1

Tim Hardin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 25, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 1966
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Water
• ASIN: B001FWPY4Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,917 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Tim Hardin's first album, originally released in 1966, is an accidental classic. The album is comprised of a number of demos, and features string arrangements on many tunes that the artist himself knew nothing about. Yet, despite this Tim Hardin 1 remains a folk-rock-blues classic of the highest order. Though Hardin's work is often known more through other artists' interpretations his own versions are almost always superior, including such classic songs here as Reason to Believe, Don't Make Promises, and Misty Roses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect debut, March 27, 2011

By 

E. Hagendoorn "therocker" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1 (Audio CD)

Simply a perfect debut of an already fully formed artist. Impressive are his set of songs, his soulful singing, the simple and effective arrangements and Hardin's ease to blend in jazz and blues influences.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 -- Stellar blue folk-rock debut, April 21, 2009

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 1 (Audio CD)

By the time of this 1966 release, Hardin had transformed himself almost fully from an average blues singer to a stellar folk artist. Failed sessions for Columbia found him re-signed to Verve for which he recorded this commercial debut. The album mixes spare demo takes with more fully produced tracks that feature tasteful strings. Hardin was apparently unhappy about the inclusion of both the unfinished tracks, which showed how his blues roots were translating into folk rock, and the overdubbing, which added a polish that elevated these tracks beyond a singer-songwriter sitting on a stool. The opening "Don't Make Promises" found favor with a surprising range of other artists, including Bobby Darin (who later had a hit with Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter), Helen Reddy, Three Dog Night and Paul Weller. Even more famous is "Reason to Believe," which became a hit for Rod Stewart. The rest of the album lives up to these standards, with small combos backing Hardin's jazz-tinged vocals. Tim Hardin 1 has been packaged here as straight-up reissue, but it's also been available as a two-fer with its followup, and as part of the complete Hang on to a Dream: The Verve Recordings. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have music, January 26, 2012

By 

RJF in Illinois - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1 (Audio CD)

Whether you are a folk music afficionado or not, a music collection is incomplete without this album. Tim Hardin was inhabited by the Muse. When he hit his stride, music flowed out of him as it did out of Bob Dylan during the same era. Songs on this album alone - Reason to Believe, If I Were a Carpenter, Misty Roses and others - are classics that have been covered by top performing artists for decades. The Muse grew in Tim and eventually overtook him as he succumbed to the needle. After a few years of living with his heroin habit, he finally made an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. As he took the stage he looked at the audience and said "You may think I'm here because I love music. I'm not. I'm here because I have a $200-a-day habit." Soon after, he overdosed and died. Such was the final tragedy. In Tim's case, it did not diminish the beauty of the unadorned presentations he did of his masterpieces or the impact that they had on generations of singers since.