I posted awhile back on my "desert island" disk - Roderick Falconer's New Nation. Not much info is available on this guy, except he put out 4 LP's under that name (later releases were shortened to just Rod Falconer). But, somewhere in the spare moment net queries, I found a compilation package that had been released under the name of Rod Taylor - OK perhaps his real surname? Even that name gets mixed up with a Jah artist. Last year, when I was in a frothing fit LP buying spree on Ebay, I spotted a 1973 self-titled release by Rod Taylor. I examined some of the cover photos, and I'll be darned if it did not seem like a bearded and mustached edition of the same guy. But I wasn't paying the $30 or so for a Japanese import I had no knowledge of. Later in the year, I spotted a vinyl copy for $5 - well worth any risk - and bought it. Wow! The musicians on this read like a who's who in S. Cali at the time. Rod Taylor Vocals, Vocals (Background), Main Performer,Andrew Gold Accordion, Guitar Bill Payne Organ, Keyboards Bonnie Bramlett Vocals, Vocals (Background) Buell Neidlinger Bass Chuck Findley Trumpet Chuck Plotkin Accordion, Keyboards, Producer, Piano Craig Safan Piano David LaFlamme Fiddle, Violin Don Caverhill Organ, Keyboards, Piano Ernie Watts Saxophone Gary Mallaber Drums, Clavinet Jesse Ed Davis Guitar Jim Horn Saxophone Jim Keltner Drums Joel Tepp Slide Guitar, Clarinet, Dobro, Harmonica Joni Mitchell Vocals, Vocals (Background) Kenny Edwards Bass Larry Knechtel Piano Leland Sklar Bass Lew McCreary Horn, Baritone Red Rhodes Guitar (Steel) Richard Sanford Orshoff Engineer Guitar Russ Kunkel Drums Ry Cooder Guitar, Mandolin Steve Ferguson Piano Steve VanGelder Fiddle, Guitar, Violin Now, I suppose you could say Rod's deep tenor (and a bit nasally) vocal could be an aquired taste, but it is one I have aquired. This album is a beautiful piece of music that I suppose just got lost in all the stuff that was emerging at that time. Rod was later billed as Appalachia's response to David Bowie - if that comparison's not off-putting I don't know what is. Perhaps a bit too country for the rockers and a bit to unusual for the hoedown, his record company set him off in a different direction. Perhaps too bad, even though it led to one of my favorite LPs.More in comments.
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