Judee Sill - Heart Food (2LP, 45 RPM)
Judee Sill - guitar, vocals, music arrangement
Chris Ethridge - bass
Bill Plummer - bass
Jim Gordon - drums
Emil Richards - percussion
Bobbye Hall - percussion
Doug Dillard - banjo
Buddy Emmons - pedal steel guitar
Lynn Blessing - vibraphone
Louie Shelton - guitar
Spooner Oldham - keyboards
Gene Cipriano - saxophone
Richard Perissi - French horn
Vincent DeRosa - French horn
Jesse Ehrlich - cello
Ray Kelley - cello
Assa Drori - violin
Ronald Folsom - violin
Harris Goldman - violin
William Kurasch - violin
Leonard Malarsky - violin
Ralph Schaeffer - violin
Tibor Zelig - violin
David Schwartz - viola
Carolyn Willis - vocals
Oma Drake - vocals
Gloria Jones - vocals
Composed, arranged and orchestrated by Judee Sill
1LP, Old style "Tip On" gatefold jacket printed by Stoughton on heavy stock, 4-page booklet glued into gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g Dead Quiet vinyl
Vinyl color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Intervention Records
Original Label : A&M Records
Engineered by Henry Lewy
Produced by Henry Lewy, Judee Sill
Mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Originally released in 1973
Reissued in 2017
Tracks:
Side A:
- There's A Rugged Road
- The Kiss
Side B:
- The Pearl
- Down Where The Valleys Are Low
- The Vigilante
Side C:
- Soldier Of The Heart
- The Phoenix
- When The Bridegroom Comes
Side D:
- The Donor
- "Jig"
Reviews :
« The second album Judee Sill made proved to be her last. This brief though enjoyable outing took its toll on Sill -- a notoriously slow songwriter -- during its making, turning her back to her recently kicked heroin addiction and away from the desire to create more music. Instead of using an outside arranger for the strings (as she did on her previous album), Sill did all of the work herself. Her lack of formal training and the immense amount of orchestral overdubs certainly would have made such an outing a hardship for anyone. The album doesn't suffer much from its sometimes syrupy exterior, though -- the songs are almost as strong as any of those from her debut. To wit, Heart Food suffers only in comparison to its predecessor; otherwise, it's a stellar example of the kind of singer/songwriter fare the music industry was mining in the early '70s. The supporting cast of top L.A. studio musicians solidifies Sill's unique brand of country-flavored pop, which moves from introspective meanderings to loping rock, often within a single song. [This edition of the album contains bonus tracks.] » AllMusic Review by Alex Stimmel
"With strings, a wide range of instruments, and vocal overdubs, Heart Food has several layers, so it runs the risk of becomming congested, but the Intervention LP, mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio and pressed at RTI, sounds remarkably open and spacious, the warm sonics a perfect match for such heartfelt music." - Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound
"This sequel to her eponymous debut would be the last released in her lifetime. If you fell in love with her music because of it, Heart Food will increase your sadness at her demise. Released in 1973, it enhanced her reputation with material left over from the first album, but re-recorded for this set, while stand-out tracks from this eloquent, elegiac singer-songwriter include "The Kiss" and "There's A Rugged Road", both oft-covered. Behind her were stellar musicians including Chris Etheridge on bass, drummer Jim Gordon, bluegrass deity Doug Dillard on banjo, and Buddy Emmons on pedal stell guitar. Yes, this is another masterpiece." Hi-Fi News
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.73 / 5 , The Absolute Sound : 4/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics , Hi-Fi News : Sound Quality 90%