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Drawn from his first three albums, this compilation provides a lengthy overview of the early (1969-1971) career of Keith Christmas, although the first of those three albums (1969's Stimulus) is only very lightly sampled. Indeed, just one song from Stimulus is here; the rest is drawn from 1970's Fable of the Wings and 1971's Pigmy, with the addition of a previously unreleased live 1969 recording of a tune from Stimulus, "I Know You Can't Lose." It documents a hard-to-get-ahold-of British folk-rock singer/songwriter who had his moments of interest, but was something of an also-ran in the genre. His compositions were on the vague and rambling side; his voice thin and high, his pitch wavering; and the arrangements sometimes pedestrian, occasionally going on for way too long. This makes him seem worse than he is, perhaps; he had a likable well-meaning earnestness and was an accomplished acoustic guitarist, the material sometimes bearing slight similarity to the less traditional-influenced British folk-rockers of the period, like Al Stewart and Donovan. Some of the better numbers have a winding, Baroque delicacy that is lightly reminiscent of Tim Buckley in spots, and arranger Robert Kirby (best known for his collaborations with Nick Drake) added some nice string and choral arrangements on parts of Pigmy. Yet while the tunes have some of British folk-rock's better hallmarks, like pastoral wistfulness and a facility for appealing bittersweet melodies, they're not as striking as the best works in the genre.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1969 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Sandy Roberton, Producer - Keith Christmas, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
Drawn from his first three albums, this compilation provides a lengthy overview of the early (1969-1971) career of Keith Christmas, although the first of those three albums (1969's Stimulus) is only very lightly sampled. Indeed, just one song from Stimulus is here; the rest is drawn from 1970's Fable of the Wings and 1971's Pigmy, with the addition of a previously unreleased live 1969 recording of a tune from Stimulus, "I Know You Can't Lose." It documents a hard-to-get-ahold-of British folk-rock singer/songwriter who had his moments of interest, but was something of an also-ran in the genre. His compositions were on the vague and rambling side; his voice thin and high, his pitch wavering; and the arrangements sometimes pedestrian, occasionally going on for way too long. This makes him seem worse than he is, perhaps; he had a likable well-meaning earnestness and was an accomplished acoustic guitarist, the material sometimes bearing slight similarity to the less traditional-influenced British folk-rockers of the period, like Al Stewart and Donovan. Some of the better numbers have a winding, Baroque delicacy that is lightly reminiscent of Tim Buckley in spots, and arranger Robert Kirby (best known for his collaborations with Nick Drake) added some nice string and choral arrangements on parts of Pigmy. Yet while the tunes have some of British folk-rock's better hallmarks, like pastoral wistfulness and a facility for appealing bittersweet melodies, they're not as striking as the best works in the genre.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 01:18:44
- Main artists: Keith Christmas
- Label: Castle Communications
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
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