I'll admit that I'm not the world's biggest Dion fan, but that's largely because his early doo-wop stuff really isn't my thing. Even so, the material that he recorded during the mid 1960s through the mid 1970s qualifies as one of the most impressive bodies of work by any musician. In my estimation, he turned the corner toward the end of his tenure with Columbia after a fabled meeting with John Hammond, Sr. during which the Italian kid from the Bronx was introduced to the Mississippi Delta blues of Robert Johnson. Predictably, the artistry of his music substantially increased while the frequency of his hits suffered the opposite fate. From that point, consistently great things happened in the recording studio - including Dion's brief much-deserved return to the charts in 1968 with "Abraham, Martin and John" - up to and including the Phil Spector-produced Born to Be with You.
Sit Down Old Friend was the first of his albums for Warner Brothers and represents one of the most remarkable transformations witnessed in the history of popular music. This LP's beautifully sparse and melancholy acoustic folk solo numbers are about as far removed from "A Teenager in Love" as one can possibly get. Dion's already sublime vocals were never in better form; here they sound like a gentle force of nature. And for those who don't already know what an excellent guitar player he is, you're in for a really nice surprise. Consisting mostly of his own compositions, the track list features 11 exquisite songs of varying subject matter: the religiously-themed but never preachy "Natural Man," "If We Only Had Love," "Let Go, Let God," and "Sit Down Old Friend"; gorgeous love songs such as "I Don't Believe My Race Is Run," "Little Pink Pony," and "Just a Little Girl" (with the latter two concerning one of his daughters); the superb wholly original white boy blues of "Jammed Up," "Sweet Pea," and "King Con Man"; and an inspired Willie Dixon cover ("You Can't Judge a Book") thrown in for good measure. Although not a huge commercial success, Sit Down Old Friend is nothing short of a masterpiece, filled with performances that are among Dion's finest and powerful enough to make grown men cry.
A CONTEMPLATIVE-LOOKING DION MODELS HISSHORT-LIVED MUSTACHIOED/STRIPED TANK TOP LOOK
1. Natural Man
2. I Don't Believe My Race Is Run
3. Jammed Up Blues
4. Little Pink Pony
5. You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
6. If We Only Have Love
7. Sweet Pea
8. Just a Little Girl
9. Let Go, Let God
10. King Con Man
11. Sit Down Old Friend
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Well, Fiend, It's like we've been talking over the back fence after listening to the same LPs the night before. I. too am a fan of the post doo-wop Dion (though by now, I'm just a Dion fan period) and especially the Warner Bros period. I could go on and on (as you know) citing this and that track. On this one, If We Only Have Love is the track that drew me in , thematically and sonically back to appreciating Dion after the 'blip' of 'Abraham, Martin & John' appeared on our screens. It wasn't for a couple of years after AM&J that I started seeing the Columbia LPs in the discount bins and wondered what was he doing. When I got off to college in the late sixties his LPs started showing up in the 'new' bins at the radio station. This one wasw great, but it was his Second one that grabbed me so hard with Let It Be, Josie, Attraction Works Better Than Promotion, The Stuff You Got, probably the whole first side that I listened to again and again. Perfect arrangements and a magnificent voice. Since that LP I've never stopped following him, even his Christian (to be fair they were more Catholic Theology + Narcotics Anonymous influenced) LPs. I also got to see him twice in concert, most notably before The Everly Brothers the last time I saw them on tour. Hell. just to hear Dion sing 'The Way You Do The Things You Do' off the Queen of '59 , his last Warners LP should seal the whole deal. I damn near wore out THAT 45! Please feel free to post ANY of his Warner Output. Thanks for THIS one but PLease post the second as my copy is AWOL for years now. Thank, my (friend) Fiend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for The Dion, and the high quality rip!
ReplyDeleteEver since i picked up the "Abraham, Martin & John" album i've been on the look for his following albums. Great to get one of your excellent rips! Many thanks!
ReplyDeleteA revelation for me. I'm grateful.
ReplyDelete@ Duncan,
ReplyDeleteI kinda figured you'd be chiming in on this album because you seem like the sort of person who would be a fan of Mr. DiMucci. Turns out my hunch was correct. At any rate, I can always count on you for providing interesting comments as well as sharing the perspective of someone who was around when music from the 1960s and early 1970s was still new. I'll try to post a review of You're Not Alone before the end of the year. Stay tuned.
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@ Gyro,
Hey, it's the least I can do in exchange for all the fantastic stuff you've shared over at TWILIGHTZONE! Enjoy.
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@ Porc,
My pleasure, buddy.
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@ gil,
I am always happy to turn someone on to this album and glad to see that you recognize its brilliance. Also, thanks for kind words about the Del Jones post over at WFMU's site.
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RF
I'm very excited to get a chance to hear this. Thank you very much RF!
ReplyDelete@ Kris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the thank you.
RF
After listening, what strikes me most about this Dion album is its enthusiasm, sincerity, and commitment. When you strip it down this far AND sing several rockin', bluesy songs you better be committed vocally if you're gonna pull it off and Dion easily does. Including songs like "If We Only Have Love" and the 12-step recovery mantra of "Let Go, Let God" are sincere statements from the heart. So too, "Little Pink Pony" and "Just A Little Girl" are quite touching and beautifully sung as well. Overall you have the re-energized entertainer who brings the necessary enthusiasm to hold his audience's attention throughout. After hearing this and the "Abraham, Martin, and John" albums I gotta say that I really like where "The Wanderer" ended up after Sue was done running around on him.
ReplyDelete@ Kris,
ReplyDeleteWhat a superbly eloquent set of comments you have provided! If I hadn't already written a review for this album, I'd be tempted to plagiarize what you wrote. Your input is greatly appreciated, and as a token of my gratitude, I'm gonna add Kubla's Crib to my blogroll.
RF
On a slightly downer note, here's a vote for please considering return to an mp3 option! For several boring reasons it is much preferable to 'some of us'
ReplyDeleteTHANKS for considering at least....
@ ge,
ReplyDeleteI knew that my decision to review albums in FLAC format only wouldn't be popular with some readers, but I think that this type of audio file is completely going to replace MP3s in the next couple of years much in the same way that CD-Rs replaced cassettes approximately 15 years ago. I just don't have the time to work with both FLAC and MP3 formats anymore, so I'd rather utilize files that offer better sound quality. Please keep in mind that you can convert FLAC files to MP3 without much hassle if you prefer the latter format. There are many free programs that easily convert FLAC files to MP3 available for download. I recommend Free MP3/WMA/OGG Converter.
Anyway, I regret to inform you that I'm going to be sticking with FLAC. Thanks for understanding.
RF
Heach tim I download something from your blog it's a mess to unzip so I'm not comming back
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYour loss, not mine.
RF
A MUCH better flac>mp3 conversion service (that doesn't have all the malware or bother associated with download.com) is using the excellent Foobar2000 player. Here's one tutorial at http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/how_to_convert_flac_files_to_mp3.cfm
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip, Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteRF
Thank you.
ReplyDelete