Customer Reviews

Gentle Soul

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Why it took so long to release this on CD is a mystery. The provenance is amazing -- Van Dyke Parks is here, along with many well-known L.A. studio musicians, not to mention some of Ry Cooder's greatest bottleneck work. But best of all is Pamela Polland's voice, as soulful as any of the era on songs like "Reelin' in Love," maybe a little reminiscent of another underrated great, Beverly Bivens of We Five. Polland's voice is so vulnerable and commanding at once it can just tear you up. Gentle Soul has a kind of stately, medieval quality in lyrics and delivery, and the harmonies between Polland and Rick Stanley simply soar. California mystical, slightly psychedelic folk-rock at its absolute peak. I wore out two copies on vinyl before this one finally arrived. Thank you Sundazed!

This album is a marvel. A piece of genuine 1960s American counter culture. Or at least the loving kindness, hippie love, nature loving, let your hair grow kind of counter culture.

It's difficult to find any real information about this album on the web. But you will find some if you search the right places, or look inside the CD cover. If you cannot find any information, pay it no mind. You will need none. This is music to be listened to. Not to, necessarily, play at parties or play air guitar to, but to simply listen to.

Put it on your iPod or the mp3 player of your choice, find some lovely piece of green grass, lay down and let the music carry you away to some, not so, far away place filled with magic, pixies, love, peace, tranquillity, euphoria, bliss and utopian pleasures.

- Tor SR Thidesen, 14.05.2011.

If you enjoyed the music of Gentle Soul, may I venture to make a recommendation with some contemporary edge? I would I such a case suggest to you to take a look at the British, 'magic pixie' band Circulus, who fuses the medieval with synthesizers (the good kind), ironic and funny lyrics, and often the same care-freeness of Gentle Soul (though perhaps, which is the style of these days, with a little more irony and self-awareness or mockery)

Originally released in 1968, as this was the folk rock band's sole effort. Here you get the lp's eleven initial tracks + nine bonus cuts. Tunes that I sort of liked were "Marcus", the beautifully played "Young Man Blue", "Love Is Always Real", "Reelin'" and the unknown folk-gem "Flying Thing". Obviously, I wasn't too knocked out with this Sundazed title but I thought it was okay. Line-up: Pamela Polland & Rick Stanley - vocals, Ry Cooder & Mike Deasy Sr. - guitars, Bill Plummer - bass, Tony Cohan - tabla, Paul Horn - flute, Larry Knechtel - organ, Ted Michel - cello, Van Dyke Parks - harpsichord and Gayle LaVant - harp. Fans of the Stone Poneys, Mamas & The Papas and the Seekers would likely get more out of this CD reissue than I did.