"...Dreaming
On Some Sweet Repose..."
As
simple and as plain a Folk album as you can get – Bonnie Dobson's 2nd album on
Prestige Records was part of the American Folk boom in 1961 – and here it sees
a beautiful New Remaster in 2015 by Ace Records of the UK. Here is the Maid of
Constant Sorrow details...
UK
released August 2015 – "Dear Companion" by BONNIE DOBSON on Ace/Big
Beat CDWID 325 (Barcode 029667432528) plays out as follows (37:17 minutes):
1.
Dear Companion
2.
My Mother Chose My Husband
3.
Girl Of Constant Sorrow
4.
Vranyanka
5.
Ben's Lullaby
6.
The Bonnie Lass Of Kenmore Town
7.
When I Was In My Prime
8.
Ah! Si Mon Moine
9.
Blues Jumped A Rabbit
10.
Dink's Song
11.
Vertsa Dievcha
12.
The Cruel Mother
Tracks
1 to 12 are her 2nd US Folk LP "Dear Companion" – released 1961 in
Stereo in the USA on Prestige International Records PR-INT 13031. The Stereo LP
(only "Ben's Lullaby" is in Mono) was Produced by Rudy Van Gelder –
Bonnie Dobson plays Guitar and Lead Vocals on all tracks, Hennie Kubik does
Duet Vocals on "The Bonnie Lass Of Kenmore Town", Isabel Gardiner
plays Flute and Arranged "Vranyanka" and "When I Was In My
Prime", Peter Gardner plays Second Guitar on "My Mother Chose My
Husband" and "Blues Jumped A Rabbit".
The
12-page booklet reproduces the albums original song-by-song details and adds on
new liner notes by KRIS NEEDS which includes interviews Bonnie a paltry 50
years after the event - its informative and fun. Ace’s long-standing Audio
Engineer DUNCAN COWELL has transferred the Van Gelder recordings with care and
skill. There is a faint level of hiss – but only faint – and it's not been
squashed out by Pro Tools to get it cleaner
- hence the recordings breath and sound startlingly clear - in your face
for all the right reasons.
Her
high-pitched vocals are the very epitome of American Folk in the early Sixties.
This is purist stuff – girl, guitar and voice combining American Traditionals
with Serbian, French-Canadian and Czech Folk songs while occasionally throwing
in her own originals that compliment the bulk. Both “Dear Companion” and “My
Mother Chose My Husband” are very sweet but her remaking of “Man Of Constant
Sorrow” into a female “Girl Of Constant Sorrow” adds a seamless verse of her
own at the end to great effect. The Acapella “Ben’s Lullaby” is her own
compilation and was inspired by a friend’s 14-month old baby. The
double-guitars greatly help the Bob Coltman ballad “The Bonnie Lass Of Kenmore”
– a song about a man worshiping Jeanie as he drinks deep in a tavern. Isabel
Gardner’s Flute and Arrangements help the lovely “When I Was In My Prime” and
the Yugoslavian love song “Vranyanka”. The lyrics to “The Cruel Mother” tell of
a disturbed unwed mum who kills both of her children and is visited by their
ghosts who promise her a scorching time in the flames when she gets there
(nice)...
Of
a time and viewed by many as insufferable wailing – this kind of US Folk and
Americana is an acquired taste for sure. But if you’re a fan – you will need
this gorgeous-sounding reissue in your collection. And it’s mid-price too...
PS:
see also my review for her 1960 debut album "She's Like A Swallow"...
No comments:
Post a Comment