After starring in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow Up (1966) and before filming “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” (1968), English actor David Hemmings was offered a one-off album deal by MGM records. He took the job seriously, having been a famous singer as a boy and tried his luck at folk song after his voice broke.

The Byrds had written the title track for the MGM movie “Don’t Make Waves”  (1967, starring Tony Curtis, Sharon Tate and Claudia Cardinale) and the film company coupled David Hemmings with Byrds Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, appointing their manager Jim Dickson as producer. Joined by bassist extraordinaire James E. Bond (no joke) and jazz drummer Ed Thigpen, recording began on 17th April 1967 in Recorder Studios on Sunset Boulevard. Also present was Hemmings’ friend Bill Martin, who worked closely with The Monkees and knew a thing or two about professional popsong-writing. Recordings would continue at Sunset Sound with a number of professional session players and quickly turn into improvisation and, according to some, a fair share of chaos.

FOLK-SONG

The album begins with “Back Street Mirror”, written and recorded by Gene Clarke for Columbia Records and produced by Leon Russell and Jim Dickson. Columbia rejected the song (part of a session that was rejected in its entirety), so Byrd manager Dickson erased Clarke’s voice and suggested Hemmings do a take. It’s a superb introduction to the LP, being a great folk-rock tune with full orchestration (trumpets and all) and lyrics that can stand comparison with the best of Dylan’s. Not only can Hemmings actually sing, the actor Hemmings knows how to deliver lyrics convincingly. Traditional folk songs “Bell Birds” (lyrics almost entirely re-written by Hemmings)  and “Anathea” (see also Judy Collins) are given the same treatment, an additional coat of psychedelic sounds emerging from the harpsichord or sitar without drowning the song in effects. Hemmings surely knows his way about folk song and one wonders what would have happened had he continued as a folk-singer rather than an actor.

IMPROVISATION

The most remarkable tracks are not those real tunes, but the improvisations by McGuinn, Clarke and Hemmings  - the latter writing the lyrics for “Talkin’ L.A.”, “Good King James” and “War’s Mystery” on the spot. One is reminded of the stream of consciousness technique and the improvisational approach of Beat poets and their jazz accompanists. Not unsurprisingly, these three tracks alone last nearly eighteen minutes! This is most prominent on “Talkin’ L.A.”, where  the saxophone and Hemmings’ exceptional delivery  make for a great improvisation. The historical subject of “Good King James” is supported by ancient instruments and tablas alike, resulting into a mix of traditional folk song and a revolutionary approach that only the sixties seem to have been able to produce (also in clothing, by the way). 

Monkees collaborator Bill Martin came up with two new songs, “After The Rain” and “The Soldier Wind”. These are two normal, short  tunes  constructed according to the book that a band like The Monkees could have recorded for some LP, but they sound a little too tame and studied in the midst of an atmosphere of chaos, haste, artistry and improvisation. They are so nice that Hemmings cannot unchain weirdo voice. The only real miss is the cover of “Reason To Believe”. I don’t know who could  beat Tim Hardin in his own game, but is isn’t Hemmings.

All in all, what we have here is a truly fine sixties album that will appeal to anyone with a penchant for psychedelic folk song, poetry and true artistry.

© Eddy Bonte 30 Sept. 2017