Paul Siebel

Paul Siebel

Track Listings

1. She Made Me Lose My Blues

2. Miss Cherry Lane

3. Nashville Again

4. Ballad of Honest Sam

5. Then Came the Children

6. Louise

7. Bride 1945

8. My Town

9. Any Day Woman

10. Long Afternoons

11. Jasper and the Miners

12. If I Could Stay

13. Uncle Dudley

14. Pinto Pony

15. Chips Are Down

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Paul Siebel is a singer-songwriter in the mold of Eric Andersen and the lyrical Phil Ochs (whose voice his off-kilter, nasal delivery recalls), but he never built up a consistent audience, and he's since slipped through the cracks. A welcome reissue of Siebel's much praised 1970 release Woodsmoke and Oranges (and including five tracks from the later Jack-knife Gypsy), these 15 songs show Siebel's prodigious lyrical talents, and why, in his day, he was held in high esteem by fellow songwriters. Session all-stars David Bromberg, Clarence White, Richard Greene, David Grisman, and Buddy Emmons lend this record a classic, rolling country sound, and help ground Siebel's imagistic narratives. --Roy Francis Kasten

Tracks:

She Made Me Loose My Blues
Miss Cherry Lane
Nashville Again
Ballad Of Honest Sam
Then Came The Children
Louise
Bride 1945
My Town
Any Day Woman
Long Afternoons
Jasper & The Miners
If I Could Stay
Jack-Knife Gypsy
Prayer Song
Legend Of The Captains's Daughter
Hillbilly Child
Pinto Pony
Miss Jones
Jeremiah's Song
Uncle Dudley
Chips Are Down
Nervous (Previously Unissued)

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Two Classic LPs Combined in a Deluxe Double CD Package. Despite the Undeniably High Quality of his Songs (Which have Been Covered by the Likes of Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Iain Matthews and Waylon Jennings) Paul Siebel is Far from Being a Household Name. However, Within Folk Circles and Among Songwriters, his Two Albums - 1969's "Woodsmoke and Oranges" and 1971's "Jack-knife Gypsy" - Are Legendary. He'd Gathered a Handful of Fine Musicians, Including Guitarist David Bromberg, Violinist Richard Greene, and Steel Guitarist Weldon Myrick. Elektra's Jac Holzman Recorded Ten Siebel Originals Quickly. Despite (Or Because Of) the Small Budget and Lack of Time, Siebel and Company Crafted an Incredible Record that Still Sounds Vibrant 30 Years after the Fact.

Customer Reviews:

I.m Really Pleased With This Re-issue........2007-01-26

I,ve been looking for this CD for years with no luck. Stumbled across it by accident,ordered it, and then realized the second album was included. I never heard it(Jack-Knife Gypsy), but when I did, I was overjoyed and regreted the fact that Paul Seibel didn't put out more albums than these two. The man has talent and more people should hear him.

A must have!.......2006-11-15

This 2 on 1 is pure gold. Of all the "hidden gems" and "lost treasures" I've heard about, these two albums certainly rank among the highest, unassailable by nostalgic hype. Paul Siebel, clearly (and self-proclaimedly) influenced by Dylan, doesn't simply try to make music that tries to recreate Dylan's sound, voice and poetry (for example, like Meic Stevens or Bill Fay). Instead, Siebel understands Dylan's influence much better, and turns in songs that are not only narratives full of angst, humor, colorful characters and allegory, but he also taps into the sources of traditional Americana that were driving Bob's music. In fact, I'd say Siebel does a better and more diverse job of integrating traditional music styles into his work than Dylan. Rather, I'd probably compare him more to The Band's self-titled sophomore album (one of my very favorites). Every single song is a winner--thoughtfully written, expertly sung (think Dylan phrasing with an ear for key and a way better range), and dynamically arranged. The opening track sounds almost like Bakersfield country--there is some sweet pedal steel guitar throughout, and Siebel confidently kicks off the album. My favorites from the better-known "Woodsmoke and Oranges" are the hopeful "Nashville Again," the heart-breaking wisdom of "Then Came the Children," and the unique refrain in "Long Afternoons." "Louise" has been covered by lots of folks and it may be the reason you've even heard of Siebel (Plainsong's cover is what drew my interest). Out of the two albums, I think I may even like "Jack-knife Gypsy" better. "Jasper and the Miners" resides in its own little musical universe, concise and mysterious. The title track rocks pretty hard in a pre-"Blonde on Blonde" kind of way. The music is even more diverse on this album--just listen to the hoe-down feel on "Legend of the Captain's Daughter," and the boogie of "Hillbilly Child." Like I said, though, every single track is strong, with great playing, singing and effortless lyrics. Recommended for fans of Dylan, the Band, Merle Haggard, Ronnie Lane, etc. etc. Get this album--you won't regret it!

Pure Musical Genius.......2006-06-14

This is a compilation of Paul Siebel's two legendary albums, "Woodsmoke and Oranges" and "Jack-Knife Gypsy". I can't remember when I first heard Paul Siebel's music, probably around 1970. However, I'll never forget the song. It was "Bride 1945" played over an FM radio station. The song was hauntingly beautiful, and I immediately bought "Woodsmoke and Oranges" and found that every song on the album was unique. The lyrics, music, and David Bromberg's exquisite guitar made each song a jewel captured in time. I used to listen to that LP in the dark at night in my little university apartment and tried to imagine the kind of man who could write such sensitive and sometimes cynical lyrics and sing with such feeling. I guess I had an aural crush on Paul Siebel. I thought his music was terrific and expected him to become famous. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I was possibly the only person on the west coast of America who knew who he was. His second album Jack-Knife Gypsy" came out a couple of years later and showcased his versatility. "Hillbilly Child", which he allegedly wrote with his friend Linda Ronstadt in mind is reminiscent of Hank Williams at his best. "Legend of the Captain's Daughter" has incredible original lyrics and a Cajun feel. I particularly like his songs, because they are not angst-ridden, self-indulgent drivel. Songs like "Pinto Pony" are visual stories that unfold like little motion pictures in your mind. They are often filled with allegorical allusions; the miners in "Jasper and the Miners" may really be about the CIA, FBI, IRS, or any diggers into one's privacy. "Ballad of Honest Sam" (allegedly about Nixon) is just as timely today given most American's disillusionment with current politics. Paul Siebel's voice is unique - kind of raw and pure. He was one of the best American singer/songwriters of the 60's and 70's but didn't get the recognition that he deserved. However, he was much appreciated by fellow musicians who recorded his songs, among them: Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt, Iain Matthews, Jerry Jeff Walker, David Bromberg, Bonnie Raitt, Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf, and Leo Kottke. I hope the reissue of his albums on CD will lead to his discovery by new listeners and delight by old fans like me. Time hasn't diminished the impact of these songs. They sound fresh and original with fabulous lyrics and compelling melodies.

big between the cracks.......2005-06-19

John Prine, Leo Kottke, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore written by Bob Dylan, or vice versa. I would highly recommend this wonderful album, trust me, these are the prettiest butterfly wings you'll ever find. I like Lucinda Williams, and think Gillian Welch is incredible, I love Gram Parsons, and Uncle Tupelo. I like everything on this album and give it frequently as a gift. I have a 300 disc CD changer that I am constantly upgrading, Paul Siebel has remained for about seven years now.

Average customer rating:

A Baker's Dozen
the Woodsmoke & Oranges reissue
beautiful music
Woodsmoke and Oranges
Where's the rest?

Paul Siebel
Paul Siebel
Manufacturer: Philo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Woodsmoke and Oranges/Jack-Knife Gypsy
An Inconvenient Truth

ASIN: B0000003UQ
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

She Made Me Lose My Blues
Miss Cherry Lane
Nashville Again
The Ballad Of Honest Sam
Then Came The Children
Louise
Bride 1945
My Town
Any Day Woman
Long Afternoons
Jasper and The Miners
If I Could Stay
Uncle Dudley
Pinto Pony
Chips Are Down

Amazon.com

Paul Siebel is a singer-songwriter in the mold of Eric Andersen and the lyrical Phil Ochs (whose voice his off-kilter, nasal delivery recalls), but he never built up a consistent audience, and he's since slipped through the cracks. A welcome reissue of Siebel's much praised 1970 release Woodsmoke and Oranges (and including five tracks from the later Jack-knife Gypsy), these 15 songs show Siebel's prodigious lyrical talents, and why, in his day, he was held in high esteem by fellow songwriters. Session all-stars David Bromberg, Clarence White, Richard Greene, David Grisman, and Buddy Emmons lend this record a classic, rolling country sound, and help ground Siebel's imagistic narratives. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

A Baker's Dozen.......2005-01-14

So Paul latterly went on to become a baker! In 1995, Rounder bravely re-issued a compilation of Siebel's only two recordings, the first,'Woodsmoke & Oranges' an absolute gem of a totally new sort of C & W sensibility. The songs were performed first in New York's mid 60s folk-club scene. Whatever their context, the poignancy, the detailed nuances of damaged lives, the dry voice of a wearied but caring survivor bespoke Vietnam's carnage in a way I wouldn't hear again until the meteoric appearance of 'David Forman' aka. Little Isadore(whose present incarnation as a purveyor of doo wop, seems to regard that earlier self as an aberration). Although Siebel performed into the 80s, I never heard from him again until Happy Traum published the work of a pool of musos(Muddy Waters, the Traums, Rory Block, Eric Anderson among them)under the title of'More Music From Mud Acres'. This is also difficult to locate. And even then the Siebel song is some one else's! Like the Forman disc, the works are so singularly reflective of uncomfortable feelings and facts, that it would be difficult to imagine a career based on repeating an historic moment. I'm left speculating that his muse moved on when his subject matter retreated. Forman's worked on contemporary projects(the admirable,'Largo'), but has opted for recreating a highly entertaining lather of fifties styled music. But the complex emotions, especially of those first dozen or so songs, remain an absolute privilege, some of the enduring moments of C & W or any genre. Thank you, once again, Rounder Records.

the Woodsmoke & Oranges reissue.......2003-03-14

at last, thirty-two years later, to be blessed with the discovery
of this reissued classic!

put it this way, simply: just as Dylan's Nashville Skyline is, perhaps,
his most nearly perfect album, Woodsmoke & Oranges
should have catapulted Paul Siebel into national & international
fame.

the two albums share in common many qualities-- not least,
the appearance of nonchalance, a surface of seeming negligence
under which lies a true mastery of the art.

beautiful music.......2003-02-09

Listened to the cd Paul Siebel after not hearing his music for many years and was astonished at the quality of the musicians, the production and the music. Country, folk, original, contemporary, deep.

Woodsmoke and Oranges.......2002-07-10

Yeah, okay, listen. I have never heard this album. I came to the site hoping to find the gorgeous and wonderful WOODSMOKE AND ORANGES album. This was the best I could find. All of the songs on that seminal and completely (in my opinion)have-able, collectible, wantable, whatever you want to call it ... perhaps NECESSARY is the right word ... album are here, apparently. And if they're here in any form, from Any Day Woman, to Long Afternoons (one of my all time favorite songs), to Miss Cherry Lane, to Louise (covered by Bonnie Raitt, and I admit it, by myself in coffee shops and pizza joints back in the 70s while I was singing my way through college), these songs are so completely COMPLETE in style, performance, and execution, that of the period, only Townes Van Zandt rivals (or some might say, surpasses) Siebel's songwriting talents. Sadly, during this period, I was a DJ on top 40 radio, and as such had to suffer the lesser lights of Don MacLean, Gordon Lightfoot (both talented and valid in their own way, far more so than America, England Dan, and others who supposedly wrote in the folk vein, and whose records I had to listen to over and over and over), when, MY GOD, why didn't anyone listen to Paul Siebel and Townes Van Zandt to hear the REAL DEAL?
So, anyway, by now you know I'm a fan of Paul Siebel and I think you should buy this album (and JACK-KNIFE GYPSY which has the wonderful song Pinto Pony, which I used to also sing at coffee houses). What better recommendation could you have than that? That I spent the time learning to play and sing these songs, even though no one in the house cared if I did or not? (I also sang a couple of Danny O'Keefe and Jesse Winchester songs, if anybody's counting. (And for those who doubt my veracity, I played a Gibson J-40 guitar.))

Where's the rest?.......2002-06-29

Keeping me from giving five stars are sins of omission. The lost songs from Jack-Knife Gypsy are sorely missed, most notably the title track and Rain. Great CD though. Saw Paul at the Cellar Door in DC in the seventies, and have worn out the vinyl. Would love a re-issue of J-K G.

Average customer rating:

SFBay Area Music Lover
Paul Siebel: Songwriting Genius
Siebels second album

Jack-Knife Gypsy
Paul Siebel
Manufacturer: Line
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002RK1
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

Jasper and the Miners
If I Could Stay
Jack-Knife Gypsy
Prayer Song
Legend of the Captain's Daughter
Chips Are Down
Pinto Pony
Hillbilly Child
Uncle Dudley
Miss Jones
Jeremiah's Song

Customer Reviews:

SFBay Area Music Lover.......2001-06-06

I was fortunate to get a copy of the "Jack Knife Gypsy" CD last year. Apparently a limited number was produced in Germany. It now appears to be out of production. The "Paul Siebel" CD that came out in 1995 had 5 songs from "Jack Knife Gypsy" but left off several of the best, including "Hillbilly Child", which he allegedly wrote with his friend Linda Ronstadt in mind, and "Legend of the Captain's Daughter", both of which have fabulous lyrics and compelling melodies. Paul Siebel was one of the best singer/songwriters of the 60's and 70's but didn't get the recognition that he deserved. However, he was appreciated by fellow musicians who recorded his songs, among them: Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt, Jerry Jeff Walker, David Bromberg, Bonnie Raitt, Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf, and Leo Kottke. I fell in love with his voice and songs when I bought his first album in the early 1970's and was thrilled to find his music available again on CD. I particularly like his songs, because they are not angst-ridden, self-indulgent drivel, but visual stories that unfold like little motion pictures in your mind. They are often filled with allegorical allusions; for example, the miners in "Jasper and the Miners" may really be about the CIA, FBI, IRS, or any diggers into one's privacy. His voice is unique - kind of raw and pure. I hope the reissue of his albums on CDs will lead to his discovery by new listeners and delight by old fans like me.

Paul Siebel: Songwriting Genius.......2001-05-30

I was fortunate to get a copy of this CD before it went out of production. I've been trying to get copies for friends, but now it's not available. The "Paul Siebel" CD issued in 1995 includes all of his first album, "Woodsmoke and Oranges" and five songs from his second album, "Jack Knife Gypsy". It's a shame that it didn't include all of "Jack Knife Gypsy", because all his songs are great. One must really hear all of his songs to get a feeling for Paul Siebel's versatility and song-writing genius. He only recorded two albums, but his songs are memorable: narrative gems, visual stories set to strong melodies with wonderful poetic rhymes. "Pinto Pony" and "Jasper and the Miners" are like little motion pictures that I see in my mind. They are also richly allegorical ("Jasper and the Miners" could be about the FBI/CIA/IRS, or any entity that "digs" into our private information. "Chips are Down" has a very "today" sound that is ripe for a cover by a contemporary group (The Wallflowers come to mind). I can't understand why "Hillbilly Child" wasn't included on the "Paul Siebel" CD - it's such a strong melody with incisive lyrics and reminds me of some of the best work of Hank Williams. It's a shame that Paul Siebel didn't get more recognition during his performing years. Folk music reference books call him legendary. I think it's time for him to be rediscovered while he's still around to enjoy it. I hope this CD becomes available again soon.

Siebels second album.......2000-01-29

Paul Siebel: it brings me back over 25 years, each thuesday-evening a dutch c&w-radioprogram started with Siebel singing "its a long way to Nashville and I've seen that road before". That show made me familiar with JJ Walker, Prine, Buffett, Friedman, Winchester, Axton, etc; I still love them! And I bought and taped singers which later I never heard of again, like Jeffrey Shurtleff, who did great covers of Siebels Honest Sam and Nashville, or John Hambrick (where are they nowadays?). But that's something else. Anyway, Siebel was my favorite then. I bought his second album, jack-knife gypsy, a luxury albumcover, beautiful brown photo, and with lyrics included (quite necessary for a dutch boy to understand what Siebel is singing about!). First I had to get used to his voice on some tracks (like Prayer Song), sounding like a crow, the way old Dylan nowadays "sings". But I did get used to it and the songs more and more grew stronger. To this day I still play the album on my old recordplayer. My favorite tracks are (1) Legend of the CD, (2) JK Gypsy and (3) HB Child. I guess the record doesn't match the quality of the Woodsmoke album, but Siebel-adepts will enjoy it.