This is a somewhat misleading and frustrating reissue. Its dozen tracks are well-sequenced, and the set flows delightfully over the course of 40 minutes — but it’s not actually Geoff Muldaur’s 1979 album of the same name. Rather, it’s eight of those ten tracks, with four additional numbers culled from 1978’s Geoff Muldaur & Amos Garrett.
Both albums, originally issued on Flying Fish, are justifiably lauded and loved, the kind of records that should have found favor on a par with Ry Cooder or Taj Mahal in their decade. Honest and genuine, durable and inviting, casually elegant and entertaining, these are albums of lasting resonance. Now that Muldaur has returned to active recording and touring after nearly twenty years, their reissue makes good sense.
But it is dispiriting to realize that, since they’ve taken this shortcut, the Rounder affiliate Bullseye will not be issuing these two albums in their entirety anytime soon. Those who have been waiting for their appearance on CD gladly would have sprung for a dollar more to cover the additional mechanical royalties involved in covering all 21 songs from the two albums (and they’d all have fit, I did the math). Further, the two albums had different personnel credits, which have been merged into one long list, with no mention of who’s on what song.
All that aside, the music is wonderful — rollicking, bluesy, sassy, funky, and believable at all times. While rich with a deep respectfulness, Muldaur’s arrangements of everything from Howlin’ Wolf’s “Forty Four” to Fats Domino’s “Walking To New Orleans” sparkle with wit and verve, making them each into his own well-worn set of clothes. Though he was never a prolific writer, Muldaur always came up with some album-capping doozies. In this case it’s the one-two punch of “Chicken Stew Part 1” and “Dance Of The Coloured Elves”.
However much the organizational decision-making in regard to this release may bring you down, this music will raise you right back up.
