Various - Milk of the Tree

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 18 / 7 / 2017

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Review

With Ace Records cornering the market for 1960's female Beat/pop with a handful of recently released compilations it’s left to Grapefruit, one of the Cherry Red reissue labels, to put together a collection focusing on the more sensitive singer/songwriter and folk artists from around that period. Cherry Red have been responsible for some excellent box sets covering various genres but ‘Milk of the Tree’ must rank as one of their best. Although die-hard fans of this genre will already have a good number of the albums the songs were plucked from, it’s still an essential purchase. Aside from the artwork perfectly capturing the era the set includes a 44-page booklet with notes by the ever-reliable David Wells, crammed full of rare photos and full details of all the acts and songs featured. But maybe what makes this set so special is the fact that the compilers have not simply aimed for the obvious, not only in their choice of artists but with the actual song selection. The fact that they have chosen artists from the UK and America makes for a more complete and satisfying listening experience than many of the other compilations covering the folk genre from this period (1966-1973) which have concentrated on the music coming out of just one territory. The sound, sometimes the downfall in even the most thoughtfully compiled sets of this kind, is excellent throughout, with kudos to all concerned. While ‘Milk of the Tree’ is undoubtedly rooted in the folk clubs of the 1960's and early 1970's on both sides of the Atlantic it also takes in, unsurprisingly, psychedelia, folk/rock, that unique strain of folk/pop that belonged to mid-sixties London and, of course, the sound of the ladies of the Canyon is flowing through its veins. The very first song on this set gives notice that the compilers have spent some time selecting the songs. Instead of opting for one of her more obvious (and unrepresentative) songs they chose to start proceedings with a track from Melanie Safka’s 1972 album ‘Stoneground Words’. Always unfairly judged by either the artist or her record company’s decision to release her most annoyingly childlike songs as singles Melanie actually cut some excellent albums and always delivered in concert. The song selected here, ‘Do You Believe?’, was also issued as a single and highlighted just how emotive Melanie was as a singer and that her talent for opening up folk music to a wider audience has never been fully recognised. Injecting not only pop elements into her music but also touching on gospel at times all helped in making Melanie one of the most interesting artists around at that time. But rather than taking this set track by track which would take forever a cursory look at the full track listing will tell you all you need to know. For every well-known artist or song, Joan Baez ('Blessed Are') Janis Ian (the still chilling and relevant ‘Society’s Child’) and Judee Sill ('Jesus was a Cross Maker') there are those we loved but temporarily might have forgotten; every 1960;s schoolboy’s dream girl Dana Gillespie captures the era perfectly with the brooding ‘Foolish Seasons’ a world away from her Bowie period work and later excursions into the blues, Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Something Better’ sets her then innocent folk leanings in a rock/baroque frame and Pentangle’s ‘Light Flight’ will drive you to distraction trying to recall which TV sitcom it was commissioned for ('Take Three Girls'). Then there are those songs and artists who never really achieved the acclaim they deserved when their work was issued for the first time; Shelagh McDonald, Susan Pilsbury, Wendy & Bonnie, Chuck & Mary Perrin, artists who, with the advent of the CD, saw their music being reassessed and finally gaining attention. There are those who never really went away, Linda Ronstadt’s reading (as part of the Stone Poneys) of Monkee Mike Nesmith’s ‘Different Drum’ is still, even after some stiff completion from P.P. Arnold, the definitive version of a much-covered song. Mellow Candle’s early girl-group inspired single ‘Feeling High’ shows little indication of the boundaries founder members Alison O’Donnell and Clodagh Simonds would break with their later work and which they are still pushing. With every compilation there are those who will find fault with the track listing but here’s a set which has a perfect selection. So what if the Susan Christie cut ‘Rainy Day’ isn’t the most inspired choice from her ‘Paint A Lady’ album (and if you’ve the slightest interest in the folk genre you need this album in your life)! The mere fact that she is included here proves that the compilers have an understanding and knowledge of this strain of folk music that is first-rate. Margo Guryan, Ruthann Friedman, Vashti Bunyan, whether you were around the first time or discovered these artists recently, they are all featured on ‘Milk of the Tree’ along with a few songs or artists that even the most devoted fan will be surprised and delighted to discover. The new breed that dipped their toes in the murky waters of folk music would do well to listen to this collection of songs to discover where, if they were aware of it or not, the music they are currently making had its roots. Those who were around when this music was originally released will think Christmas has come early; the selection covers all the different strains of folk music and is superbly presented. No doubt they will have the majority of the songs on albums already but such a lovingly put together package deserves your time and money. The booklet alone is almost worth the price of admission. ‘Milk of the Tree’ then, box set of the year so far and likely to stay that way.

Track Listing:-

1 DO YOU BELIEVE
2 BLESSED ARE
3 LIGHT FLIGHT
4 FOOLISH SEASONS
5 SOMEONE TO TALK MY TROUBLES TO
6 AUNTIE AVIATOR
7 FLYING AWAY
8 IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
9 MORNING MORGANTOWN
10 IF NOT BY FIRE
11 UPSTAIRS BY A CHINESE LAMP
12 I THOUGHT I KNEW THE ANSWERS
13 GIVE HER THE DAY
14 BY THE SEA
15 COME AND STAY WITH ME
16 SOMETHING BETTER
17 AN EVERYDAY CONSUMPTION SONG
18 THE MILK OF THE TREE
19 CHELSEA GIRLS
20 REVERIE FOR ROSLYN
21 DIFFERENT DRUM
22 PLEASE (MK. II)
23 FIVE OF US
24 WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?
25 JESUS WAS A CROSS MAKER
26 JANUARY'S SNOWS
27 IN MY LONELINESS
28 SOCIETY'S CHILD (BABY I'VE BEEN THINKING)
29 I WAS
30 FEELING HIGH
31 TOMORROW COME SOMEDAY
32 MY SILKS AND FINE ARRAY
33 RED WINE AND PROMISES
34 MR FOX
35 THE DREAM TREE
36 MUNCHING THE CANDY
37 LATE NOVEMBER
38 TOMORROW YOUR SORROW
39 MORNINGS
40 MR RUBIN
41 COME INTO THE GARDEN
42 Diane Hildebrand
43 RAINY DAY
44 AUTUMN LULLABY
45 BALLAD
46 WINDY
47 THE LONELY
48 MIRAGE
49 MIRAGE
50 ADERYN LLWYD