Blues Run the Game [Import]

Blues Run the Game [Import]

Track Listings

1. Blues Run The Game

2. Dont Look Back

3. Kimbie

4. Yellow Walls

5. Here Come The Blues

6. Milk And Honey

7. My Name Is Carnival

8. Dialogue

9. Just Like Anything

10. You Never Wanted Me

11. Blues Run The Game

12. Cant Get Away From My Love

13. Marlene

14. Marcys Song

15. The Visit

16. Prima Donna Of Swans

17. Relations

18. Cover Me With Roses

19. Cryin Like A Baby

20. Spanish Moss

See all 42 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The first compilation of the enigmatic artist's complete recordings. Features rare demos, sessions, & the elusive 1965 single. Sleeve notes by folk expert Colin Harper, with an introduction by Bert Jansch. 43 tracks with a slipcase. Castle. 2003.

Tracks:

Blues Run the Game
Don't Look Back
Kimbie
Yellow Walls
Here Come the Blues
Milk and Honey
My Name Is Carnival
Dialogue
Just Like Anything
You Never Wanted Me
Blues Run the Game [Single Version]
Can't Get Away from My Love
Marlene
Marcy's Song
Visit
Prima Donna of Swans
Relations
Cover Me with Roses
Cryin' Like a Baby
Spanish Moss
Have You Seen the Unicorns

Tracks:

Goodbye to My Loving You
October
Mystery
I Don't Want to Love You No More
Child Fixin' to Die (Aka Young Child)
Halloween Is Black as Night
Night of the Blues [Version 1]
(Tumble) In the Wind [Version 1]
Bull Men
Maria Spanish Rose
Singing Sailors
Spectre
Half the Distance
Night of the Blues [Version 2]
(Tumble) In the Wind [Version 2]
Last Month of the Year
Ananias
Borrow Love and Go
Washington Jail
Jesse James
In the Pines
On My Way to the Canaan Land

Customer Reviews:

Virtually All of Jackson C. Frank's Recordings.......2007-06-08

Until the release of Sanctuary Records TROUBADOURS OF FOLK in 2003, I was only aware of Jackson C. Frank as the composer of "Blues Run the Game." That British folk anthology included his original rendition of the song along with the traditional "Kimbie." His performances on that album led me to this 2003 reissue by Sanctuary Records of Frank's 1965 debut along with thirty-three bonus tracks.
The album's liner notes reveal one of the most tragic figures of the British folk movement--perhaps in all of music. An American, Frank was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1943. While in grade school, there was a furnace explosion in the music room. Most of his classmates were killed. Frank spent seven months in the hospital recovering from his burns. The physical and psychological toll of those injuries would remain with him the rest of his life. While recuperating he learned to play guitar. In 1960 he recorded seven songs at a cost of $7 for an envisioned album he hoped to title PEACHES & CRUST. [They are among the bonus tracks (disc-2, 16-22) salvaged from a 78 rpm disc.] In the early Sixties, Frank hung out with future Steppenwolf frontman John Kay. In 1964, Frank received a $110,500 pay-out from the insurance company resulting from the fire. By 1965, Frank left for the burgeoning folk scene in England. His debut album was produced by fellow American Paul Simon in less than 3 hours. In 1967, Frank returned to the States, began working for a Woodstock newspaper and got married. By 1969, his marriage had fallen apart, his infant son died, attempts to return to music were unsuccessful. By the Eighties, Frank was in and out of mental hospitals and living on the street where a drive-by shooting cost him his left eye. [Looking at the photos in the accompanying booklet, it's hard to believe that the man in the later photos is the same person.] He returned to the studio one last time in 1994, but never completed a follow-up to his 1965 album. He died in 1999.

What Sanctuary Records has done for this reissue is to gather together in one collection everything Frank ever recorded. [The only material missing are the songs he recorded for John Peel's Radio 1 show in 1968, but these tapes--if they still exist--have yet to be found.]

So here's what you get:

CD-1
Tracks 1-10: The original 1965 album of nine originals and one traditional song ("Kimbie"). The best known of these is "Blues Run the Game." It has been covered by Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and most recently by Counting Crows. Most of the songs are moody, and introspective. The lone exception is the jaunty "Just Like Anything." But it's hard not to listen to these songs without being aware of the tragedies that followed. In the opening verse of "Dialogue," he sings "I want to be alone/I need to touch each stone/Face the grave that I have grown/I want to be alone."

Tracks 11-12: The single version of "Blues Run the Game" in a slightly livelier rendition (with a second guitar--probably Al Stewart), along with the non-album b-side "Can't Get Away From My Love."

Tracks 13-17: Five tracks from a 1975 studio session. Previously inlcuded as bonus tracks on an earlier reissue. Frank's guitar playing is still excellent, but his voice has taken on a heavier timbre.

Tracks 18-20: Three newly discovered tracks from the same 1975 session.

Track 21: Also from 1975, but at 35-seconds, it's little more than a snippet.

CD-2

Tracks 1-6: These are his final studio recordings from 1994. Frank's voice has taken on a world-weary tone, but it only adds to the emotional level of these songs. Frank is still capable of creating haunting music.

Tracks 7-15: These are home recordings from 1997. The quality is marginal, but they still show a man whose muse had not abandoned him.

Tracks 16-22: These seven tracks were recorded when Franks was 17 and in his words "began collecting old Civil War songs with a passion." There is a lot of surface noise on these recordings, but they give us a glimpse of the artist during his formative years.

For anyone with more than a casual interest in the British folk scene of the 1960's, this is required listening. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Average customer rating:

The Tragic Story of a Nearly Forgotten Artist
Worth every penny
Evident talent, unfortunately derailed early in his career...
Masterful, Yet Unappreciated Folk
Not derivative, though reminiscent

Blues Run the Game
Jackson C. Frank
Manufacturer: Castle
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Revival | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music
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Modern Times (Deluxe Edition With Bonus DVD)

ASIN: B0000A5BUK
Release Date: 2003-08-25

Tracks:

Blues Run the Game
Don't Look Back
Kimbie
Yellow Walls
Here Come the Blues
Milk and Honey
My Name Is Carnival
Dialogue
Just Like Anything
You Never Wanted Me
Blues Run the Game [Single Version]
Can't Get Away from My Love
Marlene
Marcy's Song
Visit
Prima Donna of Swans
Relations
Cover Me with Roses
Cryin' Like a Baby
Spanish Moss
Have You Seen the Unicorns

Tracks:

Goodbye to My Loving You
October
Mystery
I Don't Want to Love You No More
Child Fixin' to Die (Aka Young Child)
Halloween Is Black as Night
Night of the Blues [Version 1]
(Tumble) In the Wind [Version 1]
Bull Men
Maria Spanish Rose
Singing Sailors
Spectre
Half the Distance
Night of the Blues [Version 2]
(Tumble) In the Wind [Version 2]
Last Month of the Year
Ananias
Borrow Love and Go
Washington Jail
Jesse James
In the Pines
On My Way to the Canaan Land

Album Description

The first compilation of the enigmatic artist's complete recordings. Features rare demos, sessions, & the elusive 1965 single. Sleeve notes by folk expert Colin Harper, with an introduction by Bert Jansch. 43 tracks with a slipcase. Castle. 2003.

Album Details

Includes Some of Folk's Greatest Tracks Including the Brilliant and Much Covered "Blues Run the Game". Also Included Here Are all of Frank's Know Recordings, Much of which Has Never Been Issued Before.

Customer Reviews:

The Tragic Story of a Nearly Forgotten Artist.......2007-06-08

Until the release of Sanctuary Records TROUBADOURS OF FOLK in 2003, I was only aware of Jackson C. Frank as the composer of "Blues Run the Game." That British folk anthology included his original rendition of the song along with the traditional "Kimbie." His performances on that album led me to this 2003 reissue by Sanctuary Records of Frank's 1965 debut along with thirty-three bonus tracks.

The album's liner notes reveal one of the most tragic figures of the British folk movement--perhaps in all of music. An American, Frank was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1943. While in grade school, there was a furnace explosion in the music room. Most of his classmates were killed. Frank spent seven months in the hospital recovering from his burns. The physical and psychological toll of those injuries would remain with him the rest of his life. While recuperating he learned to play guitar. In 1960 he recorded seven songs at a cost of $7 for an envisioned album he hoped to title PEACHES & CRUST. [They are among the bonus tracks (disc-2, 16-22) salvaged from a 78 rpm disc.] In the early Sixties, Frank hung out with future Steppenwolf frontman John Kay. In 1964, Frank received a $110,500 pay-out from the insurance company resulting from the fire. By 1965, Frank left for the burgeoning folk scene in England. His debut album was produced by fellow American Paul Simon in less than 3 hours. In 1967, Frank returned to the States, began working for a Woodstock newspaper and got married. By 1969, his marriage had fallen apart, his infant son died, attempts to return to music were unsuccessful. By the Eighties, Frank was in and out of mental hospitals and living on the street where a drive-by shooting cost him his left eye. [Looking at the photos in the accompanying booklet, it's hard to believe that the man in the later photos is the same person.] He returned to the studio one last time in 1994, but never completed a follow-up to his 1965 album. He died in 1999.

What Sanctuary Records has done for this reissue is to gather together in one collection everything Frank ever recorded. [The only material missing are the songs he recorded for John Peel's Radio 1 show in 1968, but these tapes--if they still exist--have yet to be found.]

So here's what you get:

CD-1
Tracks 1-10: The original 1965 album of nine originals and one traditional song ("Kimbie"). The best known of these is "Blues Run the Game." It has been covered by Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and most recently by Counting Crows. Most of the songs are moody, and introspective. The lone exception is the jaunty "Just Like Anything." But it's hard not to listen to these songs without being aware of the tragedies that followed. In the opening verse of "Dialogue," he sings "I want to be alone/I need to touch each stone/Face the grave that I have grown/I want to be alone."

Tracks 11-12: The single version of "Blues Run the Game" in a slightly livelier rendition (with a second guitar--probably Al Stewart), along with the non-album b-side "Can't Get Away From My Love."

Tracks 13-17: Five tracks from a 1975 studio session. Previously inlcuded as bonus tracks on an earlier reissue. Frank's guitar playing is still excellent, but his voice has taken on a heavier timbre.

Tracks 18-20: Three newly discovered tracks from the same 1975 session.

Track 21: Also from 1975, but at 35-seconds, it's little more than a snippet.

CD-2

Tracks 1-6: These are his final studio recordings from 1994. Frank's voice has taken on a world-weary tone, but it only adds to the emotional level of these songs. Frank is still capable of creating haunting music.

Tracks 7-15: These are home recordings from 1997. The quality is marginal, but they still show a man whose muse had not abandoned him.

Tracks 16-22: These seven tracks were recorded when Franks was 17 and in his words "began collecting old Civil War songs with a passion." There is a lot of surface noise on these recordings, but they give us a glimpse of the artist during his formative years.

For anyone with more than a casual interest in the British folk scene of the 1960's, this is required listening. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Worth every penny.......2006-11-16

To start off, for some (probably bad) reason, Amazon has the same issue of this record entered into its catalog several different times, so there are reviews that appear on some pages and not on others. There are also varying prices, so if you buy this record (which you should), check around for the best price. For the same reason, I'll post this review on more than one of those pages--sorry for the repetition, but some of the pages have radically divergent ratings, and I want to assure people that this album is most certainly worth buying.

Jackson C. Frank roomed with Paul Simon and was friends with Roy Harper (check out "My Friend" on Harper's "Sophisticated Beggar"--it was written for Frank before he left the UK to return to America). This is Frank's one and only official release, and this definitive edition includes the 10 album tracks, some bonus outtakes and alternate versions, and a whole disc of extras that includes some of Frank's later recordings, after his life misfortunes left him physically disabled and wore down his already limited voice. I'm not really a fan of bonus tracks in general, since albums are created with specific track sequencing to promote a specific mood, and when you tack on bonus tracks later it can really mess with the original intent of the artist. That said, I'll focus on the original content of the record--if you enjoy the bonus tracks (and you may, there is some good material) great, but this album is such a treasure that all of the extras could go up in smoke and I'd be happy just to have the original 10.

The arrangements are spare--just Jackson's voice and acoustic guitar (sometimes 2), and Jackson's voice is limited in range and tuning, but who cares?! His writing is pure folk--real human angst, evocative "showing" rather than "telling," heartbreak, and optimism, all coming from a singer whose voice more than makes up for its limits with real, lived emotion and soul. All the cuts on this album are strong, with understated fingerpicking reminiscent of John Hurt and Roy Harper. Real standouts are the title track, "Here Come the Blues," and "My Name is Carnival." This record is definitely a grower--because of its somewhat stripped-down production and mellow vibe, it may take some concentration to apprehend, but it's worth the effort and grows bigtime on repeated listening.

I can't say I agree with other reviewers that Frank is simply "derivative." That would imply that he's just ripping off his influences, which probably also implies that he's ripping off his most famous contemporary, Bob Dylan, and this simply isn't the case. Have a listen--this isn't simple Dylan pantomime. Besides, anyone who writes off a folk artist as "derivative" completely misunderstands the genre--HELLO? Folk IS tradition! It's all about passing down songs, styles and forms, and each artist making his or her own impression. Labeling Frank "derivative" simply begs the question of which folk artists AREN'T derivative and, tragically, dissuades people from checking out this excellent music. Don't listen to the naysayers--fans of down-to-earth folk from artists who lived the songs they sing will love this record!

Evident talent, unfortunately derailed early in his career..........2006-02-27

I've been a folk fan since 1958, when I turned 14, and have remained so all these decades since. However, the debut album by Jackson Frank escaped my attention when it was released in 1965. He was an American who found he could get more work as a singer in England than at home, so he stayed awhile there and made friends with Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Donovan, Sandy Dennis and others. His one record, sadly, was all the buying public would ever have the chance to acquire. A victim of serious burns as a child, Mr. Frank also developed mental health woes in adulthood, and this two-disc set brings just about every surviving scrap of his songs and performances to the marketplace, 40 years beyond that vinyl effort. (Mr. Frank died several years ago, after a hard life of obscurity and poverty.) Although there are more than 40 cuts here, best by far are the dozen or so songs from that released record. (With a few bonus tracks, also presented on this item, that album is also available on CD, and might even be a better value for the casual folk fan than this deluxe set.) The title tune is the catchiest, and has been recorded by several of his '60's buddies over the years. However, the other songs from that LP are pretty good as well. Jackson Frank played guitar with vigor and beauty, and while his lyrics do not show the power of the best of Tom Rush or Gordon Lightfoot or even Donovan, the songs are interesting and the singing is manly. He is pretty much forgotten now, but like another skilled folkie who never made it big, David Blue, his work deserves a hearing if you like singer-songwriter urban folk (not protest) music.

Masterful, Yet Unappreciated Folk.......2006-02-21

Though lacking a bit in variety, "Blues Run the Game" is, in my biased opinion, the best striped down guitar based folk music I have ever heard. Even better than Nick Drake, if I may go so far.

Not derivative, though reminiscent.......2006-02-14

Jackson C. Frank is one of those talents lurking on the edges, seemingly good enough to make it, yet, for whatever reason did not. An engaging guitarist, a singer with a voice that sounds like an old English club room, smoky and burled and polished and grainy at the same time, and songs that are sometimes disappointing but more often worth a second listen. Just never made it, much like another favorite of mine, Cisco Houston. And like Cisco, who died quite young, and right before his kind of music really hit it big, Frank was a wrong place wrong time kind of guy. You want some bad luck? He moved from England to Woodstock in 1968, yet, though eager for an opportunity to perform, apparently had nothing to do with a little festival that happened a year later. Many lesser talents saw their flames burn lustrously as a result of a couple of songs on that famous stage, but poor Jackson, right in town, nope, no such luck. Always the best man, never the bridegroom.

This material does makes me think of Tom Rush or Tom Paxton, but only sorta. And those aren't bad guys to be compared to. Still making worthy music, though their best work is long past, they will be long remembered among the great singer/songwriters of their generation. How many classics did either of those guys write? I'd posit that no more than 3 or 4 of their songs will truly last, and on these 2 CDs there are at least that many that will resonate deeply.

Cracking this CD open is like unsealing a long-closed vault. Treasures unimagined come tumbling out, treasures that demand a slow, cautious, and careful listen. Worthy stuff.

And be sure to get the 2 CD version, pricier, but the extra is quite fascinating.

Average customer rating:

This is the stuff: recommended obscure folk
Definitive Version Of A Classic British Folk Album
Pearl In The Snow

Blues Run the Game
Jackson C. Frank
Manufacturer: Sbme Castle Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Revival | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000D9PLJ
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Tracks:

BLUES RUN THE GAME
DON'T LOOK BACK
KIMBLE
YELLOW WALLS
HERE COME THE BLUES
MILK AND HONEY
MY NAME IS CARNIVAL
DIALOGUE
JUST LIKE ANYTHING
YOU NEVER WANTED ME
BLUES RUN THE GAME (SINGLE VERSION)
CAN'T GET AWAY FROM MY LOVE
MARLENE
MARY'S SONG
THE VISIT
PRIMA DONNA OF SWANS
RELATIONS
COVER ME WITH ROSES
CRYIN' LIKE A BABY
SPANISH MOSS
HAVE YOU SEEN THE UNICORNS

Tracks:

GOODBYE TO MY LOVING YOU
OCTOBER
MYSTERY
I DON'T WANT TO LOVE YOU NO MORE
CHILD FIXIN' TO DIE (AKA YOUNG CHILD)
HALLOWEEN IS BLACK AS NIGHT
NIGHT OF THE BLUES (VERSION 1)
(TUMBLE) IN THE WIND (VERSION 1)
BULL MEN
MARIA SPANISH ROSE
SINGING SAILORS
THE SPECTRE
HALF THE DISTANCE
NIGHT OF THE BLUES (VERSION 2)
(TUMBLE) IN THE WIND (VERSION 2)
LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR
ANANIAS
BORROW LOVE AND GO
WASHINGTON JAIL
JESSE JAMES
IN THE PINES
ON MY WAY TO THE CANAAN LAND

Customer Reviews:

This is the stuff: recommended obscure folk.......2006-11-16

Definitive Version Of A Classic British Folk Album.......2004-03-07

Until the release of Sanctuary Records TROUBADOURS OF FOLK last year, I was only aware of Jackson C. Frank as the composer of "Blues Run the Game." That British folk anthology included his original rendition of the song along with the traditional "Kimbie." His performances on that album led me to this 2003 reissue by Sanctuary Records of Frank's 1965 debut along with thirty-three bonus tracks.

The album's liner notes reveal one of the most tragic figures of the British folk movement--perhaps in all of music. An American, Frank was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1943. While in grade school, there was a furnace explosion in the music room. Most of his classmates were killed. Frank spent seven months in the hospital recovering from his burns. The physical and psychological toll of those injuries would remain with him the rest of his life. While recuperating he learned to play guitar. In 1960 he recorded seven songs at a cost of $7 for an envisioned album he hoped to title PEACHES & CRUST. [They are among the bonus tracks (disc-2, 16-22) salvaged from a 78 rpm disc.] In the early Sixties, Frank hung out with future Steppenwolf frontman John Kay. In 1964, Frank received a $110,500 pay-out from the insurance company resulting from the fire. By 1965, Frank left for the burgeoning folk scene in England. His debut album was produced by fellow American Paul Simon in less than 3 hours. In 1967, Frank returned to the States, began working for a Woodstock newspaper and got married. By 1969, his marriage had fallen apart, his infant son died, attempts to return to music were unsuccessful. By the Eighties, Frank was in and out of mental hospitals and living on the street where a drive-by shooting cost him his left eye. [Looking at the photos in the accompanying booklet, it's hard to believe that the man in the later photos is the same person.] He returned to the studio one last time in 1994, but never completed a follow-up to his 1965 album. He died in 1999.

What Sanctuary Records has done for this reissue is to gather together in one collection everything Frank ever recorded. [The only material missing are the songs he recorded for John Peel's Radio 1 show in 1968, but these tapes--if they still exist--have yet to be found.]

So here's what you get:

CD-1
Tracks 1-10: The original 1965 album of nine originals and one traditional song ("Kimbie"). The best known of these is "Blues Run the Game." It has been covered by Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and most recently by Counting Crows. Most of the songs are moody, and introspective. The lone exception is the jaunty "Just Like Anything." But it's hard not to listen to these songs without being aware of the tragedies that followed. In the opening verse of "Dialogue," he sings "I want to be alone/I need to touch each stone/Face the grave that I have grown/I want to be alone."

Tracks 11-12: The single version of "Blues Run the Game" in a slightly livelier rendition (with a second guitar--probably Al Stewart), along with the non-album b-side "Can't Get Away From My Love."

Tracks 13-17: Five tracks from a 1975 studio session. Previously inlcuded as bonus tracks on an earlier reissue. Frank's guitar playing is still excellent, but his voice has taken on a heavier timbre.

Tracks 18-20: Three newly discovered tracks from the same 1975 session.

Track 21: Also from 1975, but at 35-seconds, it's little more than a snippet.

CD-2

Tracks 1-6: These are his final studio recordings from 1994. Frank's voice has taken on a world-weary tone, but it only adds to the emotional level of these songs. Frank is still capable of creating haunting music.

Tracks 7-15: These are home recordings from 1997. The quality is marginal, but they still show a man whose muse had not abandoned him.

Tracks 16-22: These seven tracks were recorded when Franks was 17 and in his words "began collecting old Civil War songs with a passion." There is a lot of surface noise on these recordings, but they give us a glimpse of the artist during his formative years.

For anyone with more than a casual interest in the British folk scene of the 1960's, this is required listening. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Pearl In The Snow.......2004-02-21

This guy is a must for fans of Nick Drake. Get this record and be introduced to one of Drake's major influences---Jackson C. Frank.

Frank left a signifigant impact not only on Drake, but on the entire "60's" British Folk scene. Bert Jansch, Meic Stevens,John Martyn, Fairport Convention, and Paul Simon just to name a few. Infact, as you'll no doubt read in the liner notes, it was Paul Simon who coaxed Frank into the studio to record much of the material you'll hear.

Regrettably, Frank like so many quote "cult" songwriters has remained virtually unknown. Even though he made quite a sensation on the British folk scene, certain elements led to his obscurity. But get the album and read the whole sad story yourself.

The record starts with what should have become a classic---"Blues Run The Game". It's just one of those perfect songs, a sweet epistle to futility. It became an English Folk staple, covered most memorably by Burt Jansch & Nick Drake. With just the sparse setting of Frank's acoustic guitar, alot of the tunes sound pretty but are fraught with the same dark meloncholy found in Drake's PINK MOON. For instance the song "Dialogue" features the lines: "I want to be alone/ I want to touch each stone/Face the grave I have grown".

"Here Come The Blues" & "Milk & Honey" should also be classics but unless you're aquainted with the THE TAMWORTH SESSIONS (an import collection of rare Nick Drake bedroom demos) this is the only place you're likely to hear them.

Another thing that makes this collection priceless is the inclusion of a 2nd disc featuring work recorded shortly before Frank's death in 1999. After all the homelessness & hospitalization, that magic is still there. His voice is a little gruffer & sometimes the sound quality isn't all that pristine but songs like, "October", "Spectre" & "Mystery" live up to their titles.

On the whole this is beautiful stuff. A bit Folksy, a bit Bluesy, and downright haunting. Definitely recommended for fans of Leonard Cohen, Fred Neil, Simon & Garfunkle & the aformentioned,Drake. A real find. A pearl in the snow.

Average customer rating:

Blues Run the Game
Jackson C. Frank
Manufacturer: Mooncrest Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005YHVT
Release Date: 1996-05-28

Tracks:

Blues Run the Game
Don't Look Back
Kimble
Yellow Walls
Here Come the Blues
Milk and Honey
My Name Is Carnival
Dialogue
Just Like Anything
You Never Wanted Me
Marlene
Marcy's Song
Visit
Prima Donna of Swans
Relations

Average customer rating:

Rare Folk Classic (5/5)
A Very Worthwhile Album
Brilliant

Blues Run the Game
Jackson C. Frank
Manufacturer: Mooncrest
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000007YZO
Release Date: 1996-05-28

Tracks:

Blues Run The Game
Don't Look Back
Kimble
Yellow Walls
Here Come The Blues
Milk And Honey
My Name Is Carnival
Dialogue
Just Like Anything
You Never Wanted Me
Marlene
Marcy's Song
The Visit
Prima Donna Of Swans
Relations

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Tracks from the Folk Singer that Inspired the Likes of Paul Simon, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. Though Tragedy and Misfortune Dominated his Life, Frank Did Manage to Leave an Extraordinary Recorded Legacy. Here is a Great Place to Begin.

Customer Reviews:

Rare Folk Classic (5/5).......2005-06-15

Unless you're a connoisseur of folk music, have seen Vincent Gallo's movie The Brown Bunny, or have frantically searched the influences of Devendra Banhart, you've probably never heard the absolute beauty of singer-songwriter Jackson C. Frank's music. To be honest, I have to claim the last two of these references as my path to discovering one of the `60s greatest forgotten folk treasures.

Since becoming familiar with his music, I've learned that Frank, who died in 1999, had a sad life of pain and loss; both mentally and physically. Frank was severely burned during a tragic fire at his elementary school at the age of 11, and for the rest of his life was left scarred in more ways than one. He always had a sense of insecurity, but managed to write a short list of beautiful songs and influenced a long list of performers before living a life of recluse on the streets, and in the mental hospitals of New York City.

Blues Run the Game is a perfect album in every sense. As far as folk records go, I've heard nothing better. It's full of melancholy and beauty, and is a completely essential exercise in folk music. Produced by Paul Simon and recorded in less than three hours, each track contains pristine sounds of acoustic guitar and gentle vocals. It makes you feel like this is the mold that others have tried to imitate ever since. Many have covered Frank's songs, such as the illustrious Nick Drake and Sandy Denny (Denny was also Frank's girlfriend for a short period of time. Although Denny is more recognized than Frank, it's impossible not to see he was as big an influence on her work as just about anyone else).

The title track, "Blues Run the Game," has been accepted by Frank's fans as his most identifiable and significant song, written during one of the only times things seemed to be going well in his life. He had just received a small fortune of insurance money from his fire accident and began a journey to England. It was there that he became completely engaged with writing folk music.

The stand out song on the album is "Milk and Honey," with its solemn beauty epitomizing everything that is simple and perfect about the state of music in the mid-'60s. The songs have an uncanny ability to paint images in my head of childhood and remind me of an innocence long left behind.

For the longest time, you couldn't find a copy of Blues Run the Game. Over the past decade, however, several labels have re-issued the album for an ever-growing fan base. If you own any folk record, and don't have this in your collection, consider this an insightful plea. It's nice to see so many people slowly going back in time to revisit some of the lost treasures that have fallen to the wayside. And although our timing might be too late to show him some support, hopefully the love for Jackson C. Frank's music that was left behind is just beginning for a new generation.

A Very Worthwhile Album.......2003-07-02

Jackson C Frank is one the tragedies of the music world. A disturbed character as a result of childhood trauma (injured in a fire), he recorded this album in the mid-1960s whilst still young. It's beautifully played, well sung and most of the songs are good and very mature for someone of his age. Particularly good are 'Carnival', 'Blues Run the Game' and (especially) 'Here Come the Blues'. There are five extra tracks from the mid-1970s, presumably at a point when he was not too ill, as he went through a long period of mental stress and illness soon after putting out this album. He died a few years ago.

Had his illness been properly diagnosed and treated, would he have been able fully to fulfil his potential? It's too late to know now, but this album shows his great talent.

If you like thoughtful solo singing and guitar-playing, this is definitely one for you.

Brilliant.......2002-02-19

This album is perfect in every way. Folk music without the trappings of pretension. You can definitely hear the influence of Jansch, Drake, and Thompson. Milk and Honey and My name is Carnival are outstanding tracks. I only wish there was more stuff on this disc. It took forever to find this after I heard about on the website..., but it was well worth the wait. I have a feeling that this cd will be worn out by the end of the month from perpetually listening to it.

Average customer rating:

Blues Run the Game
Jackson C (pro Frank
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000E246
Release Date: 1996-11-21

Music Review:

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