Mike’s Unaccompanied

Sorry to take so long with this. I’ve found it to be the most difficult topic we’ve treated so far, and have finally resolved to just put a choice but almost random selection of ten cuts from hundreds of possibilities. I like what Brent did, and restricted my list to what could be considered “folk” (Nina Simone is a self-described folk artist and I agree), adding a few favorite solo jazz albums as an appendix. I’ve already named unaccompanied tracks on a lot of prior lists, so you won’t be surprised by many of these or the artists named.

Soon after I selected this topic, I also came to realize that a lot of the songs that I thought were unaccompanied performances, aren’t. For example, I forgot about the haunting cello accompaniment on “Spencer the Rover (Spotify),” from the Sunday’s Child album. I went ahead and included it because he performed it solo live throughout his career, and hey, you all are cheating too! For the most part, I am sticking with unaccompanied studio cuts and albums. There’s something very intimate about these.

Songs

1. Nina Simone–Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair. (Spotify)

2. Martin Carthy–Davy Lowston

3. Dave Van Ronk–Dink’s Song

4. Joni Mitchell–The River

5. Bob Dylan–Moonshiner (Spotify). A lot of these songs are about the vocals. This is probably my favorite vocal performance of all time.

6. Michael Hedges–Aerial Boundaries

7. Anne Briggs–Lowlands

8. Richard Buckner–Settled Down (Spotify)

9. John Martyn–Spencer the Rover

10. Kevin Coyne–Marjory Razor Blade

Albums

Nick Drake–Pink Moon. I think I’ve said it before, but it is hard for me to imagine these tunes with any accompaniment beyond what’s there. It cannot be improved upon, each and every song from the album so personal.

Leo Kottke–Greenhouse. Especially “Spanish Entomologist” (in part because of the effortless quotes of Hank Williams’ Jambalaya and a couple of other songs I can’t place), “Song of the Swamp“, and one of his all-time great vocal songs, “Louise“.

Loudon Wainwright III–A Live One (“Motel Blues“)

Mike’s Bs

Songs (in no particular order)

1. Carla Bley—”3/4“
2. Brothers Johnson—”Strawberry Letter #23“
3. Tony Bennett—”I Left My Heart in San Francisco“
4. Bon Iver—”Flume“
5. The Bee Gees—”Nights on Broadway“
6. Bonnie Prince Billy—”I See a Darkness“
7. Johnny Burnette—”Train Kept a Rollin’“
8. Beck—”Lonesome Tears“
9. Anne Briggs—”Go Your Way“
10. Kate Bush—“Mother Stands for Comfort”
11. David Bowie—“Heroes”
12. Toni Braxton—“Un-Break My Heart”
13. Lindsay Buckingham—“Surrender the Rain”
14. Buffalo Springfield—“Mr. Soul”
15. Buzzcocks—“Everybody’s Happy Nowadays”
16. The Byrds–“What’s Happening?“

Albums (in no particular order)

1. The Beatles—White Album
2. Kenny Baker—Plays Bill Monroe (“Lonesome Moonlight Waltz“, “Brown County Breakdown“,  “Jerusalem Ridge“). Totally transcends genre, but “progressive rock” works as well as “bluegrass” as a genre descriptor.
3. Richard Buckner—Bloomed (“Desire“, “Blue and Wonder“). One of the great guitar records of all-time, no percussion on the album, just a whole bunch of acoustic strings that makes you wonder why anyone country bothers with drums, a voice that resonates in your bones, and lyrics as true as anything this side of Dylan.
4. Anthony Braxton—Willisau Quartet (not online)
5. Tim Berne—Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) (not online)
6. Harry Belafonte—Swing Dat Hammer (“Bald Headed Woman“). As far from the light calypso/pop confectionary that dominated his career as you can get. Here are classic and incredibly obscure chain-gang and work songs. Tender, delicate and sensitive (Diamond Joe, Another Man Done Gone) to impassioned and powerful (Rocks and Gravel), Belafonte sings with incredible sensitivity or strength throughout, a perfect setting for his remarkable voice. Soul shattering.
7. Black Sabbath—Paranoid (“Fairies Wear Boots“)
8. Jack Bruce—Harmony Row (“Can You Follow?“, “Escape to the Royal Wood (on Ice)“, “Folk Song“)
9. Beach Boys—Smile (“Surf’s Up“)
10. David Byrne—Music for The Knee Plays (“Tree“, “In the Future“)

November Recommendation

I’m an avid collector of traditional folk songs. Somehow this old sea shanty had escaped me until I heard it on the Shirley and Dolly Collins album Anthems in Eden, the first side of which is as close to perfection as anything in my collection. This Anne Briggs acapella version is just about as lovely and as far away from a call and response sea shanty as you can imagine. All I want for Christmas this year, or more realistically, before I die, is for one of my children (or both!) to sing me this or another folk song of their choosing, acapella.