Just Another Diamond Day＜限定盤/White Vinyl＞

長らくブリット・フォーク・レコード・コレクターの聖杯とされてきたVashti Bunyanの1970年のデビュー・アルバムが、ついにイギリスでヴァイナルにてリイシュー。

Vashti Bunyanの1970年の伝説的デビュー・アルバムが、ついにイギリスでヴァイナルにてリイシューされる。Joe BoydがWitchseason Productionsのためにプロデュースし、1970年にPhilipsからオリジナル・リリースされたこのアルバムには、Fairport ConventionのSimon NicolとDave Swarbrick、そしてThe Incredible String BandのRobin Williamsonが参加している。

「伝説のJoe Boydが1970年にプロデュースした『Just Another Diamond Day』は、長らくブリット・フォーク・レコード・コレクターの聖杯とされ、オリジナル盤はオークションで1,000ドルを超える高値で取引されている。なぜこれほど高く評価されているのかは、何度も聴けばすぐに分かるであろう。『Just Another Diamond Day』は、控えめながらも、ほぼ完璧と言える作品なのだ」- PITCHFORK 9.0

About five years after briefly surfacing as part of Andrew Loog Oldham's stable, Vashti -- now billing herself with her full name, Vashti Bunyan -- made her only album. A folkier and more serious-minded effort than her initial mid-'60s recordings, it is a pleasing yet overly dainty slice of British rock-tinged folk, produced by Joe Boyd. A certain similarity to some other acts under Boyd's supervision, such as the Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention, was assured by contributions from the ISB's Robin Williamson and Fairport's Dave Swarbrick and Simon Nicol. For good measure, there were string and recorder arrangements by Robert Kirby, who had done some string arrangements for Nick Drake, another Boyd-produced artist. Comprised solely of original material, Just Another Diamond Day contained dignified yet slightly sad ruminations with a pastoral, indeed rural feel, imbued with images of solitary meditations upon rain, wind, sunsets, and open fields. The drum-less, acoustic arrangements yielded an intimate ambience well-suited for Vashti's fragile, measured, almost despondently wispy vocals. These were rather in the manner of Marianne Faithfull's highest and most whispery early efforts, albeit with far folkier setting and more vivid lyrics. The CD reissue of this rarity (on Spinney) is enhanced by four bonus tracks that, with an oh-so-slight poppier bent, actually rate as the best material on the disc: the 1966 B-side "Love Song," a pair of unreleased 1966-1967 acetates, and a 1969 version of "Iris' Song" (to be redone as "Iris's Song for Us" on the LP). It's too bad, though, that the other three songs from her official 1965-1966 singles weren't added, as well, to make this a more complete retrospective. ~ Richie Unterberger