As the Day-Glo tide of psychedelic that swept over the U.K. in the late '60s began to recede, something far less ornate and flashy took root in its place. Spurred on by the artistic and commercial success of
Traffic's folk- and jazz-influenced debut album -- which was recorded out in the countryside --
the Byrds headlong plunge into country-rock on
Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and
the Band's brilliant slice of backwoods Americana,
Music from Big Pink, all sorts of groups and artists sprouted up to play loose and wooly blends of organically grown folk, country, jazz, and rock. Some of the bands were beat group leftovers looking to evolve past paisley (
the Searchers,
the Tremeloes), some were city boys gone to seed (
Mott the Hoople,
the Pretty Things), and some were just weirdos like Greasy Bear, or lazy-Sunday balladeers like
Curtiss Maldoon, all doing their own freaky thing.
Across the Great Divide gathers up three discs of songs recorded between 1968 and 1974 that range from joyful, knees-up rockers (
Fairport Convention's "Cajun Woman") to happily meandering
Dead-style jams (
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers' "Desert Island Woman") to sad and lonesome ballads like
Matthews Southern Comfort's "Touch Her If You Can" to loose and funky groovers like
Traffic's "Forty Thousand Headmen" and loads of songs that sound like they were written and recorded under the influence of really good drugs -- and
Crosby, Stills & Nash's first album, too. Check Mother Nature's "Clear Blue Sky" or
the Pretty Things' languidly pretty "Country Road" for a couple examples of how influential that trio's vocal harmonies were on the scene. This is the kind of collection that rewards an investment of time with all sorts of gems, whether it's as on the nose as
Rod Stewart covering
Elton John's "Country Comfort" or as obscure as "Dancing Flower," a ridiculously twee forest folk song by the post-
Jeff Lynne incarnation of
the Idle Race. Other nice finds are
Brinsley Schwarz' super-hooky country rambler "Country Girl,"
Heron's
Van Morrison-esque "Bye and Bye,"
Bridget St. John's lilting "Nice," Mason's choogling rocker "Fading," and
Unicorn's sweetly jangling "Sleep Song." The compliers even made space to include one of the era's definitive songs,
Faces' "Oh La La." It's an impressively deep and diverse track list, and anyone looking to explore this brief time when artists were casting off the shackles and trappings of the pop charts while looking to make music with minimal fuss will surely find planety of old favorites and new artists to check out. That's the best kind of archival set, and
Across the Great Divide works both as a history lesson and a good listen. ~ Tim Sendra