Τρίτη 3 Μαρτίου 2009

Steve Noonan - Steve Noonan(1968 Electra Records EKS 74017) (US,Folk '68)


Steve Noonan: Steve Noonan - Elektra EKS 74017 (Stereo) - Released: 1968
A touch of mystery about this one. There are no producer or engineer credits ... not even the normally ever-present production supervisor tag for Jac. There is a photo on the back of the sleeve by Linda Eastman however.
Steve was a friend of Jackson Browne, and some of Browne's songs are used on this album. At about this time there were plans for a Jackson Browne album on Elektra, but it didn't happen.

(from Elektra ‘Master’ Discography)
Coming out of the same late-'60s Orange County singer-songwriter scene that spawned Tim Buckley and Jackson Browne (who writes or co-writes five songs here), Steve Noonan recorded his sole album for Elektra in 1968, and it remains a lost minor classic of the genre, boasting a brace of good songs augmented with arty touches that are definitely reminiscent of Buckley. Noonan also lends extensive quotes to the notes, too...a 'Collectors' Choice Music' exclusive! Includes 'Leaning Back and Laughing; Tide of Love; She's a Flying Thing; Back Alley Dream Street Song; All Your Flowers; Tumble Down; Street Singer; The Painter; Shadow Dream Song; Buy for Me the Rain', and 'Trusting Is a Harder Thing'.
An early contemporary of Jackson Browne, Steve Noonan managed to beat Browne to the record racks with his 1968 self-titled album for Elektra, which had four Browne songs and one Noonan-Browne effort. Unfortunately, Noonan never even made another album, while Browne, although he had to wait until the 1970s to make his LP debut, became a big star.

Goofin' with JB in Echo Park (scotty - for a dancer - took this pic)
To be callous, there are reasons for this. Noonan's sole album contained pleasant, arty folk-rock-pop tunes that were somewhat reminiscent of those by fellow Elektra artist and Southern Californian Tim Buckley, but not nearly as outstanding. A greater problem was that Noonan's vocals were pretty thin and expressionless, making one wonder if he might have been better suited to remain a songwriter whose work was interpreted by others.

Jackson Browne, Tuli Kupferberg, Stefan Grossman, and Steve Noonan, 1967
In the mid-'60s, Noonan had been hailed by the Los Angeles magazine Cheetah as one of the "Orange County Three," a trio of singer/songwriters from the area to watch out for. One of the other three, Jackson Browne, became a superstar; the other, Tim Buckley, became one of the most esteemed cult rock singers of all time. Noonan, in contrast, is barely remembered at all. He did co-write a small hit single for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, "Buy Me for the Rain," with Greg Copeland in 1967, prior to his solo recording debut. Copeland, indeed, figured strongly in the Steve Noonan album, co-writing five of its songs with .Noonan, Copeland, and Browne were obviously tight in those days, as Copeland also did some co-writing with Browne, as on "The Fairest of the Seasons," which was recorded in the late '60s by Nico. It was to little avail for Noonan's commercial prospects, however, as his album must have sold little, judging by how hard it is to locate a copy today.
@^V^@

in this video montage long time friend of Jackson Browne singer/songwriter Steve Noonan gives a live (audio only)performance from 1974 of his hit song co written with Greg Copeland for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Buy For Me The Rain". features clips of Jackson Browne...


Back cover of the Elektra LP 1968 - Photo taken by Linda Eastman (would be McCartney)

Like several low-selling 1960s folk-rock albums on the Elektra label (as with another self-titled 1968 LP, Eclection, by an artist who only put out one full-length recording), it has escaped reissue in the CD age. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Very young and trying to look (and sound) like Bob (as so many others were at the time) 1965-6
Thanx to steve for pics :Steve Noonan on MySpace Music
enjoy!
(and dont forget to buy the new album)

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2 σχόλια:

MIKE MUSIC LOVER είπε...

One of my favorite folk singer !!!

zico είπε...

That was surely one of the very few records i was looking up to. Jackson Browne is my favourite, still living artist, and from what i read he was a pal of his and a special very similar singer-songwriter himself. So this is something i'm longing to listen to. Once more many thanks you and ευχαριστώ πολύ on the way....