The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes

by

Jake Holmes

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Though often footnoted by Led Zeppelin apologists for "Dazed and Confused," Holmes' long out-of-print debut album for Columbia's Tower imprint contains much more than that pilfered song. It often blurs into the more speedy, acid-drenched songs of the Byrds, the warped balladry of early John Hartford, or the sort of folk orchestrations that would be toned down and delivered with greater refinement on Nick Drake's "Bryter Layter."

Holmes is to be lauded for his daring production risks, mixing Greenwich village folk with fleeting horns, strings, and quick-fingered jazz leads. The electric bass underpinning many of the arrangements is nimble and ever-so unpredictable. The album is indeed a lost psych-folk classic, albeit one the casually aware often slight with "if it's so good why haven't I heard it" dismissal. That said, Holmes does slip into some "poor me" lyrical missteps here and there.

Quality-wise, it sounds as if the CD were mastered off of vinyl (though the liner notes indicate that the original stereo masters are lost -- thus we have the mono mix, brought back into print in an affordable budget version by itsaboutmusic.com). Considering the difficulty of hearing this music at all, this is a small hurdle to adjust to, and even lends a sepia-toned nostalgia to an album that is far more than a curio.