Foolish You - 8/10 I really enjoy this song which seems to do the same job as Swimming Song on side 2, ie sit between the heartbreakers so you can get your breath back. I didn't know very much (ie anything haha) about Wade Hemsworth so thank you for the info. Not the first track I think of when i turn my mind to this debut album, but perfectly realised and a total pleasure. Jigsaw Puzzle Of Life - 6.5/10 Apologies if the early posters still find the scoring irritating , having started scoring the album I prefer to carry on, I'll drop it when we get to Dancer as it seems to be just me.... I agree with our host Kean.... This is good but not amazing.. The harmonies stop it from being worthy but dull, but only just. I'll advance my theory about McGarrigle side 1's vs Side 2's when we get a couple more albums under out belt, but this is the weakest track on the album for me.
I very impressed with the amount of info and the sentiment express in this thread. So many other threads about artists tend to stray from celebration and enlightenment into discord. Many thanks to Keam for getting this going.
You're very welcome. I'm a walking wikipedia on these artists (in fact, about 90% of the Swedish wiki page for them IS written by me), and so I strive to ne as informational as I am emotional in my posts for these songs, if I can.
For those of you who may have some inclination and time on your hands. This book was published in 2015. It is available as an e-book. The image is of my copy.
It's available in physical copy too. Got my hardback in January. Expensive, but so, so worth it. Love it! Seriously couldn't put it down once I'd started...
Blues In D Another of Kate's creations, this one confirmed to be about Loudon. It's both catchy and sad in some weird way, and I like it a lot. The piano break is golden!
Tell My Sister After barely two years of marriage, Kate already had a lot to work out with her husband Loudon, and she did so best in song. This particular one deals with the loss of their unborn child after a late miscarriage 5 months into the pregnancy. Kate had already been expecting at the time of their wedding and they lost the child shortly after settling in London following their honeymoon. Kate was very ill after the delivery and was told she would not be able to have anymore children. Luckily, that turned out to be false, but the whole ordeal made it a great story all together. PS: Check out Peggy Seegers beautiful cover from the "Sing me the songs" Tribute album if you haven't already. It is a beautiful and emotional cover that I love!
From my diary, July 25, 1976: To the Victoria Palace to see Cajun Moon - half an hour break, to The Stag for a pint of Guinness - and then back to see Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Really, really fine - like seeing Stormbringer! or John Phillips [two of my favourite LPs at the time, along with Kate & Anna McGarrigle] - beautiful harmonies. Afterwards we waited at the stage door - saw Ashley Hutchings. I asked "Aren’t you Ashley Hutchings?" "Yes, and that's Dave Pegg." Silly really. I asked about his new LP - was he envious he didn’t make Kate & Anna McGarrigle's LP first? "Yes." I still remember it as the best concert I've ever been to. My Town was magical. On a rather more banal note, that day was also the first time I'd seen a McDonald's in the UK...
To dip back a couple days: Complainte Pour Ste Catherine is the highlight of side 2 for me. After side one was offkilter but mostly earthy-ish folk, this track hits you with the assurance that their arrangements can be just as distinctive as thier instrument choice and lyrics. Jigsaw Puzzle of Life is an absoulte masterclass of lyricism, though about half of this album also fits that description.
Go Leave Another song from Kate, to Loudon. This was written after he left his wife and infant son to run off to Europe with a dancer. It is said that at the end of the original recording, one can hear Kate's tears falling on the guitar as she began to cry. Yet, the song ends on a hopeful note - "But could it be that you are stalling? Hearts have a way of calling, when they've been true". Heartbreaking but so good.
Three songs written by Kate to close out our consideration of the debut album Blues in D - 8/10 Tell My Sister - 9/10 Go Leave - 10/10 Go Leave is so raw and stark that at times it is hard to listen to, genuinely heatbreaking. Looking back I often think of it alongside a later Kate song, I Eat Dinner. Keane is right, the ending is beautiful wth a touch of hope.. ' Hearts have a way of calling, when they've been true' - well that's what we all wish.
Yes! There's loads of McGarrigle/Wainwright/Hegarty (Antony's last name) connections, A. o. Rufus guested on Antony's 'I am a Bird now', Antony on Rufus's 'Want two', Kate and Anna sang backing vocals with Antony on 'Guardian Angel' from Lou Reed's 'The Raven': (Kate & Anna did more bv's on that album and also sang lead on one track.)
S/T - Song by song review link list Kiss and Say Goodbye Heart Like A Wheel Blues In D Swimming Song Foolish You Complainte Pour Ste Cathrine Go Leave Tell my sister My Town Jingsaw Puzzle of life (Talk to me of) Mendocino Travellin' On for Jesus I got permanent links for every song saved over in a seperate Google document, so if anyone ever want to find a specific song review for whatever reason ,you tell me and I'll link you.
Dancer with Bruised Knees We're officially moving on to the next album! The first song will be up tonight.
Dancer with bruised knees Starting off with the title track! This is one of those songs that really grow on you. I didn't like it at first, but in time it has become more and more of a favourite. That's it - it's just good! Also I want to say that I really, really love the front cover of this LP. The 'Dancer' was a friend of the sisters called Deborah Adler, if my memory serves me right.
Dancer With Bruised Knees (track) Another wonderful album opener, and a firm favourite. Once again, this just sounded so unusual and so different to anything else. Great lyrics, I love the last verse particularly, and as with Kiss and Say Goodbye, the title of the song comes as the payoff in the final line.
Southern Boys Honestly, I don't like this song. I just never got onboard with it, no matter how I tried to enjoy it! It's pretty and all but if I can skip it I will. The demo recording is a bit better, as is Rufus cover, but it's still no favourite. Today's video is the 1971 demo, as I prefer it.
I love this song, one of my favourites from an album that I found hugely disappointing when it came out, after the euphoria of the debut. There’s such a dour, somber feeling about the record as a whole, not helped by what I’ve always found to be hideous artwork on the sleeve. Anyway despite all of that, there are a few tracks that I like a lot, and Southern Boys is one of them. I’d probably prefer the demo version too if it wasn’t for Kate’s voice sounding so odd. Sorry to be so critical. I hadn’t played the album in ages so I gave it a spin today, wondering if my previous opinions might have changed. They haven’t, I’m sorry to say.
It's fine. Everyone has their opinions - "One man's garbage is another man's treasure" and all that. You're welcome back in a week or two whem we're on to Pronto Monto. Personally, I oove Dancer all over. I don't think it's particularily somber as a whole. I also love the art work - FUN FACT: The vest Anna wears in that picture, she can also be seen wearing 31 years later on the Martha Stewart show in 2008. Kate knitted it. As for the demo's, I think they are the way Kate's voice sounds at it's essence. She doesn't really have a very conventional voice to begin with unless she really tries for it (example: House in the Country by the Albion Band), and as she is very young and untrained, so to say, her voice comes out showing off her unique sound very clearly. This is urther enhanced by the rather crappy, terribly bright mastering.
