Hidden Treasures (Singer-songwriter project)
Various Artists
Hemifran MFH 1501
Four Songwriters Showcase Their Talents on One Album.
When the original Singer Songwriter LP was released in 1965 the term didn’t mean very much to people; as their were only Folk Singers or songwriters on Music Row or the Brill Building; and never the twain would normally meet.
Of the four original artists David Cohen (aka David Blue) and Richard Farina went on to some success; while Bruce Murdoch and Patrick Sky continued to ply their trade for decades to come too; as Singer-Songwriters in the shape of Tom Paxton, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan etc. eventually exploded onto the music scene like snow in the Arctic.
To celebrate that 50th Anniversary the noted Swedish Record Label Hemifran have put together a 2015 version featuring Greg Copeland, Bob Cheevers, Barry Ollman and Keith Miles; all of which feature in my record collection apart from Ollman.
The album opens with a delightful duet, Wait For Me, between Greg Copeland and Patrick Sky; from the original album. Copeland takes the lead on a beautifully dour Celtic love song while Sky joins him on Uilleann Pipes.
All four alternate songs throughout with Bob Cheevers sounding uncannily like Willie Nelson on These Are My Words; something I’d not noticed before but on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow he’s back to his Country Rocking best.
Keith Miles gets four tracks and impresses with each one; especially the timeless Kerouac Days; and Playing Your Guitar is truly exceptional; going some way to ‘stealing the show.’
Barry Ollman is the big surprise here; four really good and always interesting song; sounding a bit ‘British’ at times too, especially on Murmaration which could easily be an offshoot of Fairport Convention.
Another of his tracks The World is Your Apple is not just a nicely cool Folk song; but a collaboration with John Fullbright and has a waltz like melody that had me mentally dancing around the living room.
Hidden Treasures is a fabulous title for an album that does what it says on the tin; ending with a duet between Greg Copeland and Jackson Browne on the Beach Boys song, Pretty Girls Rule The World; and I can’t think of a better way to bring things to a close.
So there you have it; an album celebrating 50 years of ‘The Singer-Songwriter’ and it’s well worth hunting down; with some real Hidden Treasures in there.
Released September 2015
The Rocking Magpie 