Tim Hardin

Musical topics not directly related to steel guitar

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Henry Nagle
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Tim Hardin

Post by Henry Nagle »

A friend of mine loaned me a Tim Hardin cd. That guy was great! I haven't listened to anything else for days. Anyone else share an appreciation?
Henry Nagle
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Post by Henry Nagle »

While we're on the subject of semi-obscure singer songwriters... How about David Ackles?
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Jim Cohen
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Post by Jim Cohen »

I was into Tim Hardin back in the 60's in my Greenwich Village days. Loved songs like, "Misty Roses" (have fooled with that one on steel, btw...), "Don't Make Promises that You Can't Keep", and many others.

I remember one time having a relative from Europe come to town, and my brother and I were so excited to take him to hear Hardin in concert. Well, he showed up late and stoned as anything, garbled through his set, falling down, and embarassing us all. From that point forward, the bloom was off the rose, and I abandoned my interest in him. But he was a fine songwriter and his records were good.
Chip Fossa
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Post by Chip Fossa »

Here are some of his classics: "Reason To Believe"; "If I Were A Carpenter"; "Lady Came From Baltimore"; "Black Sheep Boy".

Bobby Darin did a version of "If I Were A Carpenter" and loved Hardin so much that he turned around and wrote a song in that kind of genre [of the time], "Simple Song Of Freedom", which Tim promptly recorded.

I saw TH at the real Woodstock in 1969 and it was, I think, his last performance as he OD'd soon thereafter. Too bad.

cf
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Bill McCloskey
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Post by Bill McCloskey »

Tim Hardin was supposed to be the first act at Woodstock but was too messed up to go on so they put Richie Havens up there first and Tim was supposed to relieve him. He couldn't so the just kept Richie up there. The last song he did, which was such a hit, Motherless Children, was completely improvised since Richie had run through his repetroire . On the expanded version of the Woodstock DVD, there is backstage footage of Tim completely wasted.

Reminds of the late great Townes Van Zandt, who was also a brilliant song writer whose alchohol abuse when I knew him back in the early 80's was difficult for those of us who knew him at that time. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 03 April 2005 at 05:29 PM.]</p></FONT>
Ian McLatchie
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Post by Ian McLatchie »

"I saw TH at the real Woodstock in 1969 and it was, I think, his last performance as he OD'd soon thereafter. Too bad."

Hmm, sounds like one of those 1960s' consciousness-expanded, memory- diminished recollections, Chip. Tim Hardin actually lived until 1980, and released, I think, another four albums after Woodstock (several others were issued posthumously). For the most part, those later records show the ravages of drugs; one (Painted Head) doesn't even have any orginal material. The 1971(?) album Bird on a Wire, however, although not uniformly good, does contain some extraordinarily fine material, including a remarkable version of Georgia on My Mind arranged by Joe Zawinul. There's also a lovely reading of Satisfied Mind with Bill Keith on pedal steel.

I understand there's a very good live album that came out after his death, but I've never heard it. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 03 April 2005 at 05:35 PM.]</p></FONT>
Chip Fossa
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Post by Chip Fossa »

Thanks Ian, for the correction. I've been messing up lately on some other 'recalls'
as well. This is not a good sign, but I'm living with it.
I guess the 60's were that good. Image

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Tony Palmer
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Post by Tony Palmer »

Sure, I bought his album and liked the same songs Chip listed as my favorites.
All those folksingers from that era influenced me, like Bob Dylan of course, Tom Paxton, Dave VanRonk, Mimi and Richard Farina, Jim Kweskin...whew! Memory lane....
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Post by Ian McLatchie »

Good list, Tony. One name I think really deserves to be added is Paul Siebel. He recorded only two albums of original material, Woodsmoke and Oranges (1970) and Jack-Knife Gypsy (1971), plus a live album in 1978. His songs - "Louise" and "Spanish Johnny" are maybe the best known - have been covered by everyone from Waylon Jennings to Bonnie Raitt, but as a singer he's still largely unknown. Too bad, because he's a wonderful interpreter of his own songs, with a voice somewhere between Bob Dylan and John Prine. Plus, the studio albums have an exceptional crew of backup players, including Weldon Myrick and David Bromberg (the live album features Bromberg and Gary White). All three albums are available in reissue, and are really worth picking up.
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Rick Schmidt
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Post by Rick Schmidt »

I saw Tim Hardin years ago in Boulder Colorado. He had Emmett Chapman playing in his band with a prototype "Chapman Stick". I remember being knocked out by both of those guys.