Castle MusicKeith Christmas : Timeless & Strange -selected tracks -1969 to 1971- (UK,2004)*°°°

The most essential period for Keith’s creativity is around the second album ("Fable of Wings"-1970) and third album ("Pigmy"-1971). From both albums are listed all tracks except one. Instead is added an unreleased acoustic version of “I know you can’t loose”,and another track from the first album, mislabeled as coming from the second album. I can’t tell if it’s a shame about the two left out tracks, but still I would have preferred a 'two-albums-on one' concept. From the third track on, “Waiting for the wind to Rise” the compilation really sounds great to me. Just listen to the acoustic fingerpicking ballads like "The Fawn", or to all the fine arrangements of songs with acoustic guitar and a pop-rock band with organ on "Lorri", "Kent Lullaby", "Hamlin". "Fable of Wings" has a fine blues acoustic guitar lead. The tracks from "Pygmy" have different, more worked out instrument arrangements. The slightly mellow "Travelling Down" has an orchestral arrangement. The sweetly sung "Timeless & Strange" leaves the guitar and voice leading with additional harpsichord and some second guitar. Another orchestrated guitar song track, with violin improvisation, "Evensong", in minor chords is another favourite. Also the romantic "Poem" is arranged in a similar way. "The Waiting Grounds" is a 70's rock track with the earlier mentioned band. Both last tracks are more ambitiously arranged. "Song for a survival" has various rock arrangements (backing choir vocals, great jazzy and freaky 70's rock, some brass improvisations) stretching the song over 9 minutes. Last track, "Forest and the shore" has not only an accompanying rock band arrangement, but even a complete backing choir, mellotron, organ, and more improvisational singing. What great albums these were ! A fine and recommended release for those who like the 70's sound of original pop-folk singer-songwriting.

Other review : http://www.fakejazz.com/reviews/2004/christmas.shtml

Small Town   Keith Christmas : Stimulus (UK,1969)*°'

Keith’s first album was reissued on CD in a limited amount on a small English label. First two tracks still are somewhat times-typical lightweight pop. The guitar instrumental “Roundabout” shows that Keith masters a certain guitar creativity. A song like “Ice Man” shows that he has even more in his pocket. It has a great performance and a convincing guitar and arrangements.

At those days Keith was one of the persons to stimulate the beautiful voice and s/sw-folksinger Shelagh McDonald (with ‘Stargazer’ from 1971 as her future highlight). She even sketched a portrait of Keith which appeared on the LP. Both artists appeared along with Synasthesia (another great acid folkrock band which album luckily also found reissues), on a compilation called ‘49 Greek Street’. The following track, “I know you can’t loose” has in fact a nicer version by Shelagh McDonald on her début album.

Last tracks “Metropolis” and “Trial and Judgement” might still be influenced by American folk and songwriters. The album shows potentional, but does not show his best side yet.

PS. Beware : This CD-release was a bootleg published without permission of Keith !

hippie minded Singer/Songwriters / rock music reissues presents :

Keith Christmas

LP (1969)->CD, LP 1969-1971->CD (2004), LP (1974)->CD, LP (1974-1976)->CD (2004)

ManticoreKeith Christmas : Brighter Day (UK,1974)*°°

This album is produced by Peter Sinfield & Greg Lake. Most tracks on this album have this strange and not really convincing combination of a soft hippie voice (something he cannot change) with country-blues attitude and softrock arrangement (“Country Farm”, “The Bargees”). On the titletrack, "Brighter Day", there’s even more a wanna be blues-rock star feeling with more heavy jazzrock arrangements, (horns, brass section, background choir,..) but with similar effect. The soft arrangements and song of the somewhat mellow “Lover’s Cabaret” fit, for me, much better with Keith’s voice. But it is more the next two songs “Robin Head” and “Getting’ Religion” that made me keep this album. “Robin Head” has a nice semi-medieval troubadour like effect (guitar, harpsischord, french horn). “Getting Religion” is a somewhat funny hippie-like acoustic blues guitar song. “Could do better” also is into blues, using his high hippie voice but it is more like whining. The direction Keith took here, for me was regrettable.

PS. The song "Getting Religion" was not released on the original US version, perhaps because it was too critical. It was replaced by the single song "My Girl". Ashame what musicians do and have to do sometimes to get an acceptible musical reward from the public rather than be able to give free expression of whatever is deeper in his musical potential.

Info : http://www.kcblues.co.uk/ with biography : http://www.kcblues.co.uk/biography.htm

and discography : http://www.kcblues.co.uk/discography.htm

& http://www.martin-kingsbury.co.uk/articlechristmas.htm

& http://www.martin-kingsbury.co.uk/articlechristmas.htm

& http://music.download.com/keithchristmas/3600-8375_32-100277806.html

Red Fox Rec. Keith Christmas : Brighter Day / Stories from the Human Zoo (UK,1974/1976)*°°/*°°

'Brighter Day' was reissued in 2005 together with 'Stories From The Human Zoo'.* This last album for me is overproduced and pushy with a goneby 70s soulrock production (by Michael Boshears, with string and horn arrangements by Cat Stevens and David Cambell, a rock band with Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck'dunn from the ‘Legendary Booker T and the Mg's’ and some backing vocalists) which appeals to me even less than the previous album. But perhaps the song approach often tried to follow this direction along wth the production. The more relaxed rocking "High Times" with backing vocals however I like pretty well. Also "Tomorrow never ends" brings back a more fitting calmness that gives time to Keith voice to develop its own and very specific originality of attractive movements. Also here, the arrangements fit more perfectly .

Another album that proved how "now production" tend to end the trust in the core of singer-songwriters own creative and leading expressions.

*PS. The album was also released seperately by Voiceprint in 2004.

More info on Keith Christmas : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Christmas

and on this album : http://www.keithchristmas.co.uk/discog_humanzoo.htm

& http://www.voiceprint.co.uk/web/Release/VP219CD/

Homepage : http://www.keithchristmas.co.uk

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