David Blue is another musician I learned about the other night when i first learned of Paul Siebel. Blue was a folk singer-songwriter, who was part of the folk scene in Greenwich Village alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton, to name a few. Blue was also an actor for a bit beginning in the mid-1970s, but Blue’s life was cut short due to a heart attack while jogging in 1982 at the age of 41. Blue had made about 8 records during his lifespan, beginning in 1965 up until 1976. This particular album, These 23 Days In September (1968), is his third record, which was released under the Reprise Records label. According to the Discogs page for this record, this album might fall under the folk rock category. I’m a pretty big fan of a lot of artists that came up through that Greenwich Village scene, so I’m stoked to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Oh wow, “These 23 Days In September” starts off with some super pleasant folk acoustic guitar that immediately makes me think of Bert Jansch. Holy smokes, a second guitar comes into the soundscape and seems accentuate the original acoustic guitar with lines that really remind me a lot of the British folk stylings of Bert Jansch. Wow, this is sweet. There’s almost a sort of mysterious sound in the soundscape. Holy smokes, the piano comes into the soundscape to add some super interesting flavors and accentuations to the tune. Wow, this is one groovy folk tune. One might even say that there’s a bit of a psychedelic influence in the arrangement of the tune, especially as certain strings seem to buzz and drone into the aether of the song, much like a sitar might. Wow, great track and a great way to start this album; I’m looking forward to hearing more.
Holy smokes, “Ambitious Anna” switches up the feel almost immediately and now almost sounds like some sort of tropical or island-inflected Gordon Lightfoot track; the tropical sounding percussion has a really groovy and upbeat sound, while the different acoustic guitars seem to echo and further that feeling. Holy smokes, the harmonica comes on and really seems to add an extradimensional layer to the soundscape. Oh wow, this tune really gets a-groovin’ by the end. Great tune.
Oh wow, “You Need a Change” starts out with a nearly folk meets 1965 pop sort of sound between the quick, staccato’d chops of the electric guitar alongside the jangling acoustic guitar. Oh wow, the bass guitar really bops the tune along nicely, while the tambourine adds even more jangliness to the soundscape. Holy smokes, it sounds like there are some pedal steel guitars adding some tasty country flavor, especially with the country-like howls of the vocals at times. Oh wow, the guitar solo is super twangy and super groovy. The tune nearly reminds of Gene Clark at this point. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “The Grand Hotel” starts out with some super pleasant and sweet folksy acoustic guitar, with vocals that remind me a bit of Bob Dylan from about the same time period. Oh wow, the bass guitar comes on and seems to add a bit of a country flavor with the slow bopping style of the bass line; I’m really digging this sound. Oh wow, it sounds like some chords come in from a harpsichord to add some sweet, interesting, and bright accentuations in the soundscape. Wow, super sweet track.
Oh wow, “The Sailor’s Lament” starts out with some ominous keys, which seem to cue to in the song itself. Oh wow, there’s a bit of a melancholic start to the tune with the slow piano intro and vocals, which changes up to a bit of a cheerier folk) rockin’ groove for the chorus. Oh wow, the back and forth between the different keys is super interesting during the bridge, and has a really flavorful contrast between the classical sounding piano and the medieval-meets-modern sound of the electric keyboard (possibly an electric harpsichord?). Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “You Will Come Back Again” starts out with such a flavorful feeling of folksy resolution between the earthy acoustic guitar and the warm yet bright sounding piano. Blue’s vocals seems to continually descend in a manner that almost has a waltz-like 3/4 feel to it. Oh wow, the electric guitar comes on for a moment and adds a bit of a nearly country sound with the bright twangy sound. Oh wow, the final outro of the tune is super sweet, and sort of returns to that resolving feeling from the intro. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Scales for a Window Thief” has such a sweet, gentle acoustic guitar at the beginning, playing some folksy lines that gradually get the soundscape flowing along. Blue’s vocals really remind me a lot of Gene Clark again in this one. Oh wow, the beat comes on strong, especially compared to the acoustic guitar in the tune. Holy smokes, the tune seems to break through as the piano comes on and the soundscape intensifies a lot for the chorus. Oh wow, the tune has gradually paced itself to the chorus again while slowing building momentum in the meantime, and seemingly resolving some of that momentum and redirecting it to be used even further into the tune. During the chorus, Blue’s vocals nearly pick up a kaleidoscopic effect as well, creating a super sweet sound in the process. Great track.
“Slow and Easy” starts out exactly as you might guess based off of the song’s title. The acoustic guitar lines combined with the piano lines nearly sound as though someone is playing a flavorful folk tune alongside a music box of sorts. Oh wow, I think I might be hearing a second acoustic guitar, or possibly an even smaller stringed instrument such as a mandolin, which is adding flavorful accentuations to the soundscape. Holy smokes, the sound when everything comes together at the start of the last chorus in the tune is super flavorful. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “The Fifth One” starts out with a massive bass line that makes the tune feel like it’s about to get rockin’ and a-rollin’ everywhere, and the piano quickly echoes this sentiment as it comes on with some rollicking licks. Oh wow, the electric guitar actually has some distortion in this tune, which really makes the tune (and album) sound even more dynamic and rockin’ than before. Wow, great tune and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album was a super sweet listening experience. If you’re into folk artists from that Greenwich Village scene, and are also a fan of someone like Gene Clark, you might want to consider checking out this album. There sound throughout is quite balanced, seemingly verging on an overt folk rock sound on many occasions before electrifying for the final track. Though there were some commonalities between artists like Gene Clark or Bob Dylan, the overall sound seems to be presented with originality. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A