Richie Havens «» Dreaming As One: The A&M Years (2004)

 

Richie Havens «» Dreaming As One: The A&M Years
»  Richie Havens was a master of bringing together rich melodies, powerful lyrics, pre-punk acoustic guitar and a touch of jazziness for a liberating aural experience. Combining Bob Dylan's lyrical skills with an earthy vocal prowess, Havens reaches near-orgasmic heights in each energetic composition. His 1967 outing Mixed Bag best exhibits the duality of Havens' playing: on the one hand, you have sunshine-filled jazzy folk such as "Morning, Morning"; on the other hand you've got electrically charged pieces such as "High Flying Bird." The high point of Havens' long career remains his electrifying performance at Woodstock, where he equaled the mighty roar of Hendrix's screaming Fender Stratocaster with his deep, growling vocals and vigorous, finger shredding acoustic guitar strumming.
Birth name: Richard Pierce Havens
Born: January 21, 1941, Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York
Died: April 22, 2013, Jersey City, New Jersey
Album release: 2004
Record Label: A&M
Duration:     74:41
Tracks:
01. I'm Not In Love     (5:23)
02. We Can't Hide It Anymore     (4:01)
03. Dreaming As One     (3:28)
04. You Can Close Your Eyes     (4:20)
05. I Was Educated By Myself     (5:14)
06. Daughter Of The Night     (3:40)
07. If Not For You     (3:08)
08. Do It Again      (3:28)
09. Wild Night     (3:30)
10. Long Train Running      (3:49)
11. Live It Up (One Time)     (3:12)
12. Shadows Of The Past     (2:36)
13. I Don't Complain     (3:17)
14. Touch The Sky     (2:35)
15. Billy John     (3:02)
16. We All Wanna Boogie     (3:14)
17. Avalon     (3:02)
18. Aviation Man     (2:49)
19. Nobody Left To Crown     (3:38)
20. The End     (3:24)
21. I'm Not In Love (Edited Single Version)     (3:46) © Photo credit: Henry Dietz
~ Review by Lindsay Planer
» Richie Havens (guitar/harmonica/vocals) established himself as a formidable folkie during the 1960s Greenwich Village scene. This was prior to becoming a household name after a career-defining appearance at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. After releasing seven acclaimed long-players on his own Stormy Forest label, a series of business maneuvers led to Havens' next two platters being issued on A&M Records. The contents of those discs, The End of the Beginning (1976) and Mirage (1977) make up the bulk of Dreaming as One: The A&M Years, a limited-edition anthology from Hip-O Select. Although his distinct musical vision remains, the artist has integrated new sonic textures to a matured style, expanding significantly upon the primarily acoustic instrumentation of Havens' earlier efforts. His trademark arrangements are as organic and emotive as ever, particularly notable on the updates of 10cc's noir "I'm Not in Love," the funky take of Steely Dan's "Do It Again," or the four-on-the-floor driving the remakes of the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running" and Van Morrison's "Wild Night." ~ Havens' electric ensemble was undeniably modern, yet the respective interpretations provide an uncomplicated backing. In that respect, The End of the Beginning featured Steve Cropper (guitar), Booker T. Jones (keyboards), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass) and suitably Jeff Baxter (pedal steel/side guitar) , who was a one-time member of Steely Dan and the Doobies. Havens' capacity for lyrical and evocative balladry is likewise evident on the title composition to this compilation, "Dreaming as One," as well as "Shadows of the Past" and the upbeat and perhaps prophetic "Nobody Left to Crown." In addition to both albums the 'edited single version' of "I'm Not in Love" is included, wrapping up what is an exceptional anthology of Havens' short stint at A&M.
Website: http://www.richiehavens.coml
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/richiehavens
Early life:
» Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children. He is of American Indian (Blackfeet) descent on his father's side, and of the British West Indies on his mother's.
» At an early age, he began organizing his neighborhood friends into street corner doo-wop groups and was performing with the McCrea Gospel Singers at 16.
Studio albums:
Year / Album / US Top 200
» 1965 Richie Havens' Record –
» 1966 Electric Havens 192
» 1967 Mixed Bag 182
» 1968 Something Else Again 184
» 1969 Richard P. Havens, 1983 80
» 1970 Stonehenge 155
» 1971 Alarm Clock 29
» The Great Blind Degree 126
» 1973 Portfolio 182
» 1974 Mixed Bag II 186
» 1976 The End of the Beginning 157
» 1977 Mirage –
» 1980 Connections –
» 1983 Common Ground –
» 1987 Simple Things 173
» Sings Beatles and Dylan –
» 1991 Now –
» 1994 Cuts to the Chase –
» 2002 Wishing Well –
» 2004 Grace of the Sun –
» 2008 Nobody Left to Crown –
Live albums:
» 1972 Richie Havens on Stage 55
» 1990 Live at the Cellar Door –
Compilations:
» 1993 Résumé: The Best of Richie Havens –
» 1995 Classics –
» 1999 Time –
» 2000 The Millennium Collection –
» 2004 Dreaming as One: The A&M Years –
» 2005 High Flyin' Bird

Health problems and death:
≈  In 2010, Havens had kidney surgery but did not recover fully enough to be able to perform his music as he had before. On March 20, 2012, he announced on his Facebook page that he would stop touring after 45 years due to health concerns.
≈  On April 22, 2013, Havens died of a heart attack at home in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was 72. The BBC referred to him as a "Woodstock icon," while Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young said Havens "could never be replicated." The Daily Telegraph stated Havens "made an indelible mark on contemporary music," while Douglas Martin of The New York Times reported that Havens had "riveted Woodstock."
≈  Havens is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Biography by William Ruhlmann
» Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Richie Havens moved to Greenwich Village in 1961 in time to get in on the folk boom then taking place. Havens had a distinctive style as a folksinger, appearing in such clubs as the Cafe Wha? His guitar set to an opening tuning, he would strum it while barring chords with his thumb, using it essentially as percussion while singing rhythmically in a gruff voice for a mesmerizing effect. Havens was signed to Douglas Records in 1965 and recorded two albums that gained him a local following. In 1967, the Verve division of MGM Records formed a folk section (Verve Forecast) and signed Havens and other folk-based performers. The result was Havens' third album, Mixed Bag. It wasn't until 1968 and the Something Else Again album, however, that Havens began to hit the charts -- actually, Havens' fourth, third, and second albums charted that year, in that order. In 1969 came the double album Richard P. Havens 1983.
» Havens' career benefited enormously from his appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and his subsequent featured role in the movie and album made from the concert in 1970. His first album after that exposure, Alarm Clock, made the Top 30 and produced a Top 20 single in "Here Comes the Sun." These recordings were Havens' commercial high-water mark, but by this time he had become an international touring success. By the end of the '70s, he had abandoned recording and turned entirely to live work. Havens came back to records with a flurry of releases in 1987: a new album, Simple Things; an album of Bob Dylan and Beatles covers; and a compilation. In 1991, Havens signed his first major-label deal in 15 years when he moved to Sony Music and released Now. Nobody Left to Crown was issued by Verve Forecast in 2008. Havens died of a heart attack at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey in April 2013; he was 72 years old.

Richie Havens «» Dreaming As One: The A&M Years (2004)

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