I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for anything on the Elektra label. I’ll give just about everything on that label a go and will always buy up when I find them in op shops.
This album wasn’t an op shop find but rather a cheap eBay win, thankfully.
I had read about Siebel before and knew the high regard (in cultist circles) he held but I approached with some trepidation because I have been let down before.
I wasn’t here.
This is beautiful music which serves as a great example of the merging of 60s folk, late 60s country rock and early 70s singer songwriter.
Biographical detail, Allmusic: “Siebel was born in 1937 in Buffalo, NY. Inspired by Hank Williams and Hank Snow, he taught himself to play guitar while in his teens. By the early '60s, after serving in the military, he began playing folk clubs, eventually moving to Greenwich Village, where he found support in the coffeehouse circuit. In 1969, a collections of demos he made with David Bromberg caught the attention of Elektra Records owner Jac Holzman, who offered a him a modest recording deal (reportedly he was only given enough money to finance four three-hour recording sessions). The resulting album, Woodsmoke and Oranges, was met with critical praise from the media, including Rolling Stone magazine. Despite the attention, the album and its equally praised follow-up, Jack-Knife Gypsy, sold disappointingly little. Aside from a live album released in 1981, Live at McCabes, Siebel hasn't released an album since”.
For a boy from Buffalo, New York I didn’t think his music would be as country as it is. Buffalo, New York hasn’t been frontier America since the time of James Fenimore Cooper I suspect (if I’m wrong forgive me Buffalo-ians).
But Siebel was into country: “I got into Jimmie Rodgers’ songs, which I thought fit very well into the folk idiom…I got to be known for doing country. No one in the folk scene was doing this, with the exception of perhaps Jack Elliott doing cowboy songs, not quite country. [The Jim] Kweskin Jug Band maybe did a little. And of course there was the Holy Modal Rounders doing it tongue-in-cheek — if you did it tongue-in-cheek it was okay, you couldn’t do it proper. I think I wanted to find a voice and a venue in the city folk scene and I used country. One of the problems I had in the ‘70s — country began becoming very popular and people approached me saying ‘Why don’t you go to Nashville?’ I was not a country singer, I did not want to go to Nashville; they could do that stuff better than I could. I would get a lot of ‘What are you doing singing country music? You’re from upstate New York!’ So if you were a banker from Georgia, you would’ve been more authentic?”
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2010/11/paul-siebel-journey-of-the-jack-knife-gypsy/
But like a lot of country lovers who have groundings elsewhere Siebel likes to play with the genre both lyrically and with melodies not associated with Nashville country. This, then, could be weird country or early alt country. It certainly is early country rock.
The recording itself has a touch of echo making it sound like a live show in a large barn with no one in the audience – perfect and probably prophetic.
But, despite the fact he Siebel is “playing” with the genre he is also, clearly, in love with it (a bit like Arlo Guthrie – though before Arlo hit his stride).
Likewise, its’ easy to suggest that the Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline” shadow hangs over this, because it does, but it’s a false shadow. It’s easy to assume Siebel was influenced by Dylan but that’s because they both happened to be into the same music and, I suspect, have similar sensibilities.
But, importantly, it seems they developed their tastes independently of each other. He takes his inspiration from Dylan’s inspirations not from Dylan himself, if you know what I mean.
I’m not knocking Dylan because he does have his slavish imitators but Siebel is a little older and seems to have arrived at the same point through his own methods, albeit slower methods.
Also Kinky Friedman, Jim Kweskin and Country Joe McDonald wouldn’t feel lost on this album.
You can also hear a lot of Phil Ochs in Siebel’s voice (wasn’t Phil on Elektra? ….that’s rhetorical) as he sings from high to low notes though, like Phil, never perfectly. This could be Phil Ochs singing country.
Again, though, Siebel has his own voice and his own vision.
I just point out that no man lives on an island.
Lyrically, Siebel tells tales of the marginalised with all their faults. Think Tom Waits doing a country album.
And that is what I get from it : stories about people on the fringes that are timeless (I hate that term as a musical description but it is accurate here). Some of these people I have met and some of the places described I have seen.
I can connect.
When I can’t connect personally doesn’t worry me as I’ve seen enough films to “transport” myself to the time and place Siebel sings about.
Either way I win.
Tracks (best in italics)
- She Made Me Lose My Blues – A great start. A bouncy joyous song where the music perfectly matches the mood of the narrator. Think Arlo Guthrie doing honkytonk.
- Miss Cherry Lane – avant-garde singer songwriter. What starts out as a standard singer songwriter goes warped with a touch of ragtime and then a crazy violin solo (by Richard Greene of Seatrain) which would do Stephane Grapelli proud before returning to relative normality. Lyrically this is one big slap down on a woman. Does this amount to misogyny? No, I think not, there are total cunts out there.
- Nashville Again – a great country song.
- Ballad of Honest Sam – another perfect country song but weird country leanings.
- Then Came the Children – I have no idea what this song is about but the imagery is vivid.
- Louise – this is a beautiful country lament, sort of like Elvis’ “Long Black Limousine” -by a person (a lady of the night) who hasn’t made it (in Elvis' song she hasmade it but comes home in a hearse). It is also quite Dylanesque circa the Band. It was covered by Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and others.
Well they all said Louise was not half bad
It was written on the walls and window shades
And how she'd act the little girl
A deceiver, don't believe her that's her trade
Sometimes a bottle of perfume,
Flowers and maybe some lace
Men brought Louise ten cent trinkets
Their intentions were easily traced
Yes and everybody knew at times she cried
But women like Louise they get by
Well everybody thought it kind of sad
When they found Louise in her room
They'd always put her down below their kind
Still some cried when she died this afternoon
Louise rode home on the mail train
Somewhere to the south I heard it said
Too bad it ended so ugly,
Too bad she had to go this way
Ah but the wind is blowing cold tonight
So good night Louise, good night
- Bride 1945 – quite a cynical song about dreams which are false. Siebel doesn’t side with any of the characters but just makes observances about a life (possibly ) wasted.
- My Town – a song reminiscent of Phil Ochs, again with vivid imagery.
- Any Day Woman – advice given to the lovelorn by the narrator…. should you stay or should you go.
- Long Afternoons – a love song per excellence. Pastoral and quite beautiful and thankfully uplifting. I like happy endings..
And …
Sorry about all the comparisons to other artists but Siebel is quite obscure so I'm just giving a point of reference though, ultimately, such comparisons do a disservice.
Siebel has his own voice and his own point of view.
And, it is an excellent and fully realised one …. I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
Are you kidding.
As if.
Sounds
http://recordlective.com/Paul_Siebel/Woodsmoke_and_Oranges/abb9f6e7-bb7e-3958-a193-db987839f643/
Miss Cherry Lane
mp3 attached
Paul Siebel – Miss Cherry Lane
Louise
mp3 attached
Others
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Review
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodsmoke_and_Oranges
http://www.allmusic.com/album/woodsmoke-and-oranges-mw0000855684
Bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Siebel
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-siebel-mn0000751117
http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/uncut-editors-diary/the-lost-genius-of-paul-siebel
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2010/11/paul-siebel-journey-of-the-jack-knife-gypsy/
Website
http://www.myspace.com/paulsiebel
Trivia
- Personnel: Paul Siebel – acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals / David Bromberg – dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar/ Weldon Myrick – pedal steel guitar/ Richard Greene – violin/ Gary White – bass / Jeff Gutcheon – organ, piano / Don Brooks – harmonica / James Madison – drums
- So why didn’t Siebel make it? Perhaps Jac Holzman's (of Elektra Records) assessment of him is right when he suggested Siebel really didn't have the ambition necessary to make it in show business. He subsequently worked as a baker and a truck driver but has since come out and played a few live shows.
