Browse by Artist: CALLIER, TERRY

Artist:	CALLIER, TERRY
Title:	I Just Can't Help Myself
Label:	CADET
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	CA 50041LP

Exact repro, originally released in 1974. "Terry Callier's third and final album for the Cadet label is the most soulful and supple of the bunch -- Marvin Gaye's classic Motown LPs from the same early 1970s period serve as a good reference point, both in their richly-detailed arrangements as well as their thoughtful political and social messages. Despite its contemporary feel, however, much of the material on I Just Can't Help Myself dates back several years -- both the powerful 'Alley-Wind Song' and the John Coltrane tribute 'Can't Catch the Trane' were initially recorded during the 1969 sessions which later comprised the First Light collection, while the graceful reading of Duke Ellington's 'Satin Doll' was and would remain a longstanding highlight of Callier's live set." --All Music Guide

Artist:	CALLIER, TERRY
Title:	Turn You To Love
Label:	DBK WORKS
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	DBK 502CD

"This 1979 Elektra set is easily Terry Callier's most underrated album. He handled a lot of the guitar work himself, but he did have help from his songwriting partner Larry Wade and Tommy Tedesco. Also in the house was Motown's Randy Dundlap, courtesy of Smokey Robinson, and horn heroes Ernie Watts and Fred Wesley. The song selection here is impeccable, from the hard, growling gospel funk of 'Sign of the Times' to the serpentine love song 'Pyramids of Love' and a pair of awesome covers: Smokey Robinson's 'Still Water (Love)' and Becker & Fagen's 'Do It Again.' First time U.S. CD release."

Artist:	CALLIER, TERRY
Title:	Dancing Girl (Live)/Love Theme From Spartacus
Label:	SLOW TO SPEAK
Format:	12"
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	CA 1222EP

"No artist ridicules the absurdities of genre-fetish in American music quite like the great Terry Callier. A demolisher of classification and master of introspective musical self-expression, Callier has lead a relatively under-the-radar existence despite being one the most talented singer/songwriters of the late 20th Century, bridging the gap between American folk, blues, jazz & soul without really pledging loyalty to any of these classifications, content to let his music and its meticulously crafted lyrical narrative speak for itself -- and in so doing effortlessly validating the common root of all these great musical traditions: less a teleological bond than the common personal wellsprings of creative impulse that unite these varied forms of self-expression in their most shining form. To Callier music was never a matter of labor, social capital or an obvious transition to more money & prestige; primarily a vehicle of poetic release, it was this attitude that bore Callier's need to play in virtually every style of his era: in this case, the medium was not equivalent to the message, but rather how this medium was performed and cared for, how sincerely it was engaged for the sake of pure uncensored self-articulation that mattered most. While his 1960s & 1970s recordings are revered with cultish enthusiasm by his many followers today, his music received little popular acclaim at the time and passed through the cracks of obscurity until later interest resurrected them. But then Callier always preferred to use music as medium & message over music as social signifier, content to express himself through his raw, natural talent in poetry, voice & composition. The uncorrupted and thoroughly inspired energy poured into his material eventually paid off as more and more took notice, but by this time Callier had already abandoned 'professional' music in search of more steady means to support his family, never leaving behind his chosen aesthetic, though forced through material necessity to focus elsewhere. Of course, his art never went wholly neglected, as Callier has continued to release full-lengths periodically up to the present. In many ways his craft has sharpened with age, as his imprint continues to be felt: the astounding Roy Davis Jr. remix of 'Love Theme From Spartacus' has solidified its place in the deep house cannon as one of the best examples of dance music with exceptional lyrical whit (proving that, far from incompatible, these two are in fact deeply complimentary) Indeed, the version featured on this 12" release is Callier's best rendition of his 'Dancing Girl,' performed not more than 10 years ago. Still, he remains a half-figure in the history of 20th century music, a shadow of a ghost whose presence is always felt but whose full revealing is still yet to come. Perhaps this eternal (through choice or chance) circumventing of stardom & mass reverence left his emotional senses more acute to the despair of existence than others with equal talent; surely his music, often heart-wrenching and remarkably saddened, is one the most breathtaking & absolutely gorgeous examples of musical ingenuousness and dynamic diversity, rendering mute the supposedly great differences in the wide musical palate exploited for the sake of self-expression: the true renaissance man of 20th century American song."

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