The Guitar Player
The Guitar Player
Artist: Davy
Graham
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#1 in a field of 1This is a great value album, if you are trying to fill in your collection with some Davy Graham.
Containing a monster collection of 20 tracks (in itself a justification for the purchase) you have a complete outline of why Graham exerted so much influence over his contempories.
My only gripe with the album is recorded quality about which neither you nor I can do a thing. For some reason the guitar has been recorded on the left track and the drums on the right. After a while this does tend to grate but you really need to stick with it.
The track list is awesome with Graham covering a mixture of folk, blues and jazz greats.
The seven bonus tracks include live performances and complete with the virtuoso showcase of Suite in D Minor.
Graham is only now getting the recognition he deserves as leading influence on the 60s blues and folk revival. If you really want to understand where the likes of Bert Jansch, Ralph McTell, John Renbourn and even Jimmie Page learned their chops then you have got to listen to this album.
Pye high
I still have my original purchase of this album (on the Pye ‘Golden Guinea’ label. The CD has a lot of extra tracks, including ther seminal ‘Anji’.
By today’s standards, the sound is rather dated, the line-up is basic and the recording techniques were bog-standard. But the playing - oh, the playing - it’s fantastic. As with all great players, Davy makes everything sound so effortless. With this album he virtually started the revolution in acoustic guitar playing which later became known as ‘fusion’ music …. part folk, part jazz, part blues, part world-music. Guitarists such as John Renbourne, Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson, John Martyn etc. all owe him an enormous debt. He changed the way people listened to and played acoustic guitar. This album was the starting point for so many young fans of the guitar who were able to buy such an ear-opening introduction to the future.
Sadly, after initial success, Davy hit hard times and became a recluse, but he is now back on the road.