DORRIS HENDERSON UK MONO Fontana 1967 LP

£ 53

$ 70

£ 53 Sold For

Apr 5, 2010 Sold Date

Mar 29, 2010 Start Date

£ 30 Start price

4 Number Of Bids

South Corea Country Of Seller

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Description

DORRIS HENDERSON - WATCH THE STARS

Black/Silver Fontana label 1967 Cat number TL5385 Mono

Front of sleeve is in VG+ condition with the odd scuff, back is yellowing due to age, with taping damage bottom left (see picture)

vinyl is VG+ condition

Extremely rare British folk LP with the cream of late 60’s folk scene; Dorris Henderson on vocals & autoharp, accompanied by John Renbourn on guitar & vocals on most tracks, & Danny Thompson on bass. Very, very rare!

Track

When you hear them cuckoos hollerin' / It's been a long time / 30 days in jail / No more my lord / Watch the stars / There's anger in the land / Mosaic patterns / Tomorrow is a long time / For lovin' me / Come up horsey / God bless the child / The time has come / Poems of solitude / Lonely mood / Gonna tell my lord

Review by Richie Unterberger

The second and final record Dorris Henderson did with guitarist John Renbourn sharing billing as accompanist, 1967's Watch the Stars was similar in most respects to the first, 1965's There You Go. Again, it matched the American folksinger's strong, emotive voice to Renbourn's excellent picking, though the guitar work isn't as flashy or striking as what he'd play on subsequent Pentangle and solo releases. A little texture is added via contributions by bassist Danny Thompson (who of course went on to play and record with Renbourn in Pentangle) and guitarist Tim Walker (who also wrote one of the better tracks, "It's Been a Long Time"). The material was a little more adventurous than the largely traditional debut had been; there were a few traditional folk songs here, but also covers of material by Bob Dylan, Hedy West, and British folksinger Anne Briggs, as well as a few originals by Henderson herself. To its credit, it includes some material that is more moodily melodic than much folk of the time. "Mosaic Patterns" (co-written by Henderson and Briggs) and "Gonna Tell My Lord" (written by Henderson alone) are particular standouts in that respect, the latter featuring some of her most stirring, spiritual vocals. The 2005 CD reissue adds, as a bonus track, the non-LP 1967 single "Message to Pretty," a cover of a song from Love's first album. Unlike everything else on the record, it's actual electric folk-rock, though it wasn't as good as the original, with a vocal that was a shade too melodramatic.

Biography by Richie Unterberger

Dorris Henderson was an anomalous part of the mid-1960s British folk scene—a young Black American woman, singing traditional songs with accompaniment from one of the best young British folk guitarists, John Renbourn. With Renbourn, Henderson recorded a couple of rare albums, There You Go (1965) and Watch the Stars (1966), and also did a 1965 single of Paul Simon's "Leaves That Are Green." Henderson had a strong, unflappable vocal presence somewhat reminiscent of a more youthful Odetta. Her repertoire encompassed all kinds of traditional folk, with a particular affinity for Appalachian songs, although some narrow-minded English critics expected her to be concentrating more on blues and spirituals.

Born in Florida and raised in Los Angeles, Henderson performed at LA folk clubs such as the Ash Grove and the Troubadour before moving to England in 1965, partly on the recommendation of a brother in the US airforce who was stationed there. Soon after arriving she got a musical residency on a BBC children's TV show, Gadzooks! Her first album was the first available recording to prominently feature Renbourn (although he had recorded, but not yet released, his solo debut slightly earlier). The collaboration lasted for only one more LP, Renbourn soon joining the star folk group Pentangle. Henderson joined the cult folk group Eclection (with future Fotheringay/Fairport Convention guitarist Trevor Lucas) for a year, although she only made one single with them. After the 1960s she worked with some jazz musicians and sang same ad jingles, and reunited with Renbourn for occasional performances in the 1990s.

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