For example, the opening track is a cover of "Leavin' Blues", written by Lead Belly, which is a straightforward blues in C. Graham's version uses the DADGAD guitar tuning, and he speeds up the tempo to give it a more 'rocking' sound. His cover is also infused with an exotic, middle eastern sound, accredited to both the tuning and the exotic musical scales he uses throughout the song.

In 2002, a remastered CD version of the album was released in the UK.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

In his Allmusic review, critic Richie Unterberger wrote "This was Graham's most groundbreaking and consistent album. More than his solo debut The Guitar Player (which was pretty jazzy) or his previous collaboration with folk singer Shirley Collins, Folk Roots, New Routes , this established his mixture of folk, jazz, blues, and Middle Eastern music, the use of a bassist and drummer also hinting at (though not quite reaching) folk-rock... If there is one aspect of the recording to criticize, it is, as was usually the case with Graham, the thin, colorless vocals. The guitar playing is the main attraction, though; it's so stellar that it makes the less impressive singing easy to overlook. Ten of the 16 songs were included on the compilation Folk Blues and All Points in Between, but Graham fans should get this anyway, as the level of material and musicianship is pretty high throughout most of the disc." [1]

Track listing

  1. "Leavin' Blues" (Lead Belly)
  2. "Cocaine" (Reverend Gary Davis)
  3. "Sally Free and Easy" (Cyril Tawney)
  4. "Black Is the Colour of My True Love's Hair" (Traditional; arranged by Davy Graham)
  5. "Rock Me Baby" (Big Bill Broonzy)
  6. "Seven Gypsies" (Traditional; arranged by Davy Graham)
  7. "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" (Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf)
  8. "Moanin'" (Bobby Timmons, Jon Hendricks)
  9. "Skillet (Good'n'Greasy)" (Traditional; arranged by Davy Graham)
  10. "Ain't Nobody's Business What I Do" (Porter Grainger, Everett Robbins)
  11. "Maajun (A Taste of Tangier)" (Davy Graham)
  12. "I Can't Keep from Cryin' Sometimes" (Blind Willie Johnson)
  13. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (Bob Dylan)
  14. "My Babe" (Willie Dixon)
  15. "Goin' Down Slow" (Jimmy Oden)
  16. "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" (Charles Mingus)
    2002 reissue bonus tracks:
  17. "She Moved Through the Fair" (Traditional; arranged by Davy Graham)
  18. "Mustapha" (Traditional; arranged by Davy Graham)
  19. "Anji" (Davy Graham)
  20. "Davy's Train Blues" (Davy Graham)
  21. "3/4 A.D." (Davy Graham, Alexis Korner)

Personnel

Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychedelic rock</span> Genre of rock music

Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording techniques, extended instrumental solos, and improvisation. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.

Folk rock is a genre of rock music with heavy influences from English folk and American folk music. Combining the elements of folk and rock music, it arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds—several of whose members had earlier played in folk ensembles—attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S. folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S. music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.

Psychedelic folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davey Graham</span> Musical artist

David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many famous practitioners of the fingerstyle acoustic guitar such as Bert Jansch, Wizz Jones, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, Paul Simon and Jimmy Page, who based his solo "White Summer" on Graham's "She Moved Through the Fair". Graham is probably best known for his acoustic instrumental "Anji" and for popularizing DADGAD tuning, later widely adopted by acoustic guitarists.

<i>Bleecker & MacDougal</i> 1965 studio album by Fred Neil

Bleecker & MacDougal is the first solo album from Fred Neil, a pioneer folk rock musician, issued by Elektra in May 1965. The recording, which unlike many folk albums at the time featured electric guitar backing, had an influence on the folk rock movement.

"Rock Island Line" is an American folk song. Ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it appeared as a folk song as early as 1929. The first recorded performance of "Rock Island Line" was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummins State Farm prison in 1934.

<i>In the Tradition</i> (Dave Van Ronk album) 1963 studio album by Dave Van Ronk

In the Tradition is a 1963 album by American folksinger Dave Van Ronk and The Red Onion Jazz Band. It is unusual in that the tracks are evenly split between Van Ronk and the Red Onions.

<i>This Is Tim Hardin</i> 1967 studio album by Tim Hardin

This Is Tim Hardin is an album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1967.

Folk baroque or baroque guitar is a distinctive and influential guitar fingerstyle developed in Britain in the 1960s, which combined elements of American folk, blues, jazz and ragtime with British folk music to produce a new and elaborate form of accompaniment. It has been highly important in folk music, folk rock and British folk rock playing, particularly in Britain, Ireland, North America and France.

<i>Young Brigham</i> 1968 studio album by Ramblin Jack Elliott

Young Brigham is an album by American folk musician Ramblin' Jack Elliott, released in 1968.

<i>Jack Elliott at the Second Fret</i> 1962 live album by Ramblin Jack Elliott

Jack Elliott at the Second Fret is a live album by American folk musician Ramblin' Jack Elliott, released in 1962. [*Discogs shows released 1963]

<i>Midnight Man</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Davey Graham

Midnight Man is an album by British musician Davey Graham, released in 1966.

<i>Large as Life and Twice as Natural</i> 1968 studio album by Davey Graham

Large as Life and Twice as Natural is an album by British musician Davey Graham, released in 1968.

<i>Hat</i> (Davy Graham album) 1969 studio album by Davy Graham

Hat is an album by British musician Davy Graham, released in 1969.

<i>Holly Kaleidoscope</i> 1970 studio album by Davy Graham

Holly Kaleidoscope is an album by British musician Davy Graham, released in 1970. His wife at the time, Holly Gwyn, contributes on vocals.

<i>The Guitar Player</i> 1963 studio album by Davey Graham

The Guitar Player is an album by British guitarist Davey Graham, released in 1963. It was his first LP after releasing the EP 3/4 A.D. one years earlier. The session-musician Bobby Graham plays drums on the album.

<i>The Sound of 65</i> 1965 studio album by The Graham Bond Organization

The Sound of 65 is the debut album by rhythm & blues/jazz group The Graham Bond Organisation, featuring its best-known line-up of Graham Bond, Jack Bruce, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Ginger Baker (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Campbell (singer-songwriter)</span> American singer-songwriter

Richard S. Campbell, was a US folk rock singer-songwriter and film producer. He is best known for his 1966 album Dick Campbell Sings Where It's At, rated as "the sole masterpiece of the fake-Dylan field"

"I Walk on Guilded Splinters" is a song written by Mac Rebennack using his pseudonym of Dr. John Creaux. It first appeared as the closing track of his debut album Gris-Gris (1968), credited to Dr. John the Night Tripper. The song has subsequently been performed and recorded by many other musicians, including Widespread Panic, The Neville Brothers, Cher, Marsha Hunt, Johnny Jenkins, Humble Pie, King Swamp, the Allman Brothers Band, Paul Weller, the Flowerpot Men, Michael Brecker, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jello Biafra.

<i>Trouble in Mind</i> (Big Bill Broonzy album) 2000 studio album by Big Bill Broonzy

Trouble in Mind is an album by American blues musician Big Bill Broonzy. It was released on February 22, 2000 by Smithsonian Folkways. The album consists of traditional folk, blues, and spiritual songs featuring Broonzy accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and a guest appearance by Pete Seeger. Suffering from cancer, Broonzy realized his time was limited and hence recorded extensively between 1956 and 1957. While most of the work draws from the album Big Bill Broonzy Sings Country Blues (1957), arranged by Moses Asch and Charles Edward Smith, Trouble in Mind is also sourced from concert broadcasts and interviews recorded late in Broonzy's career.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie. "Folk, Blues and Beyond > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  2. Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (27 February 1965). "Davy Graham: Folk, Blues And Beyond" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 207. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

Tony Reeves