Words and Music

マーゴ・ガーヤンの未発表大量収録アンソロジーがリリース!窓から外を眺める彼女のジャケットが印象的な1968年名盤『TAKE A PICTURE』はかつて幻の名盤として名高い一枚でしたがその後リイシューが進み、今や全音楽ファンに知られる基本の一枚となったシンガー・ソングライター、マーゴ・ガーヤン。その後デモ音源集もリリ-スされ未発表音源も出切ったか・・・と思われていましたが2023年に未発表音源の7インチがリリースされるも即完売・・・と未だ絶大な人気を誇る彼女の、なんとなんと未発表16曲(!!)を収録したアンソロジー! 1968年の当時唯一のアルバム『TAKE A PICTURE』とその後リリースされたデモ音源からセレクトされた音源に、2023年の即完売7インチの1曲を含む目玉の未発表音源16曲を収録。素晴らしいアートワークと充実したブックレットもあわせて絶対に入手しておきたい1枚です。

Even though Margo Guryans solo 1968 album Take a Picture slowly accrued a decent and deserved cult status, this obscure delight barely scratched the surface in representing the long life she lived in music. While still a teenager in the mid-50s, Guryan became a staff songwriter for Atlantic Records, focusing primarily on vocal jazz tunes. She studied classical and jazz piano at a college level at Boston University, and worked with Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman at the Lennox School of Jazz before transitioning to pop songwriting after being inspired by hearing the Beach Boys "God Only Knows." The archival collection Words and Music tracks all of Guryans evolutions, beginning with a selection of her late-50s jazz-pop compositions sung by vocalist Chris Connor. Guryans off-axis personality can be heard early on with tracks like 1956s "Moon Ride," where Connor croons a tall tale about being held captive and almost eaten by alien creatures over a smoky shuffle and zany flute playing. Demos of lonely piano ballads from the mid-60s like "Goodbye July" and the lighthearted "Under My Umbrella" bridge the gap between Guryans jazz upbringing and the turn she took to psychedelic sunshine pop on Take a Picture. Her songwriting powered hits for multiple artists in the 60s, and Words and Music highlights how unique her approach was when she arranged, recorded, and sang her own compositions. The bouncy electric piano of "Timothy Gone," with its layers of vocal harmonies and uncommon chord voicings, is a prime example of Guryans specific blend of jazz theory and straightforward, commercially minded arrangement. The compilation includes songs from Take a Picture and various previously released demo collections but fills in some of the blanks with unreleased material from throughout Guryans timeline. Absolutely packed with unsung gems, Words and Music is a collection of spellcasting songs that should have been hits. From the ye-ye inspired "I Ought to Stay Away from You" to lonely pop-psych daydreams like "Dont Go Away," this digest of versatile and joyous songwriting is a cornucopia of beauty for anyone enamored with the Baroque pop of the flower power era and creates even more bafflement as to why Guryan wasnt a much bigger star in her day. ~ Fred Thomas

NYのシンガー・ソングライターで、68年の埋もれたデビュー作『Take A Picture』が現在では名盤と見なされるようになったマーゴ・ガーヤン。今世紀に入ってからはデモ音源集などもたびたび届けられつつ、本人は2021年に逝去。昨年も未発表曲"I Ought To Stay Away From You"が7インチで出ていたが、今度はそれを含む16曲もの未発表音源を収めたまさかのアンソロジーが2CD/3LPでリリース! デビュー作や既発のデモ音源からのセレクトも含めた重要曲の数々がコンパイルされ、目玉となる蔵出し音源も雰囲気のあるアートワークも素晴らしい。バロック・ポップやソフト・ロック好きなら必聴!
bounce (C)大原かおり