Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Bobbie Gentry (Composer, Guitar, Vocals)
Arranged by Jimmie Haskel & Shorty Rogers
1 LP, standard sleeve
Limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Pure Pleasure Records
Original Label : Capitol
Tracks :
2. I Saw an Angel Die
3. Chickasaw County Child
4. Sunday Best
5. Niki Hoeky
1. Papa, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You?
2. Bugs
3. Hurry, Tuesday Child
4. Lazy Willie
5. Ode To Billie Joe
"As usual, the Pallas pressing is exceptional -- free from artifacts and quiet to the very depths of the groove. Pure Pleasure has the most wide-ranging catalog among reissue labels, and this album is right at home with other off-the-beaten-track titles." - Marc Mickelson, www.theaudiobeat.com
« Gentry's debut LP, which went to number one on the pop charts, was a promising but not wholly satisfying disc, with the singer penning all but one of the songs. Inevitably, the title track dwarfed everything else by comparison, but a greater problem was that several of the other tunes recycled variations of the "Ode to Billie Joe" riff. On the other hand, "Mississippi Delta" is gloriously tough, throaty swamp rock; few other women pop singers have sounded as raw. Other good cuts were "I Saw an Angel Die," an effective mating of Gentry's country-blues guitar riffs and low-key orchestration, and the jazz waltz-timed "Papa, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You." Her vocals are poised and husky throughout the record, on which she was definitely on the right track -- one that she was quickly diverted from, into more MOR-oriented sounds. » AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
Gentry's first 1967 album is a masterpiece, it's a simple as that. An album of hauntingly beautiful songs penned by Bobbie herself bar one track. The album is an uncluttered, straight down the line collection of smoky voiced gems, mostly with the simplest guitar accompaniment, but with a quirky, almost psychedelic twist on each track. The album is in a very similar vein and feel to Rodiguez'sstunning Cold fact which came out three years later, and side by side you would imagine the later album may have been inspired by Bobbie's seminal Ode To Billy Joe. This album can also easily compare with Dusty's In Memphis for it's sheer intimacy and soulful feel and is certainly in the same league musically.
After this first album, Bobbie moved into a more MOR groove, which in a way makes this such a stand out and important album. Very, very highly recommended especially as it has now been re-mastered at Abbey Road by Sean Magee.