Bob Carpenter "Silent Passage"-1974 lost folk rock gem. Track by Track

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by lemonade kid, Jul 11, 2017.

  1. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    ...if things had gone differently perhaps Silent Passage would be considered a country-rock classic - slotted somewhere between, say, No Other and Tonight's The Night. But perhaps it's not too late for that. Carpenter's songs are timeless... -No Quater.com

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    Singer Bob Carpenter's "Silent Passage" Resurfaces (Exclusive Song Premiere)


    Silent Passage

    https://soundcloud.com/noquarterrex/bob-carpenter-silent-passenger/s-9Ng24

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    Bob died of a brain tumor in 1995

    Excerpt of a review of the 1984 reissue...


    Singer and songwriter Bob Carpenter seemed destined for success when he was recording his debut album "Silent PassageÓ"for Warner Brothers in 1974, until a contract dispute shelved the LP and short-circuited Carpenter's budding career. The album became a lost gem of its era before it finally saw release a decade later on a small Canadian label. By that point, Carpenter had more or less given up on the music business. He died in 1995 of brain cancer.

    With a reissue due of "Silent Passage" due this summer, Speakeasy today premieres the title track. The song showcases the Canada-born singerÕs lived-in voice with an understated arrangement that includes backing vocals from Emmylou Harris. Carpenter recorded "Silent Passage" with producer Brian Ahern, who also lined up contributions from Anne Murray, Little Feat members Lowell George and Bill Payne, and session pros Russ Kunkel on drums and Leland Sklar on bass... 1984 @erdanton


    Old Friends
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuzuZ7UXNNI

    Morning Train
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUV8Nia4jAg

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  2. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    First Light
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsZoCBOJO-c&list=PL4AE4318DE8946819&index=4

    Bob Carpenter Silent Passage
    http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/FolkAndCountry/bob_carpenter-silent_passage


    By Matthew McKean--an excert. Read full review above...

    Google "Bob Carpenter" and you'll get business professionals, athletes, sportscasters and a Grammy-winning country artist with the same name, but negligible returns for Bob Carpenter the songwriter, who was born on a reservation near North Bay, Ontario, recorded a folk-rock album for Warner Brothers in 1974 and then promptly disappeared.

    The story goes that Silent Passage was shelved due to contract problems, so though 30,000 copies were pressed, they never left the warehouse and were eventually melted down. The LP finally came out in 1984 on the small Canadian label Stony Plain Records, but by that point, Carpenter had more or less abandoned his aspirations for a career in music in favour of becoming a Buddhist monk. He died in 1995 of brain cancer...

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    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
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  3. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    SILENT PASSAGE-Down Along The Border


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  4. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Now & Then...finale
     
  5. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    I have the wonderful CD reissue from 1984...it is quite good -- the HQ audio is really fine! One of my favorite albums - and I have over 1000 vinyl platters. And hundreds of digital albums....get it if you still can.

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  6. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Listen to haunting, rediscovered folk-rock from Bob Carpenter

    (I love the strings actually, despite the reviewer's "goopy" description. Though he finds Bob's album and sadly, only effort, wonderful and "haunting"). His voice a to me reminds of the best of Richie Havens...quite nice and raspy) --LK

    Posted By Peter Margasak on 01.26.15 at 12:00 PM



    It's no secret that in the music business, the business is often the biggest enemy of the music. The Canadian singer-songwriter Bob Carpenter provides an excellent but depressing case in point. In 1973 the folk-rocker signed a deal with producer Brian Ahern (well-known for producing some early classics by Emmylou Harris), who had his own arrangement with Warner Brothers Records. Together they made a lush, literate album called Silent Passage...


    Read the full article here-

    https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2015/01/26/listen-to-haunting-rediscovered-folk-rock-from-bob-carpenter

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    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
  7. richierichie

    richierichie My glass is always full.

    I got this on vinyl around 2 years ago after reading a positive review in `Uncut` magazine, which is always good for signposting to great `Americana` which Bob Carpenter`s `Silent Passage` is. Let`s hope your thread help`s spread the message Kid.
     
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  8. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    So great you were able to find the vinyl!
     
  9. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Before My Time

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    Bob Carpenter - Before My Time

    doubledayz
     
  10. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    So Fine...



    Backing artists list is impressive in this fine mostly forgotten LP...
    (reissued again in 2014!)

    20 Best Reissues of 2014
    --Rolling Stone mag

    Included in the likes of The Beatles Box & Led Zep

    20 Best Reissues of 2014
     
  11. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    First order of artists enlisted for this amazing LP:

    Lowell George & Bill Payne of Little Feat
    Russ Kunkel
    Leland Sklar
    Ben Keith
    Buddy Cage
    &
    Emmylou Harris
    Anne Murray
     
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  12. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Someone not to be missed!

    .....if you follow me, follow Bob Carpenter!
     
  13. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Bob Carpenter, 'Old friends'
    Bob Carpenter - Old Friends - YouTube

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    For a variety of personal issues on the part of the artist, and the misplaced priorities of the music company, Bob Carpenter was never a star. It is not clear he even wanted to be famous, but the quality of his songs and performance surely point in that unequivocal direction.
    His works stands as an equal (at least,) with his contemporaries, such as Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and Mickey Newberry. The depth of feeling, emotion, and storytelling is magnificent.

    Bob is backed by the cream of session players, and both Emmylou Harris and Anne Muuray sing backing vocals on the album.
    This is truly a lost treasure, and anyone who appreciates heartfelt music of substance will never regret this purchase. -amazon review

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  14. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    [​IMG]


    Miracle Man: The Saga of Bob Carpenter – EdOchs.com


    Miracle Man: The Saga of Bob Carpenter


    PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 4, 2016
    I needed to understand why—why did I connect so electrically with Bob’s music? What about it touched me so deeply? I realized I’d found something I didn’t know l’d been searching for…

    IT’S pushing 50 years since I first heard the unforgettably powerful, soul-piercing voice of Canadian singer-songwriter Bob Carpenter, as captured by producer Brian Ahern on early demo tapes of what was to become Silent Passage.
    ...
     
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  15. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Review from Vinyl District:
    Graded on a Curve: Bob Carpenter, Silent Passage - The Vinyl District


    BY JOSEPH NEFF | SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

    In the mid-‘70s Canadian singer-songwriter Bob Carpenter cut an LP for Warner Brothers, though a contract dispute kept it from coming out when it should’ve; it finally saw release a decade later via Canadian roots imprint Stony Plain. Carpenter never made another album, but the lack of profile doesn’t mean fans of the country and folk material serving as foundation for contemporary music’s Americana wing shouldn’t proceed directly to Silent Passage. It was recently reissued by the No Quarter label.

    Not all lost records are equally deserving of being found. Often through collusion spiraling from deep within smoky dens of promotional intent, slabs ranging from pretty good to okay to suspect to downright crummy are suddenly championed, breathlessly even, as vessels of unknown brilliance valiantly rescued out of the clutches of unjust neglect to take their rightful place as timeless classics.

    This sort of fervent stumping was once far more common. These days internet access and a set of speakers obviously allow interested parties to take a disc for a test drive prior to dropping their ducats on the barrelhead, and that’s quite a difference from sending off a check based totally on descriptions in a distributor’s quarterly catalog. Yes, many such transactions were conducted by mail order, distance only adding to the existential vacuum (envision a lonely Charlie Brown staring out from a comic strip panel) when a guaranteed garage monster was revealed to be a bunch of crusty also-rans. (Good grief).

    There’s a noted deficiency of hype surrounding Bob Carpenter. With Tom Rush, Emmylou Harris, Billy-Joe Shaver, and others recording his songs, his abilities as a writer are secure. Plus, the musicians involved in the making of Silent Passage, amongst them Harris, Little Feat members Lowell George and Bill Payne, steel guitarist Buddy Cage (Jerry Garcia’s replacement in New Riders of the Purple Sage) and session heavyweights Russ Kunkel and Lee Sklar, establish it as more than an ordinary affair. But the absence of calculated overstatement is filled by a persistent lack of appreciation.

    Half Ojibway, Bob Carpenter was born on a reserve in Tamagami, Northern Ontario. Orphanages and foster homes figured in his childhood, as did the Navy as a young adult. His early musical activities came through the Yorkville folk scene, a milieu that included Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Gordon Lightfoot. Experience grew with travel, and Carpenter was eventually drawn into the sphere of producer Brian Ahern.

    Apparently recording didn’t suit Carpenter. His background portrays him as having problems with discipline both in the Navy and in the studio. Silent Passage took years to complete, though that span isn’t detrimental. Opener “Miracle Man” finds those sessioneers employed to full advantage, with George’s trademark slide and Payne’s barrelhouse piano lending unsurprising hints of Little Feat as the gospel-like flow of the backing by Dianne Brooks and Anne Murray (yes, that Anne Murray) bring the track touches of individual personality.

    Less buoyant and more introspective is the title cut. The ambiance remains crisp and vivid, featuring well-done pedal steel from Ben Keith, swell backing by Harris, and a string arrangement of uninhibited pleasantry (it would’ve plainly been a personal buzzkill around 20 years ago) though thankfully non-overwrought (which means I can handle it just fine in the everlovin’ now).

    Actually, those strings provide nice counterpoint to the sturdy non-polish of Carpenter’s voice, though please don’t get the impression he’s gravelly or strained. On the almost funky throb of “Old Friends” he sounds like warm fertile earth (or Cat Stevens, take your pick), the song fleshed out by momentary tastes of Payne’s organ and Don Thompson’s saxophone, his instrument stubbornly trumpet-ish to my ear.
    Another series of adjustments comes with “First Light,” the participants scaled back to just Carpenter’s vocals and guitar, Milan Kymlicka’s string chart and Payne’s organ as the tune presents a spiritual angle; specifically oriented toward Jesus, it’s basically impossible to miss. But Silent Passage isn’t accurately pegged as Christian Rock (the lyrics are much too varied), and it certainly isn’t Christian psychedelia, just in case you were wondering (or hoping).

    The closest the LP gets to any kind of expansiveness is during “Morning Train,” which offers a fluttering delicateness alternating with uptempo shifts somewhat reminiscent of “Miracle Man.” And it’s here that it becomes manifest why Ahern and Warner Brothers invested time and money in the guy, Carpenter hitting a spot likely to thrill ears into Croce and Taylor.

    For some, those names won’t be a selling point. And I agree; naturally, I perceive merits in Silent Passage that extend beyond the realms of mere singer-songwriter geniality. For one instance, there’s the intensity of the guitar in “The Believer” and how it contrasts with the sheer amiability of the strings (this time arranged by Jim Pirie) and Peter Pringle’s harmonium as Carpenter’s unique throatiness bonds these extremes into a winning whole.

    And “Gypsy Boy,” with its abundance of guitar (Ahern steps in on 12-string) and violin (by Ben Mink and Paul Armin) emits a distinct dark air of Brit folk, especially in Carpenter’s singing, a storytelling style with vocal croak tougher than on any previous track. Had this album shipped retail on schedule, it’s seems unlikely “Gypsy Boy” would’ve been pulled as the first single.

    Faring a little better as a hypothetical 45 is “Down Along the Border,” though the unsmooth surfaces of voice, here reminding me more than slightly of departed singer-songwriter-guitarist Vic Chesnutt, is commercially limiting. The very strong “Before My Time” registers nearest to the gentle strains of ‘60s coffeehouse folk that helped to shape Carpenter’s artistry.

    Yes, those added strings are ultimately superfluous, but their inclusion was in essence inevitable for a folkie of Carpenter’s temperament that shared a producer with Anne Murray and was recording his debut on Warner Brothers’ dime. However, the LP does fit into that label’s still impressive ‘60s-‘70s run; if it had managed to land in stores with the company’s logo on the sleeve, Silent Passage would surely be known and valued more highly, even if it didn’t prove a hit.

    The concise “Now and Then” delivers a powerful finish, doing nothing particularly dissimilar from the nine earlier numbers, though Bill Speer’s piano is a fine aspect in the send out. And if Silent Passage contains elements reinforcing it as the product of a certain era, it’s also far more than just a period piece. At its core are songs; frequently excellent, never less than very good, and with the exception of the digital only Eight Demos 1979 (definitely not a footnote, it’s also not the place to begin) this is the full extent of the work Carpenter left behind.

    He died of brain cancer in 1995, but not before becoming a Buddhist monk, a fact underlining that Carpenter’s tale, if dominated by a rather whopping missed/squandered opportunity, isn’t a sad one. And by this date, his album is no longer aptly described as lost; No Quarter’s reissue isn’t the first, but to my knowledge its last vinyl pressing was in ’84.

    Sans desperate sales pitch, Silent Passage quietly endures as one of the finer examples of unearthed ‘70s worthiness.

    GRADED ON A CURVE:
    A-


     
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  16. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Track by track...his only album.
    Silent Passage 1974

    This must be extremely rare as Warner/Reprise chose not to release it:

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    Our Song of the Day is the title track from Bob Carpenter’s 1974 album Silent Passage. This is an album that really didn’t see the light of day it deserved thanks to drawn-out contract negotiations with the Warner label. Despite being pressed and ready to go by the time these were resolved it was the end of the 70’s singer-songwriter boom and Warner had moved on.
    Whilst this certainly isn’t the first such album to suffer at the hands of their label, and certainly not the last, Canadian label Stony Plain did release the album in 1984. By this time Bob had moved on from chasing a music career. He died in 1995 and the last decade of his life was spent in religious devotion. He joined a Buddhist monastery shortly before his death...

    Bob Carpenter - Silent Passage | Folk Radio

    On Stony Plain Records, Canada

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  17. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter


    One a day...

    track 1) Miracle Man

    Bob had a raspy soulful voice, a kind of Richie Havens sound that
    perfectly compliments Carpenter's very original country folk rock music.




    (C) Up on the river, along with the miracle (G) man that I an
    (C) With true found lovers and true found brothers of (G) man in the plan
    (D) I don´t know what I (C) did but I did and I (G) am I am
    (D) I don´t know where you (C) go when you´re sad
    But I (G) ride, ride, ride

    Everything (Am) lies inside
    Leave all your (D) cares and troubles behind
    I don´t care (C) what you got to (G) hide
    Yes, (G) ride, ride, ride
    Roll up the (Am) train for liberty line
    You´ll be giving me (D) yours, I´ll be giving you mine
    I don´t care (C) what you´ve been (G) denied

    I been high and low, traveling on the go, down below where I´ve been
    Slipping over here, driving them over there, giving away to greed
    Show me the road I´ll be leaving the load, I got all I need
    So come on brothers and sisters and lovers
    And ride, ride, ride

    Everything lies inside
    Leave all your cares and troubles behind
    I don´t care what you got to hide
    Yes, ride, ride, ride
    Roll up the train for liberty line
    You´ll be giving me yours, I´ll be giving you mine

    I don´t care what you've been denied

    Bob Carpenter Chords: Miracle Man

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  18. BD2665

    BD2665 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee
    Bought the vinyl when it was reissued a few years ago and it’s a great album. One of the few that warrants the lost classic label.
     
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  19. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Of course we can't do an "album by album" (only one in his career), but I don't want to bother the kind Gorts by changing the title..again. Maybe tomorrow.

    :righton:

    So ...the stunning title track.

    track 2) Silent Passage



    Silent Passage
    (G) (C) (D) (C) (G)

    (G) Before the war I (Em) had no need for (D) travelling
    Indeed I (C) do not know what made it so (G) important to leave
    And (Em) after all this time I found that I’m (D) avoiding me
    For nothing (Am) more or less than (C) fear
    Of what I (G) have to gain from (Em) staying in the (D) clear
    Although it’s (Am) only coming (C) home that brings you (G) near

    Master come my brother is a sailor
    Upon this ship of life we are the master-sails in the wind
    And you can understand we need a hand to guide us in
    So many claim to be the one
    But like a shadow on the sun
    They fade and spin
    And we are shattered on the ocean once again

    (G) Before the war I (Em) had no need for (D) travelling
    Indeed I (C) do not know what made it so (G) important to leave
    And (Em) after all this time I found that I’m (D) avoiding me
    For nothing (Am) more or less than (C) fear
    Of what I have to gain from staying in the (D) clear
    Although it’s only coming home that brings you (G) near


    Although it’s only coming (C) home that brings a (G) tear
     
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  20. richierichie

    richierichie My glass is always full.

    Only almost 3 years in replying Kid! I was the same as @BD2665, I bought the re-issued LP. Gonna play it again because it's bloody good.
     
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  21. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    I was listening yesterday to "Silent Passage", decided to do a "track by track", returned to the thread, and noted your post! Keep in touch RR!

    :tiphat:
     
  22. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Before I move forward, I want to thank all the great moderators here...they are the best. Patient, fair and informed. They have always forgiven & honored my requests for minor edits (I have a habit of being rather lax with my sentence structure and spelling when it comes to my posts & my thread titles). I refrain mostly to my misspells out of respect for their important work here.

    We now have it right here thanks to the Gorts..."track by track".

    Thanks, Gorts!

    [​IMG]

    :tiphat:



     
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  23. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    on to the music...


    track 3) Old Friends
    Great funky soulful rockin' tune.
    At the same time it gives me goosebumps...just beautiful.




    Old Friends

    Capo IV

    (Em) Old friends are cold and warm like oceans
    And they (G/d) turn when there’s a season
    And they (C) learn when there’s a reason
    To be (Em) near

    And I could hardly stand the weather
    If I thought that I would never
    Have the comfort of my brothers
    Through the years

    And if you (D) lose your money well honey you know
    It’s the (Em) least of what you have
    So (D) believe in me you can take it or leave
    But you’ll (C) never lose a friend
    You’ll (B7) never lose a (Em) friend

    When you feel the fear arising
    And the spirit in you hiding
    And there’s nobody there to care for you
    When you’re down

    Heaven knows it’s just the weight of the load
    And the changes in the way of the road
    So believe and what you need
    Will come around

    And if you lose your money well honey you know
    It’s the least of what you have
    So believe in me you can take it or leave
    But you’ll never lose a friend
    You’ll never lose a friend

    Old friends are cold and warm like oceans
    And they turn when there’s a season
    And they learn when there’s a reason
    To be near

    And I could hardly stand the weather
    If I thought that I would never
    Have the comfort of my brothers
    Through the years

    And if you lose your money well honey you know
    It’s the least of what you have
    So believe in me you can take it or leave
    But you’ll never lose a friend
    You’ll never lose a friend

    Many thanks to this fine link for the lyrics and chords:

    Bob Carpenter Chords
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
  24. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Oh yes, the full set list and personnel...from discogs.com

    Quite a remarkable album...what a shame it was lost. Bob should have reaped more praise and more.

    Side one:
    A1 Miracle Man
    A2 Silent Passage
    A3 Old Friends
    A4 First Light
    A5 Morning Train

    Side two:
    B1 The Believer
    B2 Gypsy Boy
    B3 Down Along The Border
    B4 Before My Time
    B5 Now And Then

    Credits

    Notes
    Recorded between 1971-1974.

    Canadian singer-songwriter, Bob Carpenter's first and only album, produced by Brian Ahern and recorded between 1971 and 1974 buy not released until 1984 because of contractual problems. Anne Murray and Emmylou Harris supply Background vocals.

    [​IMG]

    Original test pressing below.
    Someone won this for $34!

    Original test pressing of Bob Carpenter ‎– Silent Passage || Near mint

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
    DirkM likes this.
  25. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Clicked on this thread because I thought it was about an obscure solo album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's keyboard player. :)

    Glad I did though. This is a fine record. Nice touch adding the chords to the lyrics! :righton:
     
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