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Product Description
Album Description
Bridget St John was one of the first acts signed to John Peel's legendary Dandelion Records. Cherry Red have re-released her first three albums and two have several bonus tracks that are appearing on CD for the first time.
These CDs contain detailed sleeve notes written by Nigel Cross in cooperation with Bridget; she was also involved in selecting the bonus tracks.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
An understated gem of a reissue. Originally released on the Dandelion label in 1971 this is gentle pastoral folk of the first order. Bridget's first album "Ask Me No Questions" largely consisted of voice and guitar only and , whilst good, did seem a trifle samey throughout. However, for this recording producer Ron Geesin very sparingly augments Bridget's voice and guitar with strings, woodwind, brass and other guitars which does allow for more variation. The songs themselves are stronger and more melodic on this album. Songs are largely written by St John although there are versions of John Martyn's "Back To Stay" and Donovan's "The Pebble And The Man". St John's voice is similiar to Nico's but is more versatile, and anyway this album is probably closer in spirit to Nick Drakes "Bryter Later" Most of the time the album gently rolls along at a slow pace although there a few uptempo bits scattered about. At the moment my favourite song is "Making Losing Better" but the album is very consistent throughout. This is a good buy for fans of more introspective folky artists such as Vashti Bunyan and the aforementioned Nick Drake.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It is said that smell is the most evocative of the senses, but no less powerful is the heart-strumming nostalgia which is instantly ignited in this sexagenarian as Bridget's songs flow out. That is a bonus benefit for me; no less enjoyable are the thoughtful and sensuous lyrics and music; I was amazed at how readily I could anticipate some of these, which I had not heard for over 30 years. Gentleness gets you places that the application of force will not. Live on, Bridget!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hearing the song Autumn Lullaby not long ago and really liking it, I decided I should check out more music by Bridget St John, and this became my starting point.
Songs For The Gentle Man is a very mellow album, that reads like a love-letter. Bridget's voice is slightly husky and has a dulcet calm about it, her lyrics are heartfelt, playful and sometimes sad, whilst the instrumentation is generally soft, lots of guitar accompanied by assorted textures, with occasional lively detours utilising sprightly strings, splutters of oboe and florets of flute, that elaborate upon tunes that might otherwise be very similar-sounding. At her best, when she sings nothing else matters, as on Early Morning Song, a fleeting song that simply portrays waking up and anticipating the day. Now and then my mind wanders, I know that she was highly regarded and I wish I could feel the enthusiasm other people do more consistently, but keeping that in context there are several tracks that I like a lot, such as Song For The Laird Of Connaught Hall - Part Two, while others that initially didn't stand out are now growing on me. My favourite track on the album is Making Losing Better, simply gorgeous and sad, with lulling shadowed Spanish-inflected guitar-work. The cover of John Martyn's Back To Stay is really nice too and unusually employs celestial organ, adding to the calm.
I see the influence of Donovan and Leonard Cohen, not to mention Joni Mitchell (especially on the lively Seagull-Sunday, which takes more than a sneak-peek at Joni's blueprints, and the unusual The Lady And The Gentle Man, made peculiar by a brass band who sound like they were playing in slow motion and had their minds on other things). I can appreciate that the ideas and input of Ron Geesin are integral to the whole. I also have a recurring feeling I'm listening to June Tabor, which I have to snap myself out of periodically.
This edition is very attractively packaged with detailed liner notes, archive photos and lyrics, helping to set the scene for those of us new to this gently alluring album.
Songs For The Gentle Man is a very mellow album, that reads like a love-letter. Bridget's voice is slightly husky and has a dulcet calm about it, her lyrics are heartfelt, playful and sometimes sad, whilst the instrumentation is generally soft, lots of guitar accompanied by assorted textures, with occasional lively detours utilising sprightly strings, splutters of oboe and florets of flute, that elaborate upon tunes that might otherwise be very similar-sounding. At her best, when she sings nothing else matters, as on Early Morning Song, a fleeting song that simply portrays waking up and anticipating the day. Now and then my mind wanders, I know that she was highly regarded and I wish I could feel the enthusiasm other people do more consistently, but keeping that in context there are several tracks that I like a lot, such as Song For The Laird Of Connaught Hall - Part Two, while others that initially didn't stand out are now growing on me. My favourite track on the album is Making Losing Better, simply gorgeous and sad, with lulling shadowed Spanish-inflected guitar-work. The cover of John Martyn's Back To Stay is really nice too and unusually employs celestial organ, adding to the calm.
I see the influence of Donovan and Leonard Cohen, not to mention Joni Mitchell (especially on the lively Seagull-Sunday, which takes more than a sneak-peek at Joni's blueprints, and the unusual The Lady And The Gentle Man, made peculiar by a brass band who sound like they were playing in slow motion and had their minds on other things). I can appreciate that the ideas and input of Ron Geesin are integral to the whole. I also have a recurring feeling I'm listening to June Tabor, which I have to snap myself out of periodically.
This edition is very attractively packaged with detailed liner notes, archive photos and lyrics, helping to set the scene for those of us new to this gently alluring album.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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