Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn '1973 [2007]

Tracks list

Roger McGuinns 1973 self-titled solo debut was in most respects a breath of
fresh air after the final days of the Byrds, in which the group was floundering
in directionless mediocrity. In a sense, its a back-to-basics album that
emphasizes much of what McGuinn does so well: his forceful reedy vocals, his
guitar playing, and his skills at both writing earnest folk-rock material
(usually with future Bob Dylan collaborator Jacques Levy here) and interpreting
unusual traditional and contemporary songs. Never was it folkier than on the
acoustic Im So Restless, which benefited from harmonica by Dylan himself (about
whom the song was partially about). All four of the other original Byrds play on
My New Woman, which is virtually a reunion of the original quintet, with the
addition of saxophone by jazzman Charles Lloyd; David Crosby makes unobtrusive
cameos on some other tracks. As likable as it is, however, the album isnt an
unqualified triumph. Some of the songs arent so hot, some of the Moog
synthesizer (by McGuinn) is unnecessary, his vocals sometimes seem to have been
recorded with too much brittleness, and none of this is as good as the best of
the Byrds. Unexpected influences make themselves heard in the Beach Boys
harmonies of Draggin (with Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys on piano and backup
harmonies), the Vietnam blues of Hanoi Hannah, and the gospel-rock of Stone.


Tracks:

01. Im So Restless (03:09)
02. My New Woman (02:31)
03. Lost My Drivin Wheel (04:25)
04. Draggin (03:40)
05. Time Cube (03:19)
06. Bag Full Of Money (03:22)
07. Hanoi Hannah (02:55)
08. Stone (03:05)
09. Heave Away (03:08)
10. M Linda (02:46)
11. The Water Is Wide (03:10)
Bonus Tracks:
12. John, John (02:44)
13. Jamaica, Say You Will (03:11)

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