Judee Sill
Abracadabra - The Asylum Years (2006)
Label:   
Length:  2:35:23
    Track Listing:
      Disc 1:
      1.  
      		 Crayon Angels    2:43
      2.  
      		 The Phantom Cowboy    1:43
      3.  
      		 The Archetypal Man    3:35
      4.  
      		 The Lamb Ran Away With The Crown    3:13
      5.  
      		 Lady-O    3:13
      6.  
      		 Jesus Was A Cross Maker    3:29
      7.  
      		 Ridge Rider    4:48
      8.  
      		 My Man On Love    3:28
      9.  
      		 Lopin' Along Thru The Cosmos    3:07
      10.  
      		 Enchanted Sky Machines    2:51
      11.  
      		 Abracadabra    1:58
      12.  
      		 The Pearl (Original Version)    1:48
      13.  
      		 The Phoenix (Original Version)    2:24
      14.  
      		 Ridge Rider (Alternate Version)    5:06
      15.  
      		 My Man On Love (Alternate Version)    3:31
      16.  
      		 Intro , The Vigilante (Live In Boston, 1971)    4:36
      17.  
      		 Lady-O (Live In Boston, 1971)    3:24
      18.  
      		 Enchanted Sky Machines (Live In Boston, 1971)    6:48
      19.  
      		 The Archetypal Man (Live In Boston, 1971)    4:02
      20.  
      		 Crayon Angels (Live In Boston, 1971)    3:11
      21.  
      		 The Lamb Ran Away With The Crown (Live In Boston, 1971)    4:30
      22.  
      		 Jesus Was A Cross Maker (Live In Boston, 1971)    3:46
      Disc 2:
      1.  
      		 There's A Rugged Road    3:44
      2.  
      		 The Kiss    4:36
      3.  
      		 The Pearl    1:55
      4.  
      		 Down Where The Valleys Are Low    3:52
      5.  
      		 The Vigilante    3:50
      6.  
      		 Soldier Of The Heart    3:34
      7.  
      		 The Phoenix    2:37
      8.  
      		 When The Bridegroom Comes    4:14
      9.  
      		 The Donor    7:54
      10.  
      		 Jig    1:03
      11.  
      		 The Desperado (Outtake)    3:57
      12.  
      		 The Kiss (Solo Demo)    4:12
      13.  
      		 Down Where The Valleys Are Low (Solo Demo)    4:49
      14.  
      		 The Donor (Solo Demo)    4:43
      15.  
      		 Soldier Of The Heart (Solo Demo)    3:06
      16.  
      		 The Phoenix (Solo Demo)    2:29
      17.  
      		 The Vigilante (Solo Demo)    3:44
      18.  
      		 The Pearl (Solo Demo)    1:58
      19.  
      		 There's A Rugged Road (Solo Demo)    3:42
      20.  
      		 The Donor (Alternate Mix)    7:50
    Additional info: | top
      Judee Sill
      Judee Sill was just 35 when she died of a drug overdose in 1979, never having extended what seemed to be an unlimited potential on this, her debut record, released just eight years before. With the wits of a poet and the intonation of an angel, the post-hippie Californian laced her original compositions with astral and religious imagery--and feelings of hopelessness--and then executed them with the pop lavishness of Karen Carpenter. Sill's contemporaneous acoustic folk is sparely backed, while her multitracked vocals add to the redemptive eeriness of supernatural songs like "Lopin' Along thru the Cosmos," "The Phantom Cowboy," and "Enchanted Sky Machines." That Graham Nash produced the minor radio hit "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" (and later saw it covered by his former band the Hollies) attests that Sill was running with the right crowd. But despairing lyrics like "Guess reality is not as it seems / So I sit here hoping for truth and a ride to the other side" ("Crayon Angels") suggest that Judee Sill was conscious that her life could be brief. Thankfully, she left this behind. --Scott Holter

      Heart Food
      Judee Sill's follow-up to her 1971 self-titled debut sadly also turned out to be her final album, yet Heart Food stands neck and neck with its wondrous predecessor as a near-flawless slice of 1970s pop-flavored Laurel Canyon folk. The production and arrangements here are much grander then on Judee Sill, with her original piano- and guitar-driven songs enhanced by strings, church organ, harmonica, pedal steel, kettle drums, and even male vocals. But no matter the song--be it the Brian Wilson-influenced "The Vigilante," the country-flavored "There's a Rugged Road," or the piano-solo delight "When the Bridegroom Comes"--it all comes back to Sill's virginal voice, which twists and teeters in varying octaves and moods, sometimes within the same track. Sadly, her deliberate songwriting style denied her any chance at a third album. Drugs claimed Judee Sill's life just five years after Heart Food, which can serve as an alluring introduction to this brilliant artist or as a proud bookend to her more-appreciated debut. --Scott Holter
      Product Description
      2006 two CD compilation from this under-rated folk artist containing both albums she recorded for the fledgling Asylum Records label (Judee Sill from 1971 and Heart Food from '73) plus 19 bonus tracks. This collection combines both Expanded Versions of her albums, originally issued in limited quantity by Rhino Handmade in 2004. (amazon.com)
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