Customer Reviews

Grey Life

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, in the name, Val used the old German spelling of our family name. GREY LIFE, finally out on CD after all these years! Amazing! I am Val's sister, and of course I give this album 5 stars! The songs are so touching and beautiful -- Val was a truly talented and gifted musician and song writer, poet and artist. After leaving The Blue Things in 1967, Val decided to go back to his country and folk roots and write of what he truly believed in. He grew up listening to country music, learning to pick on the guitar mom bought for him (from Montgomery Ward) when he was just 12. Mom taught him a few chords, and just by listening to the radio and those old 78s and 45s, Val taught himself to play.

Though the songs on GREY LIFE are sad and of a lonely feel, the music and lyrics came from his very heart and soul. He often wrote of his experiences and hardships during that time. He always expressed himself through his music. Among my favorites, "Seven Days Away From You" definitely has the influence of his mentor back then, folk legend, Ian Tyson of the popular "Ian and Sylvia" duo. "Seven Days" is very moving, hard driving, folksy with his 12-string in full gear! I believe this album could have been much better without all the orchestral arrangements which Val really didn't care for. Totally acoustic is what he always had in mind. Had he produced his own very first solo album, this is the road he would have taken. He always thought the "orchestral" got in the way of the original feel of the songs.

"I Can't Have Yesterday", another favorite of mine, has an interesting story behind it. Val always admired Paul McCartney's "Yesterday", saying it was the most beautiful and perfect song he's ever heard. He said to me one day, with a smile, "well, I can't have yesterday!" which led to the title of his own creation!

I ordered this CD, excited about hearing it once again. My vinyl is so worn out, but still a treasure.

I'm sure everyone involved with this production will receive their credit, but this was released without the family's knowledge, and too bad if Val's son and daughter will never receive his royalties...

I am Val's daughter, and thrilled to see this on CD. I think this is one of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard, and yes, I'm biased. My dad's soulful voice and gentle acoustic embodies the emotion behind the songs he wrote and sang.

I hope to see The Blue Things out on CD too. If anyone has paraphenalia to sell from those days, please respond to this post - I'll be happy to buy it.

And: Hi, aunt Marti. Hope you are well. :)

I've been collecting and enjoying all sorts of music since the mid-seventies. Every few years or so a record comes along that just completely blows me away; often it's a "lost classic". This is one of those records.

I never heard of the Blue Things despite having lived my teen years in Kansas where they were from. I only came across this CD after hearing "Say It's Not Over" as part of some college radio podcast a while back, and being quite fascinated with the Stöecklein's amazing voice. The guy isn't Johnny Cash or even Roy Orbison, but he has the same really emotive and rich vocals that just get under your skin and stay there forever. Really a timeless sound.

Stöecklein was also a truly gifted songwriter. He had a way of turning a phrase that paints an emotional picture of The Struggle without being sappy, trite or overbearing. If you read even a little about the guy's life and the background of this album you'll understand he went through some unbelievably difficult times and really laid out his soul in these songs; but he did so without resorting to overt melodrama or self-pity, and on every track demonstrated a very obvious attention to his craft with subtle tempo shifts, thoughtful phrasing (I suspect the guy could have written great novels had he chosen to), and really beautiful 12-string acoustic guitar work.

All the songs here are great, but special attention should be paid to "Say It's Not Over", "I Can't Have Yesterday", "Seven Days Away from You", "I Wonder Who I'll Be Tomorrow", "I'll Make It Up to You" and especially my personal favorite "Possibility I Was Wrong". I'm a middle-aged guy now who grew up on the likes of Kansas, Foreigner, Journey and progressive music like Yes, Genesis and the Moody Blues; as well as pop like Rod Stewart and 10CC, R&B and Motown, plus loads of CSN&Y, Joni Mitchell and the like. Val Stöecklein wasn't any of those things, yet ever since picking up this CD a couple months ago I've found it constantly in the CD player in my car as I commute to work and around town. I've memorized every line of every song, and after at least 100 playings haven't tired of it yet. Perhaps I will when the next lost classic lands in my hands, but in the meantime I have a feeling this one is going to stay right where it's at.

As an aside, I've read a bit about Stöecklein's later years, and learned that he not only lived in the same town as my parents when he died, but his home was actually in their neighborhood. What a tragedy that such a brilliant musician drifted away without being accorded the recognition and respect he deserved. I only wish I could have met the man.

Val Stöecklein's Grey Life, released on the Dot label in 1968, is one of my all time favorite albums, and it has finally been released on CD. It falls into the category of 'lost classics' from the '60s, which become popular 30 or 40 years after they were originally recorded. A dark, yet beautiful collection of very moving and melancholic songs by the leader and main songwriter of the now legendary folk rock/psych group The Blue Things. In 1967, Val suffered a nervous breakdown which was attributed to the breakup of a relationship combined with alcohol and LSD use. He quit the band, which broke up soon thereafter. Val was then admitted to the Menniger Clinic in his home of Kansas and diagnosed as bi-polar.

Upon his release from the clinic, Val made his way to California where he was signed to Dot Records. This album was recorded over the course of a month later at L.A.'s Gold Star Studios, with producer Ray Ruff and arranger Dick Hieronymus. Stöecklein is in the lead playing his 12 string singing in a slick, depressed voice that sounds as if he's on the verge of total collapse, and he is accompanied by magnificent orchestral arrangements by Dick Hieronymus. The grandeur of the soaring string sections, along with the use of the oboe on certain tracks really creates a melancholy atmosphere, the perfect touch.

Standout tracks: Say It's Not Over (he sings "I look around my room, where it's so dark and cold without you / The ashes in the fireplace are the poetry and songs I write about you), French Girl Affair, Seven Days Away From You, Sounds Of Yesterday, Second Ending. It's actually very hard to pick one or even a few 'best' tracks, as this entire album is a masterpiece. It should be noted Now's The Time and I Can't Have Yesterday are remakes of two of his old Blue Things songs. Also included are both sides of his post Grey Life 45 for Dot in 1969, his final solo recording, of those two songs the real gem is 'I Wonder Who I'll Be Tomorrow'. Sadly this was the end of Val's solo career, however since he penned over a hundred (or more) songs, countless other artists recorded his songs, look around and you'll see.

I should also mention I am pleased with the artwork (including the disc's inverted colors) and liner notes, and that everybody involved with the production received their credit. It has taken this album 39 years to be released on CD, glad to see it's finally here. Five stars.

I don't yet have this on CD, but the album captures a beautiful sadness in a way few artists ever have. There was a review in a Baltimore newspaper in 2005 that called it one of the best albums ever.

I'm a Kansas musician and I love Val's music. In the 80s & 90s I was in a band called Klyde Konnor, and in every interview I said our goal was to be "bigger than The Blue Things"--Val's KS band that eventually recorded three of the most advanced psychedelic cuts on the planet (no kidding--in Sept. 66). I even have the Impromptwos record from when Val was at Fort Hays State.

I also have a friend from Hutchinson who was a friend of Val's shortly before he passed on. Val recorded a cassette of a song he wrote for her. She still has it; it may be the last thing he recorded. I spoke to her a few days ago, and she is trying to find it so it can be put on a more permanent storage medium. I've heard the track once, and it is, like a lot of Val's music, fragile and beautiful.

I would like to contact the family and get a copy to them for safekeeping.

Glad to see that this great album is on CD. I bought two copies of the vinyl release & completely wore one out. I grew up in Hays, Kansas & knew Val. I didn't know him well (he was a couple of years older than me), but we would say hello when he came into my dad's drug store on Main Street to get photography stuff.

These songs are soulful and almost painfully sensitive. I would love to hear the original tapes with just Val's voice accompanied by his 12 string guitar. Unfortunately there is some over-production (thus 4 stars instead of 5), but the harpsichord is a nice touch.

Buy this CD. You will not be disapointed. It's far better than 99% of the crap that passes for music these days.

Really like this album I still play it believe it or not, its vinyl and a lot of scratches. I bought the blue thing album in 1964 and misplaced it. But I bought their cd brings back memories. I enjoyed the comment by Val's sister. He was a great but forgotten talent. I also remember he played with another band after his solo album.