Lisnaholic

This is a discussion thread for the following album:

This album won a recent selection poll of http://www.musicbanter.com/country-f...lbum-club.html - but of course everyone is welcome to join in the debate.

So, anyone have an opinion they want to share ?

Lisnaholic

When I read about how this collection of songs was recorded at home for private circulation and was only commercially released 30 years later, I imagined that Sibylle Baier would be some humble un-schooled American farmer`s wife. In fact, before devoting herself to raising a family in the US, Sibylle Baier was an accomplished German actress who worked with Wim Wenders, and her lyrics, though full of simple images, are literary and sophisticated. There are quotes from T.S.Eliot and lines that could`ve come from Sylvia Plath; “Myself in that painful February mood”.

Not that you need a lot of literary baggage to enjoy this album; it`s difficult not to be won over by her seductive, soothing whisper, which I found to be unshakably reminiscent of Nick Drake. If you imagine Nick Drake as a woman – which for some disturbing reason is not that difficult to do – you`ll have an idea of how charming this album is. A silky voice, skilled acoustic guitar playing, and a gentle touch of strings produce a sound that at times is almost too intimate. When SB sings, “Talk to me. Let us have our baby” or “We had a change of the moon tonight” it`s easy to feel like an eavesdropper to someone else`s romance – and that, despite all the love songs that have ever been written, is an exceptional sensation to get from an album.

So, thanks to fazstp for bringing Colour Green to the album club. It gets an excellent from me and, not to labour the point, anyone who likes ND should really check it out too.

Stephen

I think I enjoyed this album more on first discovery but I'm not sure it has held up to repeated listens. Somewhere between Nico and Syd Barrett it is certainly a nice addition to any folk collection but it would be nice to hear a fully developed album to really place her in context. In any case do get this album and enjoy it for what it is.


I missed that. I guess the song title "Says Elliot" should have given me a hint .

Argento

I like to speak of what I like. I don't have much to say from this album.

Is not appealing to me. I just write this post because I fear that this club may die by scarcity of participants.

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Here is my thread on Argentine music.

Le hizo un par de promesas imprudentes y así fue que de ella se aburrió.

Lisnaholic

^ Thanks, Argento.

^ And thanks for the link - yes, that really spells it out, doesn`t it ? I just used it to read along and listen to Something In The Hills .
You`re right, Syd Barrett is a good comparison, which hadn`t occurred to me. Now that you mention it, they do have in common a singing style that sounds not so much like a recital, but more like a conversation or confession. They also share an oblique way of talking about things; they tell you enough to get you intrigued, but there`s always some mystery too, that draws you back to listen again.

It`s Sunday morning here - the perfect time to take my own advice and check out once more what it might have been that Sibylle Baier lost in those hills ...

PS Syd and Sibylle have the same initials too. Spooky or what ?

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953