Tim Hardin 1
by Tim Hardin

From Jboy56 07/08/2022 15:24 | #287208

Very good ?

From mdbaxter 09/03/2020 16:26 | #257725 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

A master of songwriting putting on a show. A mixed bag of sweet, little songs. "Misty Roses" is perfect.

From Mercury 10/19/2017 20:29 | #199801 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Damn! These first 2 Hardin albums just hit the sweet spot, don't they? Painfully short (this is 27 min, Tim Hardin 2 is 23 min), perfectly balanced between introspective and downright poetic tracks and blues rockers, and they feature obviously truly excellent and soulful vocals by the man himself. If Jansch's album was all about stripping away all but simple vocal and guitar, this album is about taking simple, elegant songs and imagining them in all sorts of new and pristine ways with the occasional orchestra, the occasional full on blues rock band (with HARMONICA!) , with the occasional straight forward folkie rock tune, etc. This album despite its length is beautifully scattered stylistically. I should say, not scattered, but varied. It could have come across as Scattered if not for the absolutely human and likable and brilliant anchor holding this thing down - Timmy H hisself.

Every song is a short nugget, a gem, they all have their own personality and soul and they are all so beautifully self contained and presented so excellently. Every track is unique in this way. That is not to say there are not obvious stand outs. The mournful, subtly orchestral, soul song "It'll Never Happen Again" is just absolutely gorgeous and tearful and earnest. The opener "Don't Make Promises" is just an earworm classic. "Reasons To Believe" is a classic soulful pop gem, all about the struggle of loving someone, with just virtuosicly spare use of words. "Smugglin Man" is balls to the wall blues rock, while not as intense as stuff from Highway 61 Revisited, its a nice companion to that immensely influential sound, and holds its own even against such a peer's work as that. Okay, that last comment made not much sense, but finally the closer here :How Can We Hang On To A Dream" is another absolutely breathtaking breakup song.

And etc etc, this is fabulous. And what's more, Tim Hardin 2 is a bit better. Also a 1967 album. 67 is a stacked year.

Grade: 9.1/10