TOM RAPP: STARDANCER

The first two Pearls Before Swine albums ('One Nation Underground' and 'Balaklava') are highly recommended psychedelic rock / prog folk albums. Among my favorite sixties records. I can also enjoy listening to later contemporary folk PBS albums like 'City of Gold' and 'Beautiful Lies'. The next go to album was said to be 'Stardancer (1972)', released under Tom Rapp's own name. The band's line-up had been in constant flux since Rapp started recording in Nashville for 'The Use of Ashes' in 1970. Tom Rapp is one of my favorite vocalists; he has a truly original voice and his emotional - almost whimsical - singing always grasps me. Even when he sings a country song (which is about the biggest compliment a singer could get from me).

On this album there's a slight return to the psychedelic rock leanings of the debut, though contemporary folk remains the main genre here. The recording quality and mixing varies a lot, excluding the possibility for these songs to really hit the jackpot. Buried under the lo-fi sound there are some pretty cool songs; like the dark and gloomy opener 'Fourth Day of July' with its phasing effects. Somehow this song also showcases how bitter and long-overdue the lingering hippy scene had become - and how its political message became a burden. 'Stardance' than really is a song that would have fitted on that magical Balaklava album that many love so much. The other songs all have psychedelic elements but they don't always mix well with the Dylan-esque country feel. Some of the lighter songs are a bit annoying, like the silly 'Why Should I Care'. The final song 'Les Ans' with its baroque feel leaves the listener with that emotive 'what if' feeling. Simple and beautiful song.

In the end, the promise of Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine was to fade slowly and rather grimly with a string of albums that just aren't that well made. From these same recordings the 1973 equally plagued 'Sunflower' would be released and after that Rapp would focus on his work as a civil rights lawyer. Fans are left to image what could have been achieved by this amazing performer in the seventies. In hindsight Rapp's main problem must have been living in the USA in stead of England at that time, where folk and prog remained lively for many years to come.