Alright, I’ve strung you along for a few weeks, now let’s buckle down and delve a little deeper into my record collection. This week’s five An Album A Day entries will feature somewhat obscure (depending on your knowledge of the “genre”) privately-pressed albums. Do I deign to refer to this week’s theme as “Private Parts?” I think I just did.
The Acid Archives says:
Houston label release from local college student, originally from Missouri. It’s early 1970s solo guitar folkie peace, love, and protest, with half cover versions (such as the Dylan title track). Haymes had a second album on Resist in the mid-‘70s, titled USA, and a more recent CD release as well.
The Dylan comp is an obvious one, especially with the cover of “I Shall Be Released,” which of course was written by him in ’67. But then there’s a couple covers, notably Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and Peter Yarrow’s “The Great Mandella”. Haymes even introduces the album’s final song, the cover of Shurli Grant’s “Are You Bombing With Me, Jesus?”. My guess is he was tiptoeing around the subject matter. He says it evokes a reaction from listeners from both sides of the Vietnam War debate. Although not your typical protest singer (see: Dylan, Phil Ochs), Haymes certainly connected with those songwriters enough to devote time to arranging and performing those songs. Alas, just as some would see a “Sunday” reference and a “Jesus” reference and immediately peg him as a Christian singer-songwriter, I don’t think the protest singer label holds much water.
So who is Bill Haymes? After listening to this album for a few months I’d just go ahead and call him a typical early ’70s singer-songwriter. He’s got a very strong voice and plays a very good acoustic guitar. The William C. Beeley record comes to mind (the first one, Gallivantin’). I certainly wouldn’t call it downer or loner folk. Even “Heartbreak People” sounds upbeat in spite of its title. Remember that Betsy Legg album I posted recently? Bill Haymes is like her male equivalent.
This one came into my place of work back in…late March or early April, along with a couple other albums I’ll be sharing this week. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a good one.
Bill Haymes
I Shall Be Released
Resist Records (BH-101, 1970)
MediaFire DL Link
A1. I Shall Be Released
A2. Sunday [MP3]
A3. Heartbreak People
A4. This Land Is Your Land
A5. Questions
A6. Great Mandella
B1. Of Life
B2. Pack Up Your Sorrows
B3. Morning Song
B4. Can You Understand
B5. Are You Bombing With Me, Jesus?
