Hang on to a Dream: Verve Recordings

Tim Hardin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 1994
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Ume Imports
• ASIN: B000001E3T
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,890 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An introspective, obsessive artist, Tim Hardin wrote songs that many better-known singers turned to--Marianne Faithfull, Astrud Gilberto, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash; likewise his "If I Were a Carpenter" has become a virtual standard--but Hardin's own versions are uniquely moving and must be heard. His confessions are soaked in a hieratic, trembling moan, a soft piano or guitar, a keen way of seeing inside every line, and jazz- and blues-influenced phrasing (Hardin sounds like a more urgent, haunted Mose Alison). The Verve collection captures nearly all the great songs, and the visceral pain and illuminating wisdom that was Hardin's genius. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an essential collection, March 20, 2002

By 

Stephen F Mulcahy (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hang on to a Dream: Verve Recordings (Audio CD)

this 2 cd set includes hardin's work for verve records, a sixties label that also featured some of the " bosstown sound" acts, as well as luminaries like the velvet underground and the blues project, among others. the second cd consists of outtakes and hardin's not so great tim hardin 4 album. it's alright, but nothing special
the first cd contains numerous classics. the man's work has been covered by bobby darin, the four tops, scott walker, robert plant, rod stewart, the small faces, the psychedelic band gandalf, zz top's frank beard and dusty hill's early outfit american blues, and numerous others. this shows how highly regarded hardin's work was by his contemporaries, bob dylan apparently claimed that hardin was either THE, or one of the, country's greatest living songwriters.
hardin's work is a model of simplicity, and that's why so much of his material is so great. his plaintive, yet powerful vocals are another testament to the importance of the material. this first cd is chock full of classic tunes. many of the best tunes can also be found on the various best of compilations out there, this 2 cd set is for big hardin fans. people with a mild interest in the singer would probably be better off buying a cheaper and briefer disc to start out with.
hardin isn't really a folk singer, his stuff is more jazzy and bluesy. his phrasing is excellent. there are too many classics to list,suffice it to say that the first two hardin records, tim hardin 1 and 2, are simply essential. the song i'm into lately are two that don't show up too often on best of hardin releases: never too far and part of the wind, from his debut. his work will be appreciated by those who like brevity ( most cuts are under three minutes, and many under two!), vocal clarity, and melancholy ballads with a jazzy flavor. little of this is topical, hardin was apparently rather apolitical. hardin is yet another musician who is more appreciated today than at the time, it's too bad he never had any real prolonged success in terms of reaching a large audience. sadly, hardin died in 1980, leaving us these two beautiful early recordings to remember him by.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An original singer-songwriter, May 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hang on to a Dream: Verve Recordings (Audio CD)

A lot of people think of James Taylor as the original confessional singer-songwriter. Tim Hardin preceeded him by a number of years. Hardin is probably best known for "If I was a Carpenter" though surely not his version. Hardin's first two albums are classics, to my mind, of songrwriter's bearing their souls. Songs like "Reason to Believe" still haunt me. Besides anyone who can say everything they need to say on a topic in less than two minutes, as Hardin did on nearly all of his songs, is truely in search of the perfect song. This collection includes all of Hardin's great songs, and many that are only near great.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exotic when listened to in norwich, england..., January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hang on to a Dream: Verve Recordings (Audio CD)

On the John Peel show in October, British band Quickspace led by the lo-fi king Tom Cullinan did a cover of Tim Hardins' "If I were a Carpenter." faster and repetitive in the Quickspace kinda way, It got me interested in checking out Hardin - so I did. Hang on to a dream is the perfect way into the world of Hardin, this twists my telescope.