Now it's time for a very, and I mean very rare, and also one of the most beautiful rock albums I have heard in a while. I think this album might top some of my posts. On request from STUMPYBOB folks, "Stumbledown Dancer" was the only solo album by the late soulful Scottish musician and bassist "James Dewar" of "Robin Trower Band" fame, and recorded this album throughout the 70's, but was not released till the mid-90's. Opening up with a strong rendition of "Out Of Time" and later with an exquisite and the joyful "Hosanna", this album will make you feel uplifted and wanting more. Well just put it on repeat. Well just put it on REPEAT. I don't need to say that again, do I? So do the right thing and grab this album of a lifetime here folks. I wouldn't be sharing this if I didn't think it was worth at least 20 listens. And STUMPYBOB, good on ya' for requesting a cracking album. I seem to get the best requests at RARE MP3!
01. Out Of Time (3:10)
02. Goodbye Love (3:52)
03. Stumbledown Romancer (4:10)
04. Bright Lights (3:25)
05. Hosanna (3:20)
06. Loves Melody (3:08)
07. Sands Of Time (3:23)
08. Heartbeat (2:52)
09. Lay Down The Night (3:40)
10. Dance With Me (3:42)
11. Nature Child (3:57)
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34 comments:
Thanks , very enjoyable album to listen to.
i'd forgotton all about this album - great post
thanks . . a forgotten voice who doesn't get his due!
From the Procol Harum website some background.
"As you know, Matthew first met Robin Trower when they were in Procol Harum together, back in 1967. When Robin left PH to form his own trio, Matthew had already left to become an independent producer, and Rob asked Matthew to produce the Trower band's first three albums (Twice Removed from Yesterday, Bridge of Sighs and For Earth Below).
The Trower Band's line up at this time was:
Robin Trower: Guitar
James Dewar: Bass Guitar / Lead Vocals
Reg Isadore: Drums (later, Bill Lordan: Drums:
Jimmy's rich and expressive singing blended perfectly with Robin's guitar, sounding raw and bluesy or warm and soulful as the material required, and the band became hugely successful, especially in America, with Robin and Jimmy co-writing much of the band's material.
As a result of this success, Chrysalis commissioned Jimmy to record a solo album, which would contain material of a more mainstream / romantic kind, which was not suitable for inclusion on any of the Trower Band albums, and Jimmy asked Matthew to produce it.
This worked out very well, because at that time Jimmy and his family were living just round the corner from Matthew, so the album was recorded in the relaxed and friendly surroundings of Matthew's home studio.
The musicians on the album include: James Dewar, Matthew Fisher, Peter van Hooke and Bill Lordan, plus John Allair, David Hayes, John Platania and Dahoud Shar (from Van Morrison's Caledonian Express), and super session men Mo Foster and Dave Mattacks.
The result is an attractive mixture of original songs (including one new Dewar / Trower composition and three Dewar / Fisher numbers) and a few old favourites by Buddy Holly, Lieber / Stoller and the Rolling Stones.
Unfortunately, after that nothing happened, because Chrysalis never got around to releasing the album, so the tapes lay forgotten and neglected in their archives.
Sadly, a few years ago, Jimmy went into hospital for a minor operation, and when he came out it was obvious that he had suffered some kind of brain damage (possibly triggered by the anaesthetic). This proved difficult to diagnose and treat, and Jimmy now needs full-time care. [He died on 16 May 2002]. However, his long-term memory is still very good, and he can remember recording this
album.
Chrysalis is now under new management, and they recently got out the tapes of Jimmy's album, listened to it, and decided they liked it and wanted to release it as a tribute to him, as one of the major artistes who helped to build up the label in its early days.
Matthew personally supervised the cutting of the CD master, and the sound quality is superb. The art department have come up trumps with some really good photos of Jimmy, and everyone at Chrysalis has taken a tremendous amount of care and trouble to ensure that this CD is superbly produced and presented.
Naturally, Jimmy and his family are delighted to see this album released at long last, and the staff at Jimmy's hospital all like it, too. In fact, all the people who have heard it have enjoyed it, but everyone seems to have a different favourite track, so it seems there is something to appeal to all tastes.
As you can imagine, it is very difficult for Chrysalis to market a CD when the artist is not able to go out and promote it with live shows, interviews, etc.. What Jimmy needs is to have his music played on the radio, so if any fans decide to buy the CD (or even if they don't!) it would help enormously if they would write / Fax / telephone their favourite radio station and keep on
asking them to play it.
One suggestion: Towards Christmas, perhaps people would like to send in radio requests for the track called Hosanna, because this was intended to be the 'Christmas single', and it could become a popular and seasonal anthem if enough people hear it!"
Absolutely incredible album. You just want to listen over and over. Great mix of covers and original stuff but Hosanna is clearly the highlight followed by Out Of Time. The real crime is he never did any other solo stuff. Snap this up and enjoy it!
As Roddus wrote elsewhere, some albums are deservedly rare. This is not one of them. It's beautiful, easy to listen to and I will surely buy it and put it next to Chris Rea's Road To Hell album.
Thanks, C.
thanks for details---my being a big Matthew Fisher fan decided me to try this. [If you dont know MF's 1st solo album JOURNEYS END you are missing a great one!]
Dahoud Shar the superb drummer happened to also appear on CHRYSALIS' sole album 'DEFINITION'
Thanks Benny,
It is a great album like you say ;]
Enjoy
C.
Anon,
He has got his due here at RARE MP3 ...
Chuntao
Jake,
Many thanks for all the extra info. Some of my readers might appreciate this and also appreciate the album also.
Good luck
C.
jb,
You are totally right there. I think 20 times would be an understatement in the amount of times you should listen to it.
A timeless classic which you will never get tired of.
Thanks for your visit and comments jb.
Drop by soon
Chuntao
Yes Leo,
This album should be up there with the best of them and rare can mean excellent a lot of the time...
C.
ge,
I took your advice and decided to try out Matthew Fisher. Thanks a tonne my friend. Lovely piece of work.
Don't you just hear remnants of 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' throughout both albums ge?
C.
Thanks a lot for this one!
whiter shades...
you may or not know re the legal maneuverings undergone in recent years by Fisher to retroactively credit himself as a writer of that HUGEST of hits [listen closely to cut 2 for his earlier take on the situation; + his ire in some other songs seems directed at old pals-collaborators likely with initials GB]---after all PALE'S distinctive hooky Bachlike Hammond parts were his own invention.
Well, he won the day in court but then lost it again in appeal! For details see
http://www.matthewfisher.com/
Hi mp3, greetz from Brazil;
Great album;
Robin Trower band is a wonderful band, so it is natural that to one of its members made a solo album so good, thank you for the rare opportunity to hear it.
Congratulations for your excellent work; I would like to know if there is a section for requests, or if I can make requests in the comment section.
God bless you; cheers!
A nice album to while away some time.
Rhod
Hmm intersting points you make there,
Wasn't aware of the machinations of this track and its' ownership rights. I thought when you are in a band everything is unilateral especially if you have any played any active part in the creative process. Oh well . That is a shame ge that a classic has to be fought over like this.
Thanks also for the xtra info and will a point of reading it further.
Chow for now
Chuntao
'Ola nelwizard.
If u r saying gr8 blog etc and want requests also, I suggest that you put them in separate comments. I will not or do my best not to publish rare requests until i have found them. Ok
good luck and hope to hear frxom you soon
PS ge,
I noticed the psychedelicobscurities blog has posted the 60's folky album Chrysalsis that you mentioned earlier. It is an old post but the link is still active, in case you don't have it.
C.
Rhod,
I feel nice is an understatement; cracking, beautiful, brilliant, addictive are only a few that I can think of. Nice is just ordinary. This album is definitely not ordinary.
Chuntao
Chun:
here's my review of the album from RYM:
A book could be written about this sole CHRYSALIS album; a richness, density, spirits-of-place and quirky autobiography inform its deep satisfying grooves unlike any album you've likely ever heard...
I bought it new in high school, where it inhabited a special though not obsessively-played place. By '70s/ college, I felt the urge to write a card to the great PHONOGRAPH RECORD MAGAZINE [r.i.p.], seeing if anyone there knew of what Spider might have done since....They didn't; I was baffled how such a special talent could go unnoticed, unfollowed-up!
In New York in the 80s I brought it to a friend's social-hub loft and there it got swallowed up and lost; so I searched long to find a replacement [successfully]. Then I bugged a collector-pal I know to burn me a copy from his ok vinyl; soon, in a comments section to Britain's SHINDIG review, a US fan waxed how he had found a noiseless gem and made a pristine CD copy, which he was kind enough to share with me gratis-- just about the time the extra-cuts CD came out, Hallelujah!
Seek it out, live with it, it's a rare butterfly, it's a hell of a novel, and there was no follow-up. "Love is but to play with a girl like a toy..."
[perhaps too off-topic to post here,--if so dont show it but i didnt know how else to share!]
The more I listen to this, the bigger my amazement at how his voice is so full of pathos and yet never trips over into being pathetic.
Always liked 'Out Of Time', always thought the Stones could have entered the Eurovision Song Contest with it. And won!
Thence, Leo
The thing is you are listening to it more Leo. More or less yeh. This is a good thing ;]
As a long time Procol fan (I attended one of Matt's last concerts with the old testament band in the 60s), this is quite a revelation. Hearing the familiar Hammond/synth coupled with Dewar's great vocals was like traveling back to the "good old days" once again. Thank you for this amazing post.
Hey Anon,
Good to hear from ya. And that it brings back good memories. Yes there are highlights of whiter shades within it and is quite beautiful.
You are very welcome and is one of my new favorite albums.
Drop by soon Anon
Chuntao
Very Keen to hear this being a huge fan of Mr Dewars singing with the Robin Trower Band. I never knew he had recorded a solo album. Thanks for putting this up. Keep up the good work folks.
thanx. what a very nice album
Although it's a bit late (on my part), Thanks So Much for Findin & Postin the Jimmy Dewar. Although the production of these tracks are a bit too slick in comparison to the Trower stuff, Jimmy is still one of my Top Ten RnR Voices of All-Time. Anything yer looking for yourself, Id be happy to return the favor. SBOB/USA robbybbee@sbcglobal.net
Thanks for sharing this and all the other excellent stuff. I finally had time to sit down and listen to some of all the rare albums I've gotten here and elsewhere on the interweb. This one is one of the best.
One of the best voices in Rock.
The first concert I ever saw was Robin Trower, and James' voice was just as important to the band as the guitarwork. I am very happy to have found this!
The album was actually released in 2000 and only 2000 copies were made.I was with Jimmy whe CHRYSALIS called him about releasing the album..
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