BGO Records BGOCD1406

****1/2

Looking back, I now realise that the late 1960s and early 1970s were quite exciting times for me, musically. My tastes and likes underwent drastic changes, without in any way diminishing my previous passions. It was a transitional period for music and being in my early 20s I wanted to be at the forefront of the exciting developments that were happening, especially on the fringes of country music. It was an era of great discoveries as I immersed myself in what I referred to as ‘contemporary country music’ that encompassed everything from Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers to young inventive singer-songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson, Chris Gantry, John Prine, Steve Goodman, John Hartford, Lee Clayton, John Denver, John Stewart and Alex Harvey all of whom were putting a fresh twist on country music’s rich heritage without losing sight of the roots that made the music so distinctive and vibrant.

One of the singer-songwriters I became passionate about back then was Paul Siebel, who was  signed to Elektra Records in 1969 by the legendary Jac Holzman, one of the old-school passionate music men that used to run the record labels, unlike the marketing suits that dominate the industry these days. Paul Siebel and his producer David Bromberg were given total freedom, and produced just two critically-acclaimed albums, both of which have now been reissued with the addition of a couple of bonus tracks and an interview from 1970 that was part of the promotional press kit for his WOODSMOKE AND ORANGES debut album. When originally released both albums sold poorly, leading to Paul being dropped by Elektra and he spiralled into depression, drug addiction and writer’s block. Despite this, he was (and still is) held in high esteem by critics and a small, yet dedicated band of fans. Over the years, his most notable songs—Louise, Spanish Johnny, Nashville Again, Any Day Woman, She Made Me Lose My Blues Again, Then Came The Children and Bride 1945—have been well covered by such diverse performers as Linda Ronstadt, Waylon Jennings, Slim Dusty, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mary Caslin, Bonnie Raitt, Willy DeVille, Kate Wolf, Ian Matthews, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Rosalie Sorrells.

It's hard to believe that Paul was born in Buffalo in upper New York state. His nasally voice had echoes of Hank Snow, Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, and his songs sounded like they’d come out of the deep hollers of Appalachia and shined to perfection by a poetic genius. For me, at the time, he was the most exciting young musician working within the country music tradition. I was steeped in the music of Hank Snow, Jimmie Rodgers and Merle Haggard and Paul Siebel was as authentic as a cold spring tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains. He was writing new songs that seemed to be decades old and wrapping them up in the kind of hard-edged traditional country sounds that had been absent from the ‘Nashville Sound’ for years. In short, I was smitten.

The blend of his music and songwriting created a very unique sound, unlike anyone else at the time. We heard in his songs some traces of juke joint blues, Cajun, honky-tonk ballads, yodelling blues, tear-jerking stories and Texas two-steps. The story of American music is complex, but for an hour or so, in Paul Siebel’s hands, we are able to hear a few of its strands, and the connections seem simple and graceful. Like a Rockwell painting, custom made for a 1950s mom & pop rural radio station and the intimate Americana experience, seeped in books, open vistas, meaningful friendships and resonating with influences that cross state lines and musical eras.

There wasn’t anybody else out there doing it like this. It was real grass roots music. Composed of all original tunes and written and recorded in the old way with no hokum, Paul Siebel tunnelled into the ancient mysteries of post-war hillbilly. With this pair of albums, he joined the select few who have recorded masterful albums. She Made Me Lose My Blues, which opens WOODSMOKE AND ORANGES, sounds like an undiscovered Hank Williams track from 1949 with Weldon Myrick’s pedal steel weaving in and out of Paul’s high-toned vocal, Richard Greene’s fiddle and Jeff Gutcheon’s honky-tonk piano adding to the boisterous barroom vibe and Paul breaking out with some powerful yodelling at the end. Nashville Again is classic honky-tonk, a barroom ballad with sweeping steel guitar, tinkling piano and a heartfelt vocal with definite traces of Hank Snow coming through in Paul’s emotional phrasing. The Ballad of Honest Sam and Miss Cherry Lane are inventive rural yarns in which Paul pulls no punches. The latter concerning a lady who preys on others and the latter a Wild West tale about a lying, cheating card shark that culminates in a shooting dressed up in eerie Dobro, haunting organ and sawing fiddle behind his dead-pan vocal. The captivating Then Came The Children is a gorgeous homage to the pure goodness inherent in children too young to be corrupted by the evils of the world at large wrapped up in a serene arrangement featuring Dan Brooks; wondrous harmonica to create a delightful nostalgic vibe. Louise, famously covered by Linda Ronstadt, and Bride 1945 are inextricably linked by their theme of two quite different women condemned to lives of disappointment and abject sadness. The latter tells the story of the young bride of a WWII G.I., from her lonely days spent planning her marriage’s future to her dull reality as a 1950’s housewife, the former the futile dead-end life of a beautiful saloon whore with little left to live for.

JACK-KNIFE GYPSY, which followed in 1971 featured another crack band of studio players including Byrds’ guitarist Clarence White, David Grisman on mandolin, Buddy Emmons on pedal steel, drummer Russ Kunkel, Doug Kershaw and Sea Train’s Richard Greene on fiddle plus Bernie Leadon, Bob Warford and Gary White. Once again dominated by sad themes, this collection of songs are in turn forlorn, ravishing, wretched, delirious and bleak. The plaintive country waltz Chips Are Down, is full of desolate introspection with the multi-tracked fiddles adding a touch of bleak surrealism. In contrast, Pinto Pony is a ragged jog-along western ballad in which Paul’s innate vocals and country twang permeate a vivid yarn that the Sons of the Pioneers’ Bob Nolan would be ecstatic about. In a similar old-school country vein is Hillbilly Child, with twin fiddles carrying the melody alongside barroom piano and Buddy Emmons pedal steel way back in the mix. Jasper And The Miners is a sleepy little back-porch tale with thin percussion, wispy vocals and a nowhere-fast melody. There’s a desperate edge to If I Could Stay, a plodding rhythm driven by tinkling piano and ghostly organ that has a touch of something primal about it.

This pair of albums combined an astute and articulate blend of arcane trappings and obvious enthusiasm, a sound that was fresh, invigorating and readily resourceful. The records were quintessential Paul Siebel: tightly written, painful, lonesome, emotional songs delivered in a deadpan voice to a swirling melange of musical styles, including country, blues, gospel and folk. Sadly, they have been neglected by the majority of country and Americana music lovers for the best part of 50 years. Now is the time they are rediscovered and brought into those genre’s mainstream and given the recognition that they so richly deserve.

www.bgo-records.com

June 2020