BILLIE JOE BECOAT Reflections From A Cracked Mirror LP LIBERTY 1969 UK orig+ster
€
23
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Description
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BILLIE JOE BECOAT
Becoat made a little-known 1969 folk-rock album for Fantasy (Liberty in the U.K.)
that leaned closer to folk than rock, although it did use a light rhythm section.
Reflections From a Cracked Mirror was an apt
title considering the rather scrambled, earnest reflections of the singer/songwriter.
His vocal delivery is like a cross between Van Morrison and Dino Valenti, as odd as that
combination might sound. Although there are full-band arrangements,
the impression is that of a folky troubadour being dragged into the modern era,
with bluesy and reasonably tuneful, well-sung compositions whose lyrics are considerably
more downcast than the relatively upbeat music. The songs are those of a man
approaching the edge, hounded by some internal demons and an external society
with which he's finding hard to cope. It wouldn't have been at all surprising to come
across him a few years later, scraping a living on the street as a busker,
unable to adjust to any other job, after his album sold virtually nothing
"REFLECTIONS FROM A CRACKED MIRROR"1969 LP LIBERTY RECORDS STEREO LBS 83280
MADE IN ENGLAND ORIGINAL PRESSING
Released in a fully laminated single cover
Barcode and Other IdentifiersBarcode: none
LABEL: LIBERTY - LIGHT/DARK BLUE LABEL - BLACK TEXT
Catalog on cover: (spine & rear) LBS 83280
Catalog on labels: LBS 83280 (Side 1 / Side 2)
Matrix / Runout (Side A, Stamped): LBS 83280 A//1 420 1 1 6
Matrix / Runout (Side B, Stamped): LBS 83280 B//4 420 1 1
On labels: ? 1969
Produced by Ray Shanklin
A Product of Debut of California
rim text reads 'All rights.......Manufactured by Philips Records Ltd.'
Rights Society / Publishing: Jondora Music
On Back Sleeve: All selections written by Billie Joe Beacot
© 1969
Entire production supervised with pride by SAul Zaentz
Produced by Ray Shanklin
A product of Debut of California
Printed and made by MacNeill Press Ltd., London
A Product of Liberty/UA Records Ltd. London, England
tracklisting
Side A: CALEDONIA, THE SECOND - WHO STRUCK THE MATCH?
HI FIDDLE DEE FEE - I'VE GOT EVERYTHING I NEED
I'M A GOOD MAN, A SWEET MAN
Side B: NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP - SHEEPSKIN BLUES
I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO LEARN TO FLY - AND I WAS GONE - HOLD ON, BOY
grading
RECORD NEAR EX but (please, read above description)
SLEEVE VG+ but (please, see pictures and read above description)
"I've got everything I need to drive me on out of my feeble mind," sings Becoat in
"I've Got Everything I Need," and that's a fair signal that we're dealing with a fellow
whose worldview is both self-aware and skewed. Becoat sings -- without undue self-pity,
it should be noted -- about crumbling relationships, the failure of anyone to take
responsibility for inner city rioting ("Who Struck the Match?"), chaotic domestic situations,
and the inability of educational and social institutions to meet his needs and expectations.
It's the sound of a man who could be just a few months away from becoming a junkie
or dropout, fleeing his wife and children, or suffering a nervous breakdown, but managing
to keep a fairly level if anguished head for the moment. It's a peculiar and somewhat
interesting recording, but not so musically excellent as to merit a belated cult following,
on the order of other cracked late-1960s acid folkies like Skip Spence or Dino Valenti.
It's also not as fully served by the production as it could be, the skeletal arrangements
favoring acoustic guitar, the accompanying bass and drums tentatively running
through and adjusting to the offbeat tunes, rather than confidently complementing them...(AllMusic)
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