Album: Mixed Bag
Artist: Richie Havens
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Released: August 1967
Genre: Folk
Influenced: Jimi Hendrix, Stephen Stills, Paul Weller
After Richie Havens died in April last year, his ashes were scattered from a plane over the site of the original Woodstock festival. The guy was one of the truest hippies. This album was released two years before his legendary opening performance at Woodstock, undoubtedly the high point in his career; sadly he never really got the plaudits later in his career that he deserved. Another product of New York's thriving Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 60s, Havens was a rarity on the circuit with his mixed heritage (West Indies and American Indian) and unorthodox guitar style (strumming with his thumb, open E tuning). The most musically interesting aspect of Havens' style for me though was his craggy, soulful voice, which enhances many of the Dylan and Beatles covers he released over the years.
Mixed Bag (despite the self-effacing title) is definitely Havens' best album and a great introduction to his work. Though he wrote his own songs, including the excellent anti-war anthem Handsome Johnny on this album, he'll probably be best remembered for his original interpretations of other people's songs. I first came across his music listening to the Woodstock DVD that used to obsess me during my teenage years (mentioned in the earlier blog on Surrealistic Pillow), and I especially love his rendition of the Gordon Lightfoot song, I Can't Make It Anymore. Another song that he improves on this album is Just Like A Woman, one of my favourite Dylan covers. The album's centrepiece though is Follow, the epic folk song that best sums up the spirit of '60s counter-culture.
He was one of the best interpreters in pop history and a real free spirit that deserved many more accolades than he got. Here are just a few more examples of his extraordinary talent:
Artist: Richie Havens
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Released: August 1967
Genre: Folk
Influenced: Jimi Hendrix, Stephen Stills, Paul Weller
After Richie Havens died in April last year, his ashes were scattered from a plane over the site of the original Woodstock festival. The guy was one of the truest hippies. This album was released two years before his legendary opening performance at Woodstock, undoubtedly the high point in his career; sadly he never really got the plaudits later in his career that he deserved. Another product of New York's thriving Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 60s, Havens was a rarity on the circuit with his mixed heritage (West Indies and American Indian) and unorthodox guitar style (strumming with his thumb, open E tuning). The most musically interesting aspect of Havens' style for me though was his craggy, soulful voice, which enhances many of the Dylan and Beatles covers he released over the years.
Mixed Bag (despite the self-effacing title) is definitely Havens' best album and a great introduction to his work. Though he wrote his own songs, including the excellent anti-war anthem Handsome Johnny on this album, he'll probably be best remembered for his original interpretations of other people's songs. I first came across his music listening to the Woodstock DVD that used to obsess me during my teenage years (mentioned in the earlier blog on Surrealistic Pillow), and I especially love his rendition of the Gordon Lightfoot song, I Can't Make It Anymore. Another song that he improves on this album is Just Like A Woman, one of my favourite Dylan covers. The album's centrepiece though is Follow, the epic folk song that best sums up the spirit of '60s counter-culture.
He was one of the best interpreters in pop history and a real free spirit that deserved many more accolades than he got. Here are just a few more examples of his extraordinary talent:
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