John, The Wolf King Of L.A.
by John Phillips (US)

From Repo TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/18/2017 02:26 | #189453 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Sometimes an album comes out of nowhere and just steals your heart. You didn’t see it coming. You didn’t expect it. The crush starts off unassumingly enough. But then it grows. It creeps under you skin and forges with your muscles, with your tissues. Its just one of those albums that gets better with every single spin. The songs just seem so natural, like they’ve always been a part of you and you can’t imagine that album not always having been in your life. It has the feel and soul of a late 60s The Band or Dylan album while being Laurel Canyon at its core all the way. I’m convinced this is Father John Misty’s favorite album. I’m positive that in his teens he played it every single day, and just dreamed of being this Wolf King of LA. Ask him yourself, if you don’t believe me. I don’t need to.

It totally captures the spirit and fire of an old time saloon straight out of Deadwood. With a piano in the corner and beer & whiskey merrily going around. Everyone’s in great spirits and laughter and hearty conversation fill the air. You sit in your seat as the beers kick in feeling free & easy after a hard days work in the sun singing and dancing to yourself. Not a care in the world. Occasionally, the local drunk actually does get up to dance by the piano and everyone gives a knowing laugh, egging him on & inwardly hoping he will fall. You get the feeling that Rocky Raccoon is going to step through those saloon doors at any moment. And maybe, he just might.

Grade: A. This is a total lost classic, and easily one of the Laurel Canyon’s best albums from its heyday. It’s free & easy and completely natural and effortless. A good time, drinking album with a backing band (and backup singers) to die for. The slide guitar steals the show on quite a few numbers but the playing from all is impeccable. This must have been quite the project to put together, and it’s a bit of a shame it’s not more well known. It’s combination of country, folk and rock is really second to none. And it drunkenly staggers all the way to number three.

Does this classify as a "Great Lost Album"? Seems to be very overlooked, both here on BEA and in music history. It's compulsive listening, has really great songs, sounds like a great Cali band at the end of it's tether, in fact it sounds like the '60's Californian hippy dream at the end of it's tether - I seem to think it was recorded as the 'Manson Family' stalked the Hollywood Hills around which it was being recorded. OK, so this guy never really recorded a note of decent music again, but this was a grand swan song. If you listen to this I don't think you'll easily forget it.

From NickVolos TOP 100 COMMENTER 02/14/2014 20:52 | #103156 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

This has been a pleasant surprise. Strong album overall with great song-writing and melodies and a back-up band to die for.

A great over looked album by a force in the 60's. Great production and musicians.

So much better without the 'Mama's'