🎵 AotW AOTW: HOWDY MOON (SP-3628)

[LPJim]

Howdy Moon
HOWDY MOON
A&M SP-3628

SIDE ONE
Lovelight (Richard Hovey) 2:52/ Cheyenne Autumn (Jon Lind) 3:13/ I'm Alone (Valerie Carter & Richard Hovey) 3:16/ Nora Lee (Eirc Eisner) 4:29/ Runaway (Hovey) 2:38.

SIDE TWO
And You Never Knew (Carter & Ed Brandon) 3:43/ Machine (Hovey) 2:21/ Cook With Honey (Carter) 4:12/ For Tonight (Hovey) 3:59/ Millstream (Lind & Francine Tacker) 3:58.

Vocals - Richard Hovey, Jon Lind, Valerie Carter
Acoustic guitar - Hovey & Lind
Slide Guitar, Flute - Lowell George
Harmonica & Autoharp - John Sebastian
Drums - Jim Keltner, Fred White, Gary Mallaber, Richard Hayward
Piano - Van Dyke Parks, Bill Payne, Gordon DeWitty
Pedal Steel - Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Bass - Chuck Rainey, David Parlato, Wilton Felder, Roy Estrada
Electric Guitar - Andrew Gold, Arthur Adams
String Arrangements - David Paich
Tablas - John Bargamo

All selections published by Howdy Moon Music/ Big Boovah Music ASCAP/
Produced by Lowell George
"Cook With Honey" produced by Michael Jackson/ "Lovelight" produced by Robert Appere

Reissued on CD by A&M of Japan (UICY-93012)

Production Coordinator - Michael Jackson/ A&R Coordinator - Liz Hollander/ Recording Engineers - John Haeny, Tommy Vicari, Rick Tarantini, Robert Appere and Brian Dall'Armi/ Mixing Engineer- John Haeny at Clover Recorders and Sunset Sound Recorders/

Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders, Sound Labs and Clover Recorders, Hollywood, CA/ Art Direction - Roland Young/ Design - Junie Osaki/ Photography - Lee Lawrence/ Photo Illustrations - Dick Bernot

Visit Valerie Carter's site:

www.valerie-carter.com

JB

 

[seashorepiano]

String Arrangements - David Paich

Any relation to Marty?

 

[Dave]

...String Arrangements - David Paich...

...Any relation to Marty...?

Yes, David Paich of Toto is actually the son of String Arranger for Johnny Rivers, et al, Marty... Funny how one "retired", the other took over; kind'a like percussionist, Joe Porcaro being the father of the late-Jeff Porcaro, also of Toto...


Dave

...Down the Yellow Brick Road, online... :goofygrin:

 

[Harry]

Something led me to the subject of HOWDY MOON this morning, which led me to a video on Youtube of the song from this album/group that I remember: "Cook With Honey":


Just listening to the song again brought back a lot of memories of hearing it on the radio back in '74 I suppose, and it was one of those records that I really liked but never connected with. I checked online for availability, and it seems that it was re-issued on CD in 2007 in Japan - a year after this thread was started, and again last year in 2012 in one of those expensive mini-LP CDs.

Since CD Japan had both available, I opted for the cheaper, older version. Meanwhile, the above video is on constant repeat. I love the harmonies and arrangement here. Some of Valerie's lead vocals sound to me a lot like Renee Armand.

Harry

 

[Dave]

Here's 'Millstream':




-- Dave

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I happened to click on "Cook With Honey" while I was working a few nights ago. Why am I totally hooked? The tune is so sweet, Valerie Carter's voice is so cozy, warm, and inviting, and the vocal arrangement is great. How did this not hit? I also investigated Judy Collins version. Her's doesn't work at all. This, I really like.

Ed

 

[Harry]

Isn't that a great song and arrangement? That record had the same effect on me as Carpenters "Ticket To Ride" in that by the time I realized how great it was, the radio station stopped playing it and I never got an off-air recording of it. And I hadn't heard it until finding that YouTube link a couple of weeks ago, which only reinforced how much I liked that record.

I ordered a version from CDJapan, a slightly older, priced-down reissue, and they;ve told me of a delay from their supplier. I've waited nearly forty years - another couple of weeks won't matter. I'm intrigued to hear the rest of the album which seems to have quite a cult following by Little Feat fans.

Harry

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Did you get this one yet, Harry? Curious to know how it sounds.

Ed

 

[Harry]

I've still not heard a thing from CD Japan, but hedging my bets, I found another fairly reasonable copy from the 1987 D32Y series from Pony Canyon/A&M in Japan. It just arrived in yesterday's mail, and I haven't had a chance to really give it a thorough listen.

I did post a picture of the D32Y catalog included in this thread:

http://www.amcorner.com/forum/threads/a-m-25th-d32y-catalog.13212/

If and when the CD Japan copy arrives, I'll have two - it wouldn't be the first - or even 30th A&M Record that I have multiple copies of.

Of course I listened to the one track I was familiar with, "Cook With Honey" and it sounds superb. Other tracks on quick listen feature different members of the group on lead vocal. Some neat harmonies in a number of the tracks that I've heard. Overall impression is that belongs to the early '70s folk-rock category.

Harry

 

[jfiedler17]

Wow. Even without hearing a single note, I'd take a chance on this album just going by the liner notes alone ... what a cast! George, Payne, Estrada, and Hayward from Little Feat (definitely one of the more underrated rock bands of the '70s; why they never had a hit single is beyond me); John Sebastian; Keltner and Mallaber on the drums; Van Dyke Parks; Wilton Felder; Sneaky Pete from the Burrito Bros.; and one of my all-time faves, Andrew Gold, on top of it all.
Odd to think that an album with that much talent on it could fail to hit.
And, while I like Judy Collins, I've got to concede after listening to the Howdy Moon version of "Cook with Honey" above that their version is better.
I've got to hunt this one down!

- Jeff F.

 

[Harry]

And, while I like Judy Collins, I've got to concede after listening to the Howdy Moon version of "Cook with Honey" above that their version is better.
I've got to hunt this one down!

- Jeff F.

The Japanese discs are out there, and there's still vinyl around too. I saw something that looked like a late-80s vinyl reissue in Japan with the black A&M label.

Harry