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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Genesis I Verse 20 |
| 2. First And Last Man |
| 3. In Some Way I Loved You |
| 4. Lay Your Money Down |
| 5. Old Brown Dog |
| 6. Pick Up A Gun |
| 7. You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here |
| 8. Chalkdust |
| 9. The Ballad Of Dancing Doreen |
| 10. Claudia |
| 11. The Ferryman |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have been a fan of Ralph Mctell since the early 70's when I first saw him perform at The Lads Club in Norwich. He was promoting this album then and I was hooked. This has always been my favourite album because I personally love 'You Well meaning' a song he doesn't often perform on stage, (which is a shame)but I feel all the other songs are very well done. Ralph is an extremely talented guy who has given pleasure to many people for so long. This album is generally quite romantic and deep. I have the CD now as I wore the LP out and still remember all the words. The Ferryman has become a classic but if you are a Ralph fan you must have this album in your collection.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Even though the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music gives this a 4 star review, for me, 'You Well Meaning Brought Me Here' is a transitional Ralph McTell album. Good, but flawed.
He'd sucessfully set out a section of his stall with Eight Frames A Second (1968), Spiral Staircase (1969)and My Side of Your Window (1970), and with this, although he was starting to hit his stride, he hasn't yet found the assurance we hear on such later chart worrying classics as Not Till Tomorrow (1972), Easy (1974) or Streets (1975). Admittedly, there are a fair share of superb songs here - Genesis 1 verse 20, The Ferryman and First and Last Man, to name the obvious three that would later become classics in The Ralph McTell songbook.
However, these are exceptions. While they have the beautiful, understated acoustic arrangements synonymous with Ralph, too many of the other tracks are splendid articulate songs tackling serious issues, but spoiled by clumsy 'of their day' settings, and overusing such luminaries as Rick Wakeman, Danny Thompson, Davey Johnson and Caleb Quaye. Listen to Old Brown Dog for an example of this. I'm also sorry to report that the quality of Ralph's singing sounds a little hesitant and unsure in places, and we don't often hear the confident performer present on the later albums I've already mentioned. This is possibly because at times, he's singing in the wrong key , but it could also be that quality control standards are not what they once were.
However, this was my first meeting with the great man, and it holds many fond memories. Put aside my nit picking, trust those good people at Virgin and buy it anyway - if only for the quality of the songwriting, and to own the original versions of those early classics!!
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Ralph McTell is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of his generation of British folk music. Although this 1971 album does not have his most recognizable song, "Streets of London," all things considered "You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here" is probably his finest album. One of the things that speaks to his talent is that McTell produced several albums almost as good during the 1970s, all of which speak to his commitment to the craft of writing folk songs. The resulting body of work is extremely solid, if not spectacular, and well worth exploring for those who love this genre.
This album starts strongly, with "Genesis I Verse 20," "First and Last Man," and "In Some Way I Loved You." "Lay Your Money Down" is clearly a drinking song, otherwise the attempts to rhyme words with "Mable" is too much to bear sober. With "Old Brown Dog" and the anti-war song "Pick Up a Gun," McTell shows his command of the complete range of folk music topics. At the heart of it all is McTell's voice, which adds the required depth where necessary. McTell plays guitar, piano, flute, guitar, harmonica, harmonium, and Moog synthesizer on this album, while Rick Wakeman shows up on organ and piano as a sessions musician.
"You Well Meaning Brought Me Here" was produced by Gus Dudgeon, who was about to begin a lengthy and successful run of albums with Elton John. The similarity in the production values is clear, with the additional instrumentation and string arrangements used to emphasize McTell's gentle vocals and excellent acoustic guitar playing. Here we have the sort of artist where you will enjoy listening to him sing any song he wants to play. Having finally heard this album, I want to track down some more of his work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A WELL-MEANING ALBUM
Ralph McTell never actually released a bad album, some are just better than others and that depends purely on individual taste. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2009 by Mr. Sr Harrup
For me, the artist at the zenith of his form
Having just taken delivery of this album, I'm once again lost in it. This is a true classic that I bought on vinyl when it first came out all those years ago. Read more
Published on 28 May 2008 by Jem Shaw
Not quite there yet
This is something of a curate's egg in that is has some very high points, some very low points and a bit of average thrown in. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2007 by M. A. Reilly
getting older...
First I'd like to say that I am a complete Ralph McTell fan : I never tire of listening to Not till Tomorrow or Easy...
But this album... Read more
But this album... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2007 by piquebelle
His finest
Oh G-A-W-D this is going to sound really corny but while pop music or in this instance folk music stands in the box entitled art, it is rare that an album can be held up with quite... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2006 by Matthew Thorpe
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