Customer Reviews

Shelter from the Smoke

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

 

 

Dust off this attic find & discover sepia toned snapshots of arresting beauty. Originally, released in 1997, this Scat reissue is not only the finest thing I've heard in 2009, but in decades. In terms of infectious song craft & lyricism, this is an absolute treasure.

Imagine if Dylan had Lennon & McCartney's sense of melody, backed by the Velvet Underground's do it yourself aesthetic. Or a Lo Fi Americana answer to Big Star. Vocally at times reclusive English songwriter Bill Fay comes to mind along with ragged echoes of Simon & Garfunkel. Not to mention the more contemporary likes of Elliott Smith & M Ward, both of whom have dropped Fox's name as an influence.

Yet, true to surname, Mr. Fox eludes all points of reference w/ melodic grace. For my money, Fox is a major discovery. Laid down in the mid 90's, Shelter sounds like it's been lost in the vaults since the 60's. Things kick off with the irresistible Over And Away She Goes & doesn't let up through a journey of Appalachian Death Sighs, Lonesome Pines & Junked Lot Serenades.

Fox recorded this & the yet to be re-released Tranzit Byzantium mainly on 4 track in his hometown of Cleveland in the mid 90's. Then he all too willfully disappeared from view. To this day, he shuns all press & acclaim, leaving rumor & speculation to duke it out as to why. What you will hear here more than lives up to any hype or legend that's certain to follow.

I first heard "Over and Away She Goes" on a comp. CD and read that Bill Fox lived in Cleveland, and just happened to be living in Cleveland and just happened to see he'd be playing live near my house. And, I just had to see the real guy. yeah, and I did want to give him the night of his life! But anyway, I love this CD, it breaks my heart and the lyrics are very good. Now I can only wonder what ever happened to Bill Fox? I saw Bob Dylan with this guy! I went to Peace Corps, came home in 2000 and he was gone! Someone at Matador told me something very bad happened to him. Does anyone know the truth?

Listening to this guy sing his songs is like bowling a strike, it rolls on straight and fast and then BAM it hits...what a glorious moment. His lyric style is poetical and elusively romantic without being pendantic. If I were a girl I'd seek him out and give him the best night of his life. Thanks, Bill Fox wherever you are. Tom Marchi

If you are a fan of the Beatles, Dylan, the Byrds, or great acoustic rock, you owe it to yourself and Bill Fox to get this amazing album. OK, he has more nods to past masters than a junkie on Main Street, but each and every one of them works to perfection. So what if he owes His Bobness a residual or two for lifting a bit too much of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" in "I'm not over Lovin' You"? I don't recall Bob paying anything to Woody... And isn't "borrowing" part of the folk process? However, I digress.... Get this album. SIX STARS!

Not sure how Bill Fox flew under my radar a decade ago when this album was first issued, but I'm thankful, at any rate, to have heard it at all. Imagine if Robert Pollard had obsessed over the first three Bob Dylan albums instead of The Who, and you get a sense of what Bill Fox is all about. Ageless, sepia-tinged Americana filtered through a lo-fi indie recording aesthetic, along with sneakily profound lyrics that catch you unawares and punch you in the gut, makes for a truly intoxicating sound. Obviously, the nouveau-folk troubadours taking the indie world by storm are all indebted to Mr. Fox, though they may not know it. There is a lot to digest here, and the more rocking, full-band recordings sound a bit out of place, but there is no question: from the haunting "Appalachian Death Sigh" to the lovely, plaintive "Junked Lot Serenade" to the Dylanesque rant of "I'm Not Over Loving You," this is all amazing stuff. Really.

This album is available on iTunes for 10 bucks. Read the article in "The Believer" for the story of his disappearing act from the music scene.