SUMMER DANCING (WITH ANDY LEWIS)

Judy Dyble has been now one of my favorite female singers from sixties together with Sandy Denny, Laura Nyro and Janis Ian. Have to disagree with her biowriter in PA that I don´t think she´s typical in any way. She has really original & beautiful voice. My opinion is that Fairport´s first album version of Joni Mitchell´s "I don´t Know Where I Stand" is much better than Joni´s own version. We can imagine in "I Talk to the Wind" demo how King Crimson would have sounded if Judy had stayed together with Giles brothers, Fripp & McDonald. Also her only seventies album in Trader Horne-duo is amazing! I think her short periods of bands and just recently started solo career has made her really much underrated. I found few reviews from this great album with Andy Lewis, but this album hasn´t even added into progarchives.

Album started with some lo-fi string instruments playing, but soon comes first song "He Said / I Said", that is very cheerful, catchy piece. I think the lyrics tell about situation where Judy & Andy were wondering was their collaboration going to work. "Up the Hill" continues the cheerful feeling in a very acoustic way and Janet Lewis recorders bring summer into it. Title song is one of the strongest songs in this really great album, it has Bo Didley rhythm and it´s acoustic base has lots of interesting sounds from all kinds of percussive instruments. "No words" has really organ sounding keyboards in it´s very warm melody. Warmness continues in "A Message" with very rhythmic, but mellow drumplaying and really great mellotron sounding keyboards. "Night Of a Thousand Hours" describes the sleepless night quite softly, with a pendulum clock sound in it. But the best is the last in album a-side: "A Net Of Memories (London)" has really sad, but beautiful melody and really takes you into London sixties feelings!

But the album direction really doesn´t change in the B-side! After some analog sounds in the beginning starts " My Electric Chauffeur" that´s beat reminds sixties Phil Spector-hits, but melody is again so sad but beautiful! "Treasure" continues in a very same way and has really windy atmosphere, but slower beat. "The Day They Took the Music Away" is short, quite rock piece. But the earlier line continues in a very delicate "Such Fragile Things". "Summer Of Love" has really wonderful & strong acoustic guitar in it´s great melodies. "Tired Bones" is only little mediocre song in this great album and not even composed by Dyble or Lewis. Anyway it has interesting chord change in the end. But the last "Weathermonger" takes you back into this albums really lovely atmosphere!

This album really is one of the rare masterpieces of last decade! It takes you back to the sixties without being just boring nostalgy. Although this album could really have been released in 1967, it sounds really fresh! I haven ´t heard all the Judy´s solos, but what I have heard this definitely is her best! This album is really highly recommended to those who like Beatles Revolver ? Abbey Road -albums and the same kind of stuff from that period. Also this album really gives hope into these very sad times.