1969 Female Downer Folk LP - KAREN BETH "The Joys Of Life" DECCA RECORDS shrink
$
36
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Description
Excellent, guaranteed original, 1969 Female Downer Folk LP by KAREN BETH entitled "The Joys Of Life" on Decca Records (#75148, Stereo). Great set of female vocal tunes! Beth was not a popular artist, so it was strange when this underground record peaked at #171 in Billboard’s Top 200 in 1969. Her vocals are a mixture of Karen Dalton and Buffy Sainte-Marie and the album is a beautiful blend of rural folk, lite psychedelia, and the more downer elements of the singer-songwriter genre. The album opener "It’s All Over Now" has one too many horns and is by far the lp’s weakest track. After this, there are no false starts or wasted notes - this album is completely solid all the way thru! The title track is an unsettling acid folk masterpiece that begins to rock about mid way thru and is highlighted by organ and vibes. "Song to a Shepard" is an impressive stark vocal that sounds centuries behind, similar to what the English folk-rock groups were doing from around the same time. Other tracks reach into deeper, darker moods, just listen to "Something to Believe In" and the excellent "Nothing Lasts." The former is a disturbing slice of spooky folk-jazz paranoia while the latter is a majestic, melancholy folk-rocker. "White Dakota Hill," another great track, is wistful with a slight C&W feel that gives this album variety and substance. Anyone into Margo Guryan or Linda Perhacs is strongly urged to pick-up this beauty!! Condition: Cover = solid VG++ (very light wear, no seam splits, small drill hole in the upper left hand corner), Record = solid VG++ (very light paper scuffs - plays through fine though!). Winning bidder to add $3.50 postage in the USA. Good luck - check out my other auctions for more vintage records for sale and save on combined postage costs!
