Rhino Discs
Judee Sill : Judee Sill (US,1971)***°
Praise for the label in taking so much care with the booklet, and for the reissue itself, which also includes various live tracks from the period. Not so good is that they overprice their limited editions, put the full price with P&P on the billing note, with the result that the customs (-in Belgium they take care of this as much as they can-) charged me for the full price with another 25 % extra, and with additional administration costs, so that the final price I had to pay for those 2 CD's was over 60 €, which is good enough reason to spoil some of my enthusiasm. While in the early seventies she was discovered as another.. let's say Joni Mitchell or something, (-that's how John Beck came to produce her-) on the surface she had all the elements there, instinctively, and was at first praised for it. Judee made only two albums. She couldn't get a structure in her life, was sadly addicted to drugs after a difficult childhood, tried recovering, but finally overdosed herself a number of years after her second album.
When I (with L. Woolfe (vision) looking over my shoulder) looked back at her career, there is something sad about it, which can work as a lesson, not about her life's story, but something reflective in her composing. L.Woolfe claimed she had it all too instinctively. Perhaps she only managed partly to work it out more to her inner self. One way to express this, except through wider introspection, is developing it through widening a perception on the world itself, philosophically or with true disciplined spiritually. Thinking that it will all continue to come instinctively, does not seem to give much foundation for a continuation creatively. Singer songwriters need a continuing opening up of visions to keep on conviction. This needs a structuring, and deepening renewing process. Addiction and everything which comes with it, is a threat for developing such abilities.
At least Judee Sill obviously tried, in an over-romantic way. She started with the 'complete' appeal necessary to sound good. Even with her religious musings she had some fine results, like with "Jesus was a crossmaker"(or here) (later covered by The Hollies & Warren Zevon), perhaps also because this song is not directing too clearly on what it's about. With a differing vision, without yet becoming one, it still works as a source for opening up further inspirations.
1. I never listen to intently to the words rather than to music. Music itself is what speaks to me at first, and most directly. I like mostly the opening track, "Crayon Angels"(or here), and "Lady-o". A few tracks even has some country touch of inspiration (-a genre I'm sorry I still cannot appreciate much, for its overuse of obviousness), but the inspiration and production as well are strong enough here to be inspired more than to fall back on. In general the album is really fine and listenable. The production is perfect. So I think it can still be generally appreciated.
The album in its complete score has a good consistency, for 11 tracks. What comes after I can only see as real bonus tracks, to listen to them another time. Enough's enough. The additional live versions of her sound much more naked. There it's clear that good production covers them up very good and gave them through nice "clothing" the necessary musical foundation.
