|
Upstate New York native Jerry Jeff Walker truly hit his artistic stride after relocating to Austin in 1970 and hooking up with the soon-to-be-dubbed "outlaw" crowd of songwriters. This dubious 1969 album, his third solo effort, finds him still struggling to find his voice and his sound. Things don't begin auspiciously here: the opening "Help Me Now" is a hopelessly dated, fuzzed-up bit of pop psychedelia that calls to mind the First Edition. Through much of the album, his stiff delivery sounds somewhat like that of Neil Diamond. Even so, there are some hidden gems, most notably the hushed, dreary "Janet Says" and the simple, upbeat little ditties "Dead Men Got No Dreams" and "Born to Sing a Dancin' Song." There are pretty covers of Keith Sykes and Lewis & Clarke Expedition songs, as well as a requisite but appealing version of his trademark tune, "Mr. Bojangles" (referred to as the "famous drunken recording made early in the morning on WBAI"), but overall Five Years Gone is not as great or as gonzo as what followed it.
CONDITION:NEW
TRACK LISTING
1 Help Me Now 3:20
2 Blues In Your Mind 3:49
3 Seasons Change 3:22
4 About Her Eyes 2:45
5 Janet Says 5:55
6 A Dead Men Got No Dreams 2:15
7 Tracks Run Through The City 2:22
8 Happiness Is A Good Place To Visit But It Was So Sad In Fayetteville 3:29
9 Courage Of Love 3:20
10 A Letter Sung To Friends 3:16
11 Mr. Bojangles 5:28
12 Born To Sing A Dancin' Song 2:09
|