All That Moody

After a six-year sabbatical in which he taught music, Davey Graham came out of retirement to release this retrospective of sorts, All That Moody, in 1976. This collection did contain both his most well-known songs, as well as a few personal favorites, but in re-recorded form. Unlike in the past, where this approach had led to some artistically bankrupt releases that tricked the public into buying what they thought were originals, this effort is a bit different. Sure it gave the underappreciated artist some more revenue and added a tidy anthology to a rather skimpy and hard-to-find catalog. But it also allowed Graham to give a decidedly Eastern feel to the majority of the numbers present, whereas this raga-fied approach was merely part of his considerable repertoire in the past. With help from Keshav Sathe and Roger Bunn, Graham effectively and impressively showed why he not only is considered the father of the modern British folk movement, but also a real innovator in bringing world music to a traditionally Western form. And while the remakes don't completely render the originals obsolete, they do give listeners some nice alternative versions. The instrumentals, as usual, work best, as Graham's vocals are not his strongest point. Likewise, the numbers that dabble in blues, jazz, or ragtime, while adding a touch of variety, really don't impress as much as the genre-fusing ones. Rollercoaster Records not only released this lost gem in 1999; they added six additional cuts, making this an item any true folk fan should buy on sight. ~ Brian Downing|