Thursday, November 16, 2006

Julie Covington "The Beautiful Changes" 1971

Reviewer: Adrian Stovold
Julie Covington's voice is amazing. One the one hand, it's so natural and uncontrived that it's like listening to someone talking. On the other hand, it's powerful -- remember her singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"? Her sound is perfectly suited to the songs. Nearly all of them are by Pete Atkin and (*the*) Clive James, and the re-issue of this album is an indescribable treat for any fans of theirs. JC sings with such sympathy for the material that you can almost hear Pete's voice singing Clive's words. "The Magic Wasn't There" is stunning. Like the other tracks, its strengths are PA's sometimes-unconventional chord sequences and CJ's warming, poetic lyrics and varied rhyming schemes. Similarly impressive, "Friendly Island Song" is one of the beautiful, eye-wateringly melancholy songs you're ever likely to hear. Most of the other tracks are also pretty good, covering a range of styles. The weakest stuff is probably the last two (bonus) songs, but they were originally pre-album demos anyway -- still interesting for PA/CJ completists, though. This album was too adventurous to make a huge commercial impact, but, to me, that's its strength. It's a piece of long-lost musical treasure.

Personnel includes:
Julie Covington (vocals)
Pete Atkin (acoustic guitar, piano, background vocals)
Brian Daly (acoustic guitar)
Lyn Dobson (sitar, flute)
Henry McKenzie (bass clarinet)
Alan Franks (trumpet)
Duncan Campbell (flugelhorn)
Russell Davies (tuba)
Nick Harrison, Mike Maran (piano)
Alan Hawkshaw (organ)
Steve Cook (bass, drums)
Tony Campo, Herbie Flowers, Dave Bell, Barry Morgan (bass)
Clem Cattini, Mike Travis, Kenny Clare (drums)
Dai Davies (background vocals).

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

how to find that file?
any idea?

:-(

17 November, 2006 14:52  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Precioso disco.Gracias

06 March, 2009 18:24  

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