It had been some time since I looked into the list of suggested albums generated by Apple Music, and the other night I added this album, Hamilton Camp’s Paths of Victory (1964), to my queue of music to listen to. I’m a really big fan of the folk revival of the early 1960s, which is what the album appeared to be at a glance. Hamilton Camp was both an actor and a musician. Though he was originally born in London, he moved with his family to the US as a child during WWII. Camp did a lot of voice acting in a lot of different cartoons I used to watch when I was younger, which I was surprised and excited to see on his Wikipedia page in doing some brief research on him. Camp’s discography begins in 1961 with an album with Bob Gibson, another big name from the early 1960s folk revival, and his most recent album was from 2005, the year he passed away. This particular album, Paths of Victory (1964), appears to be his first solo album, and was released under the Elektra Records label. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Guess I’m Doin’ Fine” starts out with some strong, steady folksy acoustic guitar playing that reminds me a ton of Bob Gibson right away. Camp’s vocals has that sort of nasally style that reminds me a bit of Bob Dylan. I’m also reminded a little bit of Phil Ochs, though Camp’s style is a bit more upbeat. Oh wow, some really strong, flavorful, folksy harmonica comes in that again reminds me a lot of Bob Dylan’s early-to-mid 1960s. I’m really digging this track so far. I’m kind of reminded a bit of Tom Paxton as well in that same early 1960s folk style. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Girl of the North Country” starts out with some deep bass notes from what nearly sounds to be an additional bass instrument, though it could just be the bass strings of the acoustic guitar. I’m really digging this version of the Bob Dylan original. The fingerpicking of the acoustic guitar has a really flowing sound that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the harmonica comes in and brings some super sweet and folksy flavor that reminds me a bit of Dylan’s record, Blonde on Blonde (1966). Wow, great track.
“The Rubaiyat” starts out with some nearly tentative-sounding folk acoustic guitar that sort of has a rambling eastern European style that I’m really digging. Oh wow, there’s a really interesting seriousness to the vocals that complements the rambling and continually moving style of the acoustic guitar. Oh wow, the harmonica really adds some nice textures in the track as it continues along. Great track.
“Walkin’ Down the Line” starts out with a sort of bopping folksy bass line and flowing acoustic guitar line that reminds me of the folk style of the early 1960s and even the late 1950s. There’s another vocalist in this track that harmonizes along with Camp and keeps me listening continually closer. Wow, great tune.
Holy smokes, “A Satisfied Mind” starts out with some big harmonica and is followed by a fat, bass that easily moves the track along with the flowing, acoustic guitar chord progression. This track immediately gave me visions of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde (1966), and I’m listening even closer at this point. Wow, I’m really digging this track so far. The track almost has a bit of a baroque sort of cadence, but the music is continually evolving. Wow, great track.
“Pride of Man” is a song that I didn’t know wasn’t written by Quicksilver Messenger Service until tonight, as I really enjoy their version. Oh wow, this is super sweet. The cadence of the vocals has a style that reminds me of classic folk tunes along the lines of “House of the Rising Sun”, which is totally different from the rock and roll versions of the tracks. Oh wow, the final vocal line is awesome, and actually sounds like it could be from a rock and roll tune. Wow, great track.
“Get Together” starts out with a bit of twang in the acoustic guitar, which gently gets moving and flowing into a line that has a very naturesque feeling to it. Holy smokes, the hook of the song is from a popular track from the 1960s that I recognize, but couldn’t tell you the artist that played it without looking it up (it was made famous by The Youngbloods in 1967). Holy smokes, the harmonica comes in strong with more flavor that reminds me of Bob Dylan circa 1965-1966. Wow, the instrumentation seems to gradually intensify near the end before gently coming to a stop. Great track.
“Innisfree” starts out with a somewhat dark, moodier acoustic guitar chord progression that I’m really digging. I’m almost reminded a bit of a mixture of “Scarborough Fair” mixed with “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel, with a hint of the folk style of Tim Buckley circa 1967. Oh wow, I really dig the resolution of the chords at the end of the song. Great track.
“Long Time Ago” gets grooving with a fast-paced, nearly galloping acoustic guitar line that I’m really digging. Oh wow, I’m really digging the sort of relaxed, self-assured sound of the vocals in this track. The vocal melody has the same sort of cadence as Bob Dylan’s “Shelter from the Storm”, which has me listening even closer and closer as the track continues. Oh wow, a bass-y rumbling is stirred up behind by the vocals as the plucking of what sounds to be a cello comes into the track. Wow, great track.
“Only a Hobo” starts out with a classic folk acoustic guitar chord progression that I’m really digging. Oh wow, this track reminds me of a sort of blend of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel circa 1966, with a particular leaning into the early singer/songwriter style of those artists. Wow, another great track.
“Irish Poems” starts out with some bright, plucky, and gradually flowing acoustic guitar that has a bit more of a European folk sound. Oh wow, the vocals have a nearly conversational tone to them in a recitation of what seem to be sung poetry instead of lyrics to a song. Oh wow, some of the accentuated notes hint at a sort of darkness in the song, but the music keeps flowing such that it never becomes dark. Great track.
“Tomorrow Is a Long Time” begins with a somewhat mellow, fingerpicked, folksy acoustic guitar line that reminds me a bit of a combination of Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton. Oh wow, the harmonization of vocals make me think a lot of both Pete Seeger and a bit of the country and western style of Marty Robbins. Wow, great tune.
“Paths of Victory” starts out with some really bright notes from an acoustic guitar, which seem to be on another acoustic guitar from the intricate strumming of chords behind it, though it could be some super sweet fingerpicking, which is what I’m leaning towards the more I listen. Oh wow, the harmonica comes in with some strong flavors that remind me again of Bob Dylan from around 1964-1966. There’s a really traditional rambling folk style in this track that I really dig. Great track, and a great way to finish up the album.
Holy smokes, this album was great. Honestly, I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of Hamilton Camp until recently. This album is up there with some of my favorites from the American folk revival of the 1960s. Many times throughout the listening experience, I heard a lot of things that reminded me of Bob Dylan, whether it was a song originally by Dylan, the harmonica that evoked a Bob Dylan of the mid-1960s sort of sound, or even the cadence the lyrics were sung in. If you’re a fan of either the American folk revival movement of the 1960s, or you enjoy the folksier stylings of Bob Dylan from the mid-1960s, then I would recommend you check out this album. 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