|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
| |||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The continued excavation of music history around the world has unearthed a seemingly endless procession of reissued rarities, with results both good and bad. As the saying goes, 90 percent of everything is crap, and thus it stands to reason that nine out of every 10 rediscovered "lost masterpieces" is going to be a disappointment. In the case of Livin’ Free we’ve got some tracks which are undeniably impressive, but as a whole, this rarity isn’t going to spark any great revelations.
Recorded in 1967 by a group of U.S. and Argentinean teenagers, and released in Argentina the following year, the songs on Livin’ Free would fit perfectly on a volume of Nuggets. Bright melodies and jangly guitars rule the day, and while the album’s descriptions call it "garage folk-rock," there’s really nothing particularly garage about it. These were teens familiar with the era’s dreamy acoustic artists, and while they do a fine job emulating the style, the results are, at times, thin and derivative.
The four friends, hanging out at the Academia Arguello school, formed the band to play local school events, playing covers of the era while writing their own songs. Influenced by the albums they could obtain in Argentina, the school friends recorded Livin’ Free at several locations in single takes with no overdubs.
The four-part vocal harmonies are the keys to these songs. They make the title track a highlight, clearly influenced by the American west coast’s psych-folk groups. "Livin’ Free," "In Sunshine and In Shadow," and "Look at My Friend" are all reminiscent of the Byrds and the Monkees.
There’s an unusual low-fi feel to these recordings that, while sometimes lending the songs a gauzy mystery, ultimately does the music a disservice. The clip-clop percussion and strummed guitar of "Go Softly, Now" sound like they were recorded from the opposite end of a large room, while the vocals are thin and weak even as they sometimes threaten to break into static. "The Ring of Bright Water" is pleasant folk music, but sounds like it’s being played on a radio in a large room. Rather than imbuing a dreamy atmosphere, it simply takes away from the power that the vocal harmonies -- the group’s real strength -- could have had.
The group indulge in a number of covers, including the Stones’ "Lady Jane" and a nicely-executed Morricone-esque take on "Ghost Riders in the Sky." The three bonus tracks include a muddy recording of "Gloria" and an ill-advised version of the lounge-jazz chestnut "Blue Moon." The bonus tracks, not included on the vinyl edition, can be safely missed.
Schibbinz assembled a fine album in 1967, with some strong songs demonstrating that the four teenagers had good ears for the sounds of their time and undeniable writing skills. Nonetheless, Livin’ Free is inconsistent and only intermittently rewarding. There’s just no escaping the sense that rarity has contributed overly to the album’s reputation. By Mason Jones
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||
View all articles by Mason Jones