MONO 1963 ERIC VON SCHMIDT FOLK BLUES Prestige DYLAN

$

38

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RARE 1963 MONO ORIGINAL FOLK BLUES FIRST PRESSING!   

       ERIC VON SCHMIDT

          The Folk Blues

           USA - dark blue PRESTIGE RECORDS - MONO FL 14005   

ORIGINAL 1963 first pressing in glorious mono ...a special folk/blues collectible in that it was great inspiration to a young Bob Dylan ...

Not to take anything away from Bob Dylan, but people sometimes forget that his songs and performing style didn't just come out of thin air. Like any significant artist, he had many influences, with his efforts being a synthesis of other musicians' works combined with his own unique vision. One of the erstwhile Robert (Bob Dylan) Zimmerman's most important mentors was Eric Von Schmidt, who obviously made quite an impression on the young Minnesotan prior to his professional breakthrough. So much so that Dylan offered tribute to him by dropping his name during the introduction to "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" on his eponymous Columbia debut as well as including a copy of this album, The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt, among the odds and ends on display in the cover photograph for the landmark Bringing It All Back Home LP.

Unlike so many other white blues efforts, Von Schmidt does not fall into the pitfall of trying to sound overly earnest or authentic and making a pretentious ass of himself in the process. Instead, the listener can plainly hear that the tracks comprising his first LP were songs that he simply enjoyed playing for the sake of playing, which can often result in extraordinary things happening in the recording studio. In spite of its title, The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt features a variety of material that also includes self-penned compositions. Although the titles of many of these tracks will doubtlessly be familiar - and perhaps overly so to the jaded record collector - one must remember that such traditional numbers had been in this artist-musician's repertory since at least the 1950s, long before folk music became fashionable with mainstream white America. In addition to his own singing and guitar, and harmonica playing, Von Schmidt is joined by Boston folk scene veterans Geoff Muldaur and Robert L. Jones on guitars and/or Fritz Richmond on washtub bass on several selections. "Crow Jane" is a capable reading of the East Coast blues standard, whereas "Gulf Coast Blues" relates Von Schmidt's maritime adventures in a boat built by his own hands during the mid 1950s while residing in Sarasota, Florida. The Seven Years' War piece "Brave Wolfe" must have made its rounds on both sides of the US-Canada border as demonstrated by its inclusion here and bears comparison with Ian and Sylvia's equally somber version on Northern Journey. The venerable New Orleans blues of "Junco Partner" has been interpreted quite frequently over the years, but Von Schmidt was probably one of the first white guys to adapt what was originally a boogie-woogie piano tune for guitar. "De Kalb Blues" is a decent enough rendition of something learned from Lead Belly, although the album reaches a low point on the lame white calypso of "Lolita," which is an example of a sub-genre that has not aged well, its occasionally humorous lyrics notwithstanding. "Champagne Don't Hurt Me, Baby" is an interesting variant of "'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" (recorded by Bessie Smith, Frank Stokes, and Mississippi John Hurt, among others) notable for drug references that were extremely candid for 1963, the year in which this LP was recorded. "Buffalo Skinners" effectively evokes images of the Old West, and "Jack O'Diamonds" puts the spotlight on Von Schmidt's tasty slide guitar technique. It would be interesting to find out how many aspiring folkies (and, in many cases, eventual folk rockers) learned "He Was a Friend of Mine" from the version featured here. "Cocoa Beach" reprises the musician's recounting of his adventures in Florida, with "Down on Me" being another example of a traditional piece that he helped popularize among musicians who started out as folkies in the early 1960s. The album concludes with a rousing ensemble version of "Titanic," which actually equals the emotional intensity of William and Versey Smith's vintage performance of the similar "When That Great Ship Went Down" from 1927.

The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt is one of too many neglected classic albums from the 1960s

1. Crow Jane
2. Gulf Coast Blues
3. Brave Wolfe
4. Junco Partner
5. De Kalb Blues
6. Lolita
7. Champagne Don't Hurt Me, Baby
8. Buffalo Skinners
9. Jack O'Diamonds
10. He Was a Friend of Mine
11. Cocoa Beach Blues
12. Down on Me
13. Titanic

CONDITION: The cover is thick, clean, VG++ having no more than very light use over the past 47 years and that would be very little light top seam rub, otherwise that's it, very clean all over including the back cover which is white ... no split seams, no bends, no writing.

The vinyl is highly glossy over both sides, VG++ only having some fine scuff hairlines like from inner sleeve and such, so the old deep groove pressing plays excellent from start to end making it a strong keeper with no need to upgrade...  

                keeper copy!

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EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record