Gravenhurst - Rusted Masks

 

Bio by Heather Phares:
Making music equally inspired by the British folk of Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch and the volatile, textural rock of My Bloody Valentine, Gravenhurst was the brainchild of singer/multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot (14 May 1977 – 2 December 2014).  Gravenhurst's first album, 2002's "Internal Travels", concentrated on simple but meticulous acoustic guitar work coupled with lyrics inspired by murder ballads. The following year, Talbot released the more elaborate, fuller-sounding "Flashlight Seasons", which attracted the attention of Warp Records, who signed Gravenhurst and re-released the album early in 2004. Later that year, the mini-album "Black Holes in the Sand" became Gravenhurst's first original release for the label.

Released in 2005, the single "The Velvet Cell" and full-length "Fires in Distant Buildings" were Talbot's most fully fleshed-out works yet, incorporating not only folk and electronica but heavy fuzzed-out electric guitars and chugging Krautrock-influenced rhythms as well. The band's excellent 2007 album, "The Western Lands", leaned more toward space rock and shoegaze. With the departure of most of Talbot's touring band for other countries and projects, he returned to a one-man version of Gravenhurst for tours and performances at festivals in the late 2000s and early 2010s. This approach rubbed off on his fourth album, "The Ghost in Daylight", which featured some of his most intimate songwriting and seamless blends of folk, shoegaze, and electronics. Late in 2014, Warp released "Offerings: Lost Songs 2000-2004", a collection of previously unreleased early recordings. That December, Warp announced that Talbot had died at the age of 37.


There isn't really much more I can add to the above excellent bio by Heather Phares. This collection features tracks from all the albums mentioned above, plus the odd compilation track and a few b-sides/EP tracks. Again this is another artist I didn't think of doing a compilation of, until I dug out my copy of "Fires in Distant Buildings" a couple of weeks back, prompting me to revisit his whole back catalogue. A sad loss to music, to this day the cause of his untimely death has never been disclosed. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy, cheers!

  1. Black Holes in the Sand (7:22)
  2. Entertainment (3:43)
  3. In Your Room (3:38)
  4. East of the City (2:33)
  5. Hollow Men (3:55)
  6. Song From Under the Arches (10:21)
  7. Longest River (2:57)
  8. Circadian (4:07)
  9. I Found the F (3:25)
10. For Erin (2:32)
11. Nightwatchman's Blues (4:02)
12. A Call to Arms (3:15)
13. The Velvet Cell (4:59)
14. Tunnels (4:42)
15. Islands (8:03)
16. The Western Lands (4:11)
17. Winter Moon (4:29)
18. Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? (3:27)
19. Underfoot (4:19)
20. See My Friends (9:04)

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Smog - Crawl Into My Shell (1993-2006)

 

Short bio:
Bill Callahan (born June 3, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who for several years recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars, resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.

From 1993 to 2000, Callahan's recordings grew more and more "professional" sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. He recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and Tortoise's John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After 2000's "Dongs of Sevotion", Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years. This shift is apparent in albums such as "Rain on Lens", "Supper", and "A River Ain't Too Much to Love".

Smog's songs are often based on simple, repetitive structures, consisting of a simple chord progression repeated for the duration of the entire song. His singing is characterized by his baritone voice. Melodically and lyrically he tends to eschew the verse-chorus approach favoured by many contemporary songwriters, preferring instead a more free-form approach relying less on melodic and lyrical repetition. Themes in Callahan's lyrics include relationships, animals, relocation, nature, and more recently, politics.

In 2007, Callahan stopped using the name Smog, going under his real name for future releases.


This anthology focuses on Bill Callahan's work released under the name of Smog. I've avoided his earliest recordings, some of which are almost impossible to find, instead concentrating on his releases from 1993's "Julius Caesar" up until his final release using the name Smog, the 2006 EP "Rock Bottom Riser". This collection features at least 1 track from these albums, plus the odd single/EP track. My introduction to Smog was the album he released in 1995, "Wild Love", following his career closely ever since. Perhaps in the future I'll compile some of my favourite tracks released under his own name. My favourite Smog albums? I'd say "Knock Knock" from 1999 and "Rain on Lens" released in 2001. This collection features 2 tracks from both of those albums. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection. Cheers!

  1. Chosen One (3:10)
  2. Look Now (3:17)
  3. Not Lonely Anymore (1:59)
  4. Ambition (4:23)
  5. Cold Discovery (5:51)
  6. Spread Your Bloody Wings (3:21)
  7. Dirty Pants (4:30)
  8. Bathysphere (4:46)
  9. Bowery (3:19)
10. I Break Horses (6:05)
11. Just Like Napoleon (2:54)
12. The Well (6:55)
13. Let's Move to the Country (2:56)
14. Real Live Dress (5:20)
15. My Shell (Electric Version) (5:43)
16. Inspirational (6:20)
17. Keep Some Steady Friends Around (4:26)
18. Held (3:59)

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Lida Husik - Now I'm Older (1991-2018)

 

Bio:
Lida was born in 1963 in Washington, D.C., growing up in the heady punk-rock days of the 1980's. Her first song on a record was on the Dischord compilation State of the Union, as Red Emma. From 1991 to 1999 she released eight full-length records on Shimmy Disc Records, Caroline Records, Astralwerks, and Alias. Her early works, released on the Shimmy Disc label, focused on ethereal, psychedelic indie pop. She also experimented with dance beats and samples, in 1994 teaming up with British electronic composer Beaumont Hannant with whom she recorded three albums, two for Astralwerks and one for Alias records. After 1999's "Mad Flavor", Husik's record releases were quite sparse, with 1 single being released in 2006 and a collaborative EP with Soma Allpass in 2016. It wasn't until 2018 she released her ninth full-length album, "motheroceanmorning".


A few years back I posted about how Flying Nun was my favourite record label in the 1980s/early 1990s. Close behind them were the Shimmy Disc label. As with Flying Nun,  I bought almost everything they released for several years, which is how I first came across Lida Husik, buying her first 3 albums released on the label. After she left Shimmy Disc I  kind of lost track of her future work, not hearing her later releases for several years. Having rectified that situation, I recently decided it was time my next anthology should be a selection of some of my favourite songs from all her albums released so far, plus the odd EP/single track.
Recommendations? I'd go for her first release "Bozo", from 1991, "Joyride" from 1995, and 1999's "Mad Flavor". As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection.

  1. Lida Husik - Mickey Minnie (3:57)
  2. Lida Husik - Pyramus and Thisbe (1:49)
  3. Husikesque - Haunt Me (3:21)
  4. Lida Husik - Fade Sister Cool (2:31)
  5. Lida Husik - Hitchhiker (4:30)
  6. Lida Husik - State of the Empire (5:05)
  7. Lida Husik - Nuclear Soul (4:06)
  8. Lida Husik - Marcel (9:40)
  9. Lida Husik - Build a Fire (4:31)
10. Lida Husik & Soma Allpass - The Navigator (3:54)
11. Lida Husik - Million Years (3:08)
12. Lida Husik - Strawberries Are Growing in My Garden (and It's Wintertime) (4:51)
13. Lida Husik - Death Trip (1:51)
14. Lida Husik & Beaumont Hannant - Now I'm Older, Silver Girl (5:16)
15. Lida Husik - Farmhouse (4:25)
16. Lida Husik - Glo Stick (3:56)
17. Lida Husik - Hopi Ants (2:42)
18. Husikesque - All Hands on Deck (5:06)
19. Lida Husik - Waterfall (5:10)

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Françoiz Breut - Sans Souci 1997-2021

 

Bio:
Françoiz Breut (b. 10 Dec 1969, Cherbourg France) is a French singer and professional illustrator, establishing herself as an important player on the French music scene in the 1990s. Breut, who is known for melancholy, introspective lyrics and a smoky, jazz-tinged approach to pop/rock, has inspired a variety of comparisons. She sings primarily in French, with an occasional song in English or Spanish, frequently working with collaborators on music and lyrics. She has been compared to the influential ‘60s ye-ye icon Françoise Hardy -- which is perhaps a comparison that comes too easily -- as well as German singer Nico. She has released 7 studio albums, her self-titled debut album came out in 1997, with her most recent album "Flux Flou de la Foule" being released in 2021.


The idea for making a collection of my favourite Françoiz Breut tracks came about when I dug out an old compilation I'd made several years ago, which featured the track "Si Tu Disais" from her 2nd album "Vingt à Trente Mille Jours". Having neglected her most recent albums over the years I decided to track them down and was quite delighted with how good they all are. So, picking just a few favourites from all 7 albums, plus the odd track released as single only, gave me more than enough material to compile what I consider to be a fair reflection of her continued excellence from her debut release up to the present day. I haven't gone overboard on this like previous anthologies, keeping this to CD length.

Favourite albums by her? I'd go for the aforementioned "Vingt à Trente Mille Jours", and her 2016 album "Zoo", but all 7 are definitely worth your attention. As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection, and stay safe!


  1. La Certitude (3:20)
  2. Terre d'Ombre (3:02)
  3. Si Tu Disais (2:23)
  4. Werewolf (3:47)
  5. À Pic ! (4:27)
  6. Comme des Lapons (3:43)
  7. La Fille des Eaux (4:24)
  8. A l'Unisson (3:10)
  9. Les Jeunes Pousses (4:18)
10. Everyone Kisses a Stranger (2:42)
11. Sans Souci (2:40)
12. Une Ville Allongée Sur le Dos (4:25)
13. L'arbre (2:54)
14. Vicky (3:04)
15. Sous Mes Paupières Closes (3:20)
16. Ma Colère (5:21)
17. La Chirurgie des Sentiments (3:44)
18. Nébuleux Bonhomme (1:43)
19. Deep Sea Diver (3:54)
20. Derrière le Grand Filtre (5:52)
21. La Boîte de Nuit (3:36)
22. Tarifa (3:44)

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American Music Club - Shades of Weariness (1985-2008)

 

Short(ish) bio:
Singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel founded American Music Club in San Francisco in 1983 with guitarist Scott Alexander, drummer Greg Bonnell and bass player Brad Johnson. The band went through many personnel changes before arriving at a stable line up of guitarist Vudi, bassist Danny Pearson, keyboardist Brad Johnson and drummer Matt Norelli. This lineup would change over the next several years, but Eitzel always remained the core of the band in terms of its vocals, lyrics and thematic focus, with Vudi and Pearson accompanying him on guitar and bass.

Their 1985 debut, The Restless Stranger, is widely considered as the first "slowcore" release, establishing the band as major pioneers of the genre and an early influence on post-rock. It was followed by 1987's Engine which saw record producer Tom Mallon as a full-time member. The band earned a solid cult following on the strength of 1988's California and 1989's United Kingdom.

In 1991 American Music Club emerged with the record that is widely considered their masterpiece, Everclear. Critical acclaim attracted the attention of several major labels. Eventually, AMC - then consisting of Eitzel, Vudi, Pearson, multi-instrumentalist Bruce Kaphan and drummer Tim Mooney - signed with Reprise Records in the US and Virgin Records throughout the rest of the world. Mercury followed in 1993 and, despite positive reviews, the album fared poorly on the charts and earned virtually no recognition from radio or MTV. In 1994, AMC issued San Francisco.

The band disbanded soon after San Francisco was released, reuniting in 2003 to record a new album, Love Songs For Patriots, released in 2004. On June 20, 2007, AMC announced a new lineup. Eitzel and Vudi remained, joined by bassist Sean Hoffman and drummer Steve Didelot. AMC's next record, The Golden Age, was released in 2008. Shortly after an extensive tour, the group disbanded and then reformed with a new line-up including Eitzel, Vudi and Steve as well as Dana Schechter on bass and Jonathan Heine on second guitar. This short-lived lineup disbanded for good in 2009.


Here's a band who had more or less slipped my mind, regarding compiling an anthology, despite featuring one of their songs on one of my recent Spaghetti Tree mixes. Once again I have to thank Manerg for introducing me to this band, when he played me their 3rd album "California" which he'd bought soon after it's release. I was pretty much hooked from the first listen, the track Laughingstock standing out for me the most. Manerg and I are both agreed California is our favourite album, maybe because it was the first we heard by them. Or maybe because to us it is a perfect album, not one bad track.

Since my introduction to the band I've bought all their albums before and after California, up to their final (?) album The Golden Age. While the 2 albums after they reunited are both high in quality, they never reached the heights of what were for me their peak period from 1987 to 1993. After California my next favourites are Everclear and Mercury. Also worth checking out are Mark Eitzel's solo albums. I highly recommend his first solo release, Songs of Love, an acoustic performance recorded live at The Borderline in London, England on January 17, 1991, with the exception of the last two tracks which are acoustic studio recordings. Some of his renditions of AMC songs I think are superior to the band versions.

Info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection, and as always stay safe!

  1. At My Mercy (4:06)
  2. Ex-Girlfriend (2:46)
  3. Firefly (2:50)
  4. In the Shadow of the Valley (6:26)
  5. Tell Yourself (4:02)
  6. Art of Love (3:08)
  7. Dream Is Gone (3:55)
  8. Hollywood 4-5-92 (4:11)
  9. Western Sky (3:26)
10. Home (4:27)
11. Decibels and Little Pills (5:36)
12. Miracle on 8th Street (4:05)
13. I'll Be Gone (3:55)
14. I'm in Heaven Now (3:49)
15. Laughingstock (4:16)
16. The Thorn in My Side Is Gone (alternate version) (4:47)
17. Will You Find Me? (4:06)
18. Heaven of Your Hands (3:00)
19. The Dead Part of You (2:42)
20. Job to Do (5:01)

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Cate Le Bon - Looping Melodies

 

Short bio:
Cate Le Bon (born Cate Timothy on 4 March 1983) is a Welsh musician and producer, now based in Los Angeles. She has released five solo albums, three EPs and a number of singles. Le Bon is singled out by critics for her "beautiful, haunting voice". She described writing and performing music as "important to me, it's just an expression and sometimes it's not necessary to moralise it". Le Bon claimed that "early experiences with a string of pet deaths had a profound lasting effect on me" and informed her initial self-admitted "abnormal fixation with death". She describes her lyric writing as "foraging for words and then everything falls into place".


My interest in Cate Le Bon began after hearing her 2nd album, Cyrk, in 2012. PopMatters.com said about the album: "At its best moments, Cyrk sounds like an edgier version of The Wicker Man soundtrack; the same sense of mystery pervades. Everything about it evokes swinging garden gates, desolate vales, and dusk setting in far too soon."

I'd say my favourite album by her is "Crab Day", released in 2016. Allmusic.com had this to say about it: "For fans of her particular brand of knotty, carnivalesque art-pop, which sounds like an amalgam of Os Mutantes, Nico, Stereolab, Syd Barrett, and Shirley Collins, Crab Day will be a delight." There's certainly elements of the aforementioned artists on the album, but she brings her own uniqueness to it. I've just noticed some reviewer on allmusic also stated "She sounds like Nico if Nico knew how to have fun". Well... not much I can add to that, even though I am a huge fan of Nico's solo work.

As well as her solo releases, Le Bon has collaborated with many artists, most notably with White Fence's Tim Presley, recording 2 albums under the name of DRINKS. Other notable collaborations are EP releases with Bradford Cox and Group Listening. For this collection I concentrated on her solo releases, taking tracks from her 5 albums and 3 EPS, plus her contribution to a Wilco tribute album, the track "Company in My Back". As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection, and stay safe!

  1. It's Not the End (3:19)
  2. Fold the Cloth (5:01)
  3. Wonderful (2:36)
  4. Hwylio Mewn Cyfog (4:23)
  5. Sad Nudes (2:56)
  6. Sisters (4:02)
  7. I'm a Dirty Attic (3:04)
  8. I Just Wanna Be Good (3:00)
  9. Out to Sea (2:36)
10. Baw Waw (2:43)
11. Company in My Back (4:04)
12. Falcon Eyed (2:48)
13. Mirror Me (3:47)
14. The Eiggy Sea (4:36)
15. Home to You (5:25)
16. Crab Day (3:46)
17. Sad Sad Feet (3:33)
18. I Can't Help You (4:00)
19. We Might Revolve (3:46)
20. Here It Comes Again (3:24)
21. Ploughing Out (6:50)

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King Creosote - Greetings from Anstruther, Fife

 

 

 

Short bio:

King Creosote is the stagename of Scottish singer-songwriter Kenny Anderson (from Fife, Scotland). After having featured in Scottish bands Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and Khartoum Heroes, in 1995 Kenny Anderson launched the Fence record label and began recording albums under the name King Creosote. Since then, Anderson has released over forty albums, beginning with "Queen Of Brush County" in 1998. He was also a member of Scottish-Canadian 'supergroup', The Burns Unit.

In recent years, Anderson has teamed up with Domino Records who have co-released some of his albums. He also spent some time on Warner subsidiary, 679, which gave him major label backing for the first time. His increasing frustration with the music industry and how digital recordings are becoming throwaway commodities led him to release his material in small, vinyl only runs which were largely only available at concerts.

 

Complete (?) discography click here.

Well, this is probably the toughest anthology I've compiled so far. Of the 40+ albums released by him, I have 25. Seing him live back in 2005 I had the opportunity to buy many of his earliest releases, unfortunately I didn't have enough money on me so had to be content with the 4 CDs I could afford. Many of those early releases are now more or less impossible to find.

Because of the massive body of work, I found compiling a single disc of him wouldn't be sufficient, so I've extended this to a 2 disc collection, ranging from his first solo release to his most recent album from 2017. It could easily have been 3 or 4 discs. For me, all of his albums have been incredibly good, but my favourites are "12 O'Clock on the Dot", released in 2000, then "Rocket D.I.Y." from 2005 and "From Scotland with Love", released in 2014.

The 2nd disc was originally intended to consist of rarities, collaborations and some of the bands he's been a member of. I wasn't that happy with the end result, but a few of the rarer tracks did end up on disc 2. Maybe at a later date I'll give it another go. Info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I really hope you enjoy this 2 hour plus sojourn into the world of King Creosote, and as always... stay safe!

Disc 1:
  1. Let It Come (4:02)
  2. Happy With Our Lot (2:31)
  3. Klutz (2:10)
  4. Teapot (3:07)
  5. Home in a Sentence (2:58)
  6. Rims (4:53)
  7. An Ode to Falling Overboard (2:35)
  8. Tortoise Regrets Hare (3:35)
  9. Unaware of the Grip (5:37)
10. On the Night of the Bonfire (2:43)
11. Over the Top (1:45)
12. Not One Bit Ashamed (4:53)
13. The Minter Scale (4:26)
14. For One Night Only (4:07)
15. Mantra-Rap (2:30)
16. Sunny-Side Up (3:34)
17. Asylum Clothing (3:57)
18. Love Life (4:13)
19. Doubles Underneath (4:02)
20. Impossible to Resist (4:22)
21. This Flaw That Flaw (4:58)
22. End Underlined (2:52)

Disc 2:
  1. Home Creatures (4:59)
  2. You've No Clue Do You (3:20)
  3. Grace (5:31)
  4. The Soak (3:35)
  5. Moral Tenderhooks (3:05)
  6. Little Heart (3:00)
  7. Pie in the Sky (4:00)
  8. I Believe It's True (4:34)
  9. My Favourite Girl (5:32)
10. Saffy Nool (4:36)
11. Voices (1:52)
12. Promises (3:29)
13. Waterfall (3:45)
14. Goodbye Mrs. Hyde (3:49)
15. The Grime Reaper (1:31)
16. Dial C for Cradle (3:24)
17. Largs (3:50)
18. Give It Up (3:27)
19. Ankle Shackles (11:34)

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Vic Chesnutt - Stay Inside

 

James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, "Little", was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success did not come until 1996 with the release of "Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation", a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs. Chesnutt released 16 albums during his career, including two produced by Michael Stipe. His musical style has been described by Bryan Carroll of allmusic.com as a "skewed, refracted version of Americana that is haunting, funny, poignant, and occasionally mystical, usually all at once". Injuries from a 1983 car accident left him partially paralyzed; he used a wheelchair and had limited use of his hands.

The above quoted from Wikipedia. More info here.

I was a bit of a latecomer to Chesnutt, I'd heard the odd tune by him over the years, but only really started getting into him when I was recommended his 2005 album "Ghetto Bells". It was a good recommendation, as exposure to this album had me delving into his previous work. Some were a bit patchy, but most I found a very rewarding listen. For me his outstanding album was "North Star Deserter", released in 2007, an album I often come back to. It also contains my favourite track by him, "Everything I Say", which I end this anthology with.
For this collection I've taken tracks from 14 of his studio albums covering the years 1990 to 2009, omitting the 2 releases he recorded under the name Brute, a side project of his with members of Widespread Panic. Sadly I don't have those albums...

In these unsettling times with many of us anxious about this worldwide pandemic (plus many of us having to endure a lockdown), choosing the title of this anthology I went with the appropriately named "Stay Inside", which is also the first track on here. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. Take care everyone, hope you enjoy, and stay safe!

  1. Stay Inside (4:43)
  2. Ladle (4:03)
  3. And How (3:04) [with Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums]
  4. Square Room (4:28)
  5. Look at Me (2:22)
  6. Wrong Piano (2:54)
  7. What Do You Mean? (4:54)

  8. Philip Guston (3:25)
  9. Bad Boy Town (2:52)
10. Degenerate (4:21)
11. Marathon (5:32)
12. Preponderance (2:47) [with Mr. and Mrs. Keneipp]
13. My New Life (4:11)
14. Panic Pure (3:04)
15. Fa-La-La (5:14)
16. Little Fucker (4:26) [with Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums]
17. Bakersfield (2:24)
18. Maiden (2:56)
19. Sleeping Man (Syd Version) (4:42)
20. Everything I Say (6:52)

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David Ackles - My Name is David: Best of 1968-1973

Continuing on with artists who've never had a proper anthology released, we come to one of my favourite singer/songwriters, David Ackles. There was a proposed compilation, titled There Is a River: The Elektra Recordings, slated for release way back in 2007 but for various reasons it never saw the light of day. Comprising of the 3 albums he recorded for Elektra and a few unreleased songs, some copies were leaked before it was pulled, but as yet I've had no luck finding any. In his lifetime he only managed to release 4 albums, all of which I'd say are quite magnificent. His most celebrated is probably American Gothic, but my favourite is his debut self titled album. Whilst never getting any commercial success, many of his songs have been recorded by other artists over the years, most famously "The Road to Cairo" by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity.

My initial interest in Ackles began way back in 1977, when, aged 13 years old, I received for Christmas a hardback book called The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock. For many years this was my bible, devouring every page and reading about every artist listed within, a good deal of which I'd never heard of before. The opening section, with artists listed alphabetically, featured a small picture of Ackles and just the one paragraph detailing his recording career. But within that paragraph were the words which quite accurately described his style as "poignant, nostalgic material laced with heavy drama". It wasn't until several years later I finally did hear anything by Ackles, once again my pal Manerg was responsible for my introduction, playing me his first album. After that I was of course hooked and purchased all 4 of his albums. Speaking of Manerg, yet another shoutout for a couple of song suggestions and helping me with the cover art.
 
I have wondered how Ackles' career would had developed if he'd received the success he was denied, I'm sure there would have been plenty more excellent albums to follow. But, disillusioned by his lack of commercial success he never recorded again, and moved on to work in musical theatre and writing screenplays, eventually teaching musical theatre. Sadly he died in 1999 at the age of 62, of lung cancer.
 
 1. Ballad of the Ship of State (4:18)
 2. Down River (3:55)
 3. Cabin on the Mountain (3:29)
 4. I've Been Loved (5:07)
 5. Laissez-Faire (1:35)
 6. Midnight Carousel (3:41)
 7. Everybody Has a Story (2:05)
 8. Candy Man (4:14)
 9. Blue Ribbons (4:34)
10. Oh, California! (2:38)
11. Surf's Down (2:33)
12. Woman River (4:47)
13. What a Happy Day (2:11)
14. Montana Song (10:04)
15. Inmates of the Institution (4:26)
16. House Above the Strand (2:35)
17. His Name is Andrew (6:08)
18. Waiting for the Moving Van (3:35)
19. Jenna Saves (2:31)
20. The Road to Cairo (5:15)


Tracks 2, 5, 9, 13, 17 & 20 from the album "David Ackles", 1968
Tracks 3, 8, 12 & 15 from the album "Subway to the Country", 1970
Tracks 1, 6, 10, 14 & 18 from the album "American Gothic", 1972
Tracks 4, 7, 11, 16 & 19 from the album "Five & Dime", 1973


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