Customer Reviews

Constant Companion

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4 star:		(1)
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RUTHANN FRIEDMAN
Constant Companion
(Water)

Water continues their seamless reissue streak with this '69 find, the lone album by LA-based folksinger Friedman who a few years earlier had found success by penning "Windy" for the Association. Fans of the recent psych-folk implosion (and hallucinogens) could ostensibly crawl inside this gorgeous, unadorned album of lyrical fantasy, gentle yet sturdy acoustic accompaniment, and unmistakable of-the-times demeanor, and quite possibly live contentedly within it forever. Friedman's story is one of a musician who had her fun and celebrated only the positives of the peace & love generation, gingerly avoiding its dark side and remaining unscathed, seemingly with nothing but fond, collectively-experienced memories of being in such an invigorating and pivotal social moment, which included everything from joining Joni Mitchell onstage at the Big Sur Folk Festival to dating Van Dyke Parks, palling around with Dr. John the Night Tripper and living with David Crosby. Another feather in the cap of hindsight being 20/20, this time tipping in its favor. Says on the label that it's recommended for fans of Cat Power and Vashti Bunyan, but Friedman often provides a grounded counterpoint to those artists' flights of fancy. Quite a find. [DM]

foxy digitalis

reviewed by Jamie Townsend

online music magazine and proponent of proper booth plurality
Artist: Ruthann Friedman
Album: Constant Companion
Rating:9/10
Label: Water

Water Records continues to display pysch-folk's enormous influence on the modern music scene by reissuing this almost forgotten treasure from 1969. Most well know for her song "Windy," which became a hit in 1967 when performed by The Association, Ruthann Friedman struck real gold with her single solo album "Constant Companion." Companion veers between the gentle folk melodies and fairy tales of Vashti Bunyan and the dark ruminations of Bill Fay, creating a singular album peopled with pipers and magic men.

Friedman's songs, some written when she was very young, reflect a child's world seen through adult eyes; its magic dampened by a slowly growing realization of time and endless change. Ever the shadow, Friedman slips in and out of the light throughout the course of tracks like "Piper's Call," "Fairy Prince Rainbow Man," and the anthemic "People," where Friedman digs deep below the surface of a dreaming culture. These songs serve as a counterpoint to the idealism of 60s culture as Friedman searches for truth in a "wicked wicked world."

Friedman's smoothly intricate guitar playing supports her hugely expressive voice, equal parts Grace Slick and contemporary folk singer Joanna Newsome. She has the type of voice that reminds listeners that "singer" has just as much value in the equation as "songwriter." Song such as "Danny" and "Look Up to the Sun" display the tension and release of a wavering blues chanteuse. Here she slides in and out of notes, punctuating verses with trills and repetitions before settling into strides of melancholy melodicism.

As an added bonus this reissue includes the Van Dyke Parks produced single "Carry On (Glittering Dancer") a jumble of strings and horns that showcases Friedman's voice in a whole new setting. As usual Parks injects a sense of innocence and joy into his arrangement creating a musical march to support Friedman's childlike wonder.

The three lone songs Friedman performed at the Big Sur Folk Festival in 1969, passed like spirit in between sets from Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, artists who received their due recognition. Now its Ruthann's turn.- Jamie Townsend

After hearing Linda Perhacs's amazing Parallelograms, it was only natural that I would look further on Amazon for unheard folk gems that were never uncovered by the MOJO Collection.

Ruthann Friedman's "Constant Companion" might lack any of the startling ambience or biting social commentary of Perhacs, but if you go beyond expecting those standards one will nonetheless find a refreshing piece of music.

The opening track, the short a capella "Topsy Turvy Moon" is an exceptional piece that really lured me in rather too easily. The simple, childlike lyrics are hard to get too much of and are much more amusing than ordinary child rhymes. The reaminded of the original album, however, is at first at least less impressive and it takes quite a bit of listening to appreciate the individual quality of Friedman's touching voice. "Morning Becomes You", however, is the kind of song few folk singers could ever write and make so amazingly effective, and the simplicity of "Peaceable Kingdom" is almost mysterious in its quality owing to Friedman's voice, which has a church-like, very plain but deep quality. "Too Late To Be Mourning", in particular, shows Friedman's ability to tell the simplest tales so well.

The final track "Carry On (Glittering Dancer)" is a most impressive bonus track and counters the sameness of some pieces on the original album. "No Time", even though it sticks to the same plain guitar-and-voice instrumentation of previous pieces, has a very different texture with Friedman's "sharp" picking and leave-me-alone lyrical message. The touching, even warm, sound of "Look Up To The Sun" has almost the opposite effect on the listener yet Friedman somehow managed to prevent the whole thing from sounding at all disjointed.

Even if there is no "Paper Mountain Man" or even "Spiral" or "Heaven Heath" here, "Constant Companion" is worth owning for its beautiful, even stark simplicity. The line "our simplicity/I love thee" sums up succintly the essence of this record.

[...]

Ruthann Friedman's chief claim to fame is having written The Association's 1967 hit "Windy." Less well known, however, is Constant Companion , her sole solo album recorded for Reprise in 1969. Water's reissue of the album seems timed to follow the success of other recently-rediscovered female singer-songwriters (Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill) and the resurgence of '60s-inspired folk in general. Constant Companion, however, is no mere nostalgia trip, nor is its re-release a case of opportunistic bandwagoning.


While Friedman's music will undoubtedly be grouped with that of Bunyan and her present-day heirs (Devendra Banhart, for one), she has little in common with them. Contrary to what her song titles ("Piper's Call," "Fairy Prince Rainbow Man") might suggest, she doesn't indulge in idyllic flower-power folk. While Constant Companion doesn't immediately elicit comparison to any particular artist, it is perhaps closest in spirit to the first two albums of Friedman's Reprise labelmate Joni Mitchell. Like Mitchell, Friedman is a skilled guitarist and gifted songwriter, attributes that separate her from the era's horde of would-be folkies. She possesses a deep, powerful voice, and her impressive vocal control suggests that she may have been classically trained. In other words, she's no amateur dilettante who got lucky enough to record a one-shot album, but rather a fully mature and practiced artist.


The songs on Constant Companion cover a range of styles, from Simon and Garfunkel style folk ("People") and Mitchell-inspired psychedelic ruminations ("Fairy Prince Rainbow Man," "Danny") to jazz-inflected pop ("Morning Becomes You"). The arrangements are sparse, consisting solely of Friedman's acoustic guitar and voice, with the exception of lead guitar by Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna's Jorma, and creator of Constant Companion's cover art). Friedman's wide stylistic range suggests that the suits at Reprise may have been a little too eager to force her into the role of "the next Joni"; several of her songs cry out for further orchestration (the fingerstyle guitar intro to "Looking Back Over Your Shoulder" being one case in point). While they work as acoustic compositions, they may have benefited from more complex arrangements, as does the post-album single "Carry On (Glittering Dancer)," a quirky track that indulges in Van Dyke Parks-style baroque orchestrations (apparently Parks and Friedman were briefly an item, and he executive produced the track.) Given the fact that Friedman hasn't recorded anything since, Constant Companion can hardly help but evoke imaginings of what might have been had she stayed in the business longer. As it stands, though, the album is a fine effort, and its rescue from the archives is certainly to be applauded.
By Michael Cramer


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My household bought 2 copies of this disc [one here and one in a local record shop]. We never want to be without it in the car and yet, we know that one day, something may happen to the 'car copy' and so, we have one copy that remains in the house. THAT is how important this gem is, folks.
Many, many others also discovered it's magic when curiousity was peaked by the 1967 hit song [WHO is that teenager that wrote 'Windy' for The Association?] or by the coloring book imagery on the original LP cover, faithfully reproduced for this CD reissue. Curiosity leads to exploration, so some dollars get shelled out and one spins into the world of Ruthann Friedman.
There are the basics, like she was age 23 [not 16] when Windy broke into the top 10. Ruthann was at the BIG SUR festival in 1969, but did not make the film or the record album. But those are bits for Ruthann to tell you about on her web-site or in a concert. This is a music review.
Every track here is note-worthy [Morning Becomes You is a personal favorite, and Fairy Prince Rainbow Man will hook you on the 1st listen]. Much like albums by Joni Mitchell or Janis Ian or even the Moody Blues, this recording is a collection of stories, tales, lyrics that have metaphors flying every direction.
Ruthann's voice is unusual, too; feminine, yet not crystaline like a Judy Collins...strong but not piercing like a Grace Slick...very much her own instrument. And that intricate guitar work that showcased a young musician who was miles ahead of some of her more famous contemporaries.
As the title implies, it becomes a 'CONSTANT COMPANION' that you will want to visit again and again.

When it comes to music, I often make fairly impulsive purchases based on small amounts of information, in the hope of finding an unexpected gem. Recent years have seen a raft of releases purporting to be 'Great Lost Albums/Artists' and on the plus side we have Judee Sill, Gary Higgins, Linda Perhacs, Bill Fay, Vashti Bunyan, Catherine Howe... and the guy who gave credence to the whole notion in the first place: Nick Drake.

Unfortunately we are now starting to see more and more material like this appearing. Let's be honest the music on this album is not awful, it sounds like something Joni Mitchell might have recorded for her first album, only 2 years too late to make it. Even basics like the singing and playing are sub-standard.

She wrote 'Windy'(her best song by a stretch)for the Association and had an amazing life hanging out with some famous people in exciting places, but none of that can lift this album above the category of 'mediocre also-ran'.

I am quite sure that there are more lost classics out there, but it's getting harder to sort the wheat from the chaff.