I gotta admit this is a strange proposition of a record, Canadian folkies Ian and Sylvia embracing ragged electric country rock? Well, I guess it worked for Neil Young and Crazy Horse and The Band...The Toronto pair hinted at such countrified grandeur on their 1968 LPs Nashville (recorded in, well, duhhh) and Full Circle for it seems Ian Tyson had always been fond of western themes as a kid, but seeing a gloriously sloppy set by the Flying Burrito Brothers in NY changed everything. Hoping to take this sound to even heavier places, Ian enlisted a hot Canadian rock band--including drummer Norman "N.D." Smart who'd slammed for Mountain and the Remains. They recorded in Nashville again, with Todd Rundgren at the production helm, and this s/t LP was recorded in 1969.
GREAT SPECKLED BIRD MK I (1969) L TO R: KEN KALMUSKY (BS),
BUDDY CAGE (STEEL GTR), N.D. SMART (DRUMS), SYLVIA TYSON,
IAN TYSON, AMOS GARRETT (LEAD GTR)
Track one, "Love What You're Doing Child," kind of says it all, with thunderous drums and blazing guitars sitting neatly beside Ian and Sylvia's country/folk harmonies. The old-school Buck Owens-western vibe comes through on cuts like the "This Dream" and "Calgary"--while Sylvia holds down tracks like "Disappearing Woman." The Great Speckled Bird would go on to tour Japan and with The Festival Express, and even had their own TV show--but one more subdued album as "Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird" was the last of their legacy...BUDDY CAGE (STEEL GTR), N.D. SMART (DRUMS), SYLVIA TYSON,
IAN TYSON, AMOS GARRETT (LEAD GTR)
GREAT SPECKLED BIRD MK II (1970) L TO R: BUDDY CAGE,DAVID WILCOX (LEAD GTR), SYLVIA, UNKNOWN CHILD,
N.D. SMART, JIM COLGROVE (BS), IAN
1. Love What You're Doing Child
2. Calgary
3. Trucker's Cafe
4. Long Long Time to Get Old
5. Flies in the Bottle
6. Bloodshot Beholder
7. Crazy Arms
8. This Dream
9. Smiling Wine
10. Rio Grande
11. Disappearing Woman
12. We Sail
Posts
Thanks for this hard to find album
ReplyDeleteOooh - you have made this Canadian very happy indeed. I love this album... thanks you so much for this treat!
ReplyDeleteCanada
Oh dear, I've tried downloading this album on Rapidshare and Megaloadup, but both times it has downloaded fine but I've got "unable to unarchive", and "operation not permitted" Anybody else have this problem?
ReplyDeleteJoe in Dublin.
PS - There is another I & S Great Speckled Bird album?? I'd love to get a copy of that!
@ Joe in Dublin,
ReplyDeleteI regret hearing that you're having problems unzipping the file. I remember your request for this album from earlier this year and realize that this is something you really want to hear again. I just tried the Sharebee URL and was able to download the file from zShare and unzip it without any difficulty. I think the problem might be on your end because no one else has mentioned anything similar to what you're experiencing.
Possible solutions:
-This file was uploaded using Firefox as a browser. You might want to try downloading again using Firefox if it's not your default browser.
-This file was zipped with ALZip. If you use WinZip or another application, the file might not open properly. ALZip is free software and you can get it here:
http://www.altools.com/Downloads/ALZip.aspx
-You might just need to wait a day or two, and the problem will hopefully sort itself out.
I've asked the archivists to upload this album with some different services so you'll have some alternative places from which to download it. Maybe you'll have better luck with those URLs.
If nothing else works, you could give me your e-mail address, and I can send the tracks to you as individual attachments. However due to size limitations, I may have to convert the MP3s to lower bit rates.
Keep me updated on what happens.
RF
@ Joe,
ReplyDeleteYeah, apparently there was a second Great Speckled Bird album, but none of us have it in our collections. I'd love to hear it, too. If we manage to acquire it at some point, we'll post it here.
RF
Finally got it! I use the Safari browser and Unrarx, but nothing worked. Tried it with my Firefox browser, but same result. Asked Mr. Apple, and was recommended The Unarchiver to unzip the file. Downloaded it, and it worked first time! As you may have guessed I'm almost completely ignorant of all this, but I get by with the kindness of strangers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for an excellent rip.
Joe in Dublin.
@ Joe in Dublin,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that there was a happy ending to this. Enjoy and take care.
RF
I am trying to find a song that Ian & Sylvia recorded called "More Often Than Not"
ReplyDeleteIf you have it, might you post it?
L in Saskatchewan, Canada
@ L in Saskatchewan,
ReplyDeleteThat song is on Ian & Sylvia's "Beginning of the End" album, which unfortunately none of us have in our collections. If any of us do acquire that title, rest assured that we'll post it. Thanks for the visit.
RF
Thanks for this and all the others that bring back so many memories to me. You do exceptional work on the notes as well. Again, many thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to some real gems here!
ReplyDeleteVinyl rip
ReplyDelete320 kbps
URL:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5B0X49QA
or
http://www.zshare.net/download/66634170f7dad07b/
or
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/emue53bus
or
http://rapidshare.com/files/289990534/Great_Speckled_Bird.zip.html
or
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PPNU2XJF
Password:
record-fiend.blogspot.com
this is a marvelous record, and one that should be heard by many, kudos for posting it.
ReplyDeleteHello! Would there be any way you could post Ian & Sylvia's Nashville LP? I can't find it anywhere and I saw you mentioned it here. It would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks
-Skyler
@ Skyler,
ReplyDeleteYes, I will try to get it posted sometime early this summer.
-RF
Mac users should rename this archive ".bin" and it will open.
ReplyDeleteIan & Sylvia have a 1972 record on Columbia, titled "You Were On My Mind" and credited to Ian & Sylvia with Great Speckled Bird. it's extremely hard for me to find. if anyone can track this down, please do!
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteGot it. Will be posting eventually. Stay tuned.
RF
Are you serious?! PLEASE post that as soon as you can! I've seriously been looking everywhere for that album. Steel guitarist Ben Keith (Neil Young) died this week, and he produced and plays on that album, and I've been dying to hear it. any chance of posting it in his honor this week? sorry to ask, but I've been waiting to hear this record. thanks so much...
ReplyDeleteAlso - I've been searching for the album by Borderline titled "Sweet Dreams & Quiet Desires", on the Avalanche label from 1972. Ben Keith also plays dobro and steel guitar all over that album, and it's even harder to find then the Ian & Sylvia one. Another blog posted 2 tracks from it, but the album really is impossible to find anywhere. If you have that, please post it in honor of Ben Keith!
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteWhat I have is a two-LP set on Columbia from 1974 titled "The Best of Ian & Sylvia," which combines "Ian & Sylvia" from 1971 and "You Were On My Mind" from 1972 in one package. The soonest that I can get a review posted will probably be sometime in September or October.
I don't have the "Sweet Dreams & Quiet Desires" LP you had mentioned, but it sounds interesting.
I appreciate the comments.
RF
Ok, well thank you very much. I'll be eagerly awaiting the review, and I'll be checking the site regularly. thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlso - I really do love these early '70s roots rock albums. I'm checking out the Link Wray and Lonnie Mack from '71 now. I've always been such a huge fan of the Bobby Charles '72 Bearsville album, which to me is the king of these rare early '70s albums. Hungry Chuck is also another great one on Bearsville (Hungry Chuck were the musicians from Great Speckled Bird who played on "You Were On My Mind", as well as the Bobby album).
I just found your blog tonight. I am totally blown away by the strong, informative and well-written blurbs you give with the music. So I was very surprised to see that the discussion of Great Speckled Bird had little to do with the band members. I'm not disagreeing that the focus should be on the great Ian and Sylvia or the information you provide on the very early country rock scene (of which Great Speckled Bird was a part). But no mention of the great Amos Garrett or Buddy Cage! and only brief mention of N.D. Smart.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't know about the members of the band, my I offer my recommendation that you check them out!!
Also, there were two Great Speckled Bird albums on Ampex as well as the one on Columbia.
Frank S. Hurrat
@ Frank,
ReplyDeleteTeam member Vinylplastic wrote this review. His writing style is different than mine, which may explain why there was not as much of an emphasis on the personnel. I appreciate the comment.
RF
what a wonderful surprise to find this album in among so many other treasures...i really wish i'd had the chance to hear these guys in the right kind of bar. ah well, it will be a treat to hear this, and THANKS for putting together such an amazing collection of music to share!
ReplyDeleterespect,
d
Thank you for sharing a classic Canadian gem.
ReplyDelete