I know a place where souls are free, where love is worn like skin
August 17, 2018 1:38 AM   Subscribe

Among aficionados of the music of Jonathan Round there is some debate over where his particular genius is best exemplified by his transformation of already popular songs into his unique style, or through his own songwriting where his own lyrical gift is given full voice. Either way, Round's music is something not to be missed.

Sadly, the eponymous 1971 album was his only release and it remains mostly unknown. Perhaps he was too far ahead of his time, but his legacy can still be heard online. In addition to the two above tracks the remaining tracks are:

Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home
Tolu
To Love Somebody
Travelin' Mama Blues
Young Sadie (Dancing Lady)
Train-a-comin'

Unfortunately the final track, And I Will Not Be Moved, isn't available online currently as the Youtube poster put up a double of Young Sadie in its place by mistake. In lieu of that, here is a brief blog post about Round's cover of Sympathy for the Devil with a response by Jonathan about the album and his other unreleased works.

As an aside, the album itself is pretty nifty. It was roundish in shape and was claimed as having a revolutionary dust free jacket that didn't require an album sleeve as it had a fold-over cover. The, um, striking images on the album can be seen in the song links. In that inimitable early seventies style the album noted Jonathan was a triple Aquarian which helped explain his genius. Make of that what you will.
posted by gusottertrout (5 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
There's a discussion and remembrance thread at Ill Folks.

Jack Black was either heavily influenced or it’s some kind of convergent evolution at play.
posted by bonobothegreat at 3:50 AM on August 17, 2018


I'd love to hear this guy do Herod's Song from Jesus Christ Superstar.
posted by es_de_bah at 5:16 AM on August 17, 2018


I wish it had more amateurish backing musicians than the A-list studio dudes like Bob Babbitt
posted by thelonius at 5:45 AM on August 17, 2018


I hadn't heard of him before. I enjoyed that! His version of "Sympathy for the Devil" made me hear striking similarities between it and "Sweet Transvestite"probably because of his sort of "spoken word" delivery especially on the chorus--is that one of those things that everyone knows already? Or maybe I'm inventing things.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:46 AM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


I wish it had more amateurish backing musicians than the A-list studio dudes like Bob Babbitt

That's interesting because, for me, the thing that really make the album unique is the bizarre mix of over-production and Round's rawness. I'm not sure how I'd respond to something more pared down or "balanced". The producers seemed to draw on anything and everything they could think of for the album, Jesus Christ Superstar, Spaghetti westerns, R&B, rock opera and who knows what else as if they didn't know what to do with the album except go all out with whatever came to mind.

Sympathy for the Devil is has such a pleasing mix of literalness in interpretation, a fine guitar riff by Round backing it, and then heedless excess in the production that doubles down on Round's voice as a thing of fright in itself.

Don't it Make You Want to Go Home barely manages to stay on its wheels, threatening constantly to go completely off the tracks as Round's vocals are just constrained enough by the more professional backing to maintain itself to the end. To Love Somebody is close to the same, with Round's singing teetering between ecstatic excess and stalkery obsession.

Tolu, on the other hand, is more restrained and charming for it as the production works with a dialed back Round.

I don't even know what to say about In Quest of the Unicorn other than I really dig it for the match between Round's own excess in voice and lyric and that of the production matching him all the way. It builds to something really unexpected and welcome for that.
posted by gusottertrout at 1:47 AM on August 20, 2018


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