Search - Eric Andersen :: Eric Andersen

A forgotten classic

Tom P. James | chicago, Il. | 01/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i have waited a long time for this record to be released as a c.d. Got it in college in late 60's when it came out.,wore this baby down to dust .Some very,very moody songs on it as i recall.Haunting tunes like "secrets."."go now deborah" and" I will wait" ( a tour deforce of yearning and angst..beautiful melody. The album is full of strong melodies-'lie with me' Is one of my all time favorite andersen songs.. .There are a couple of uptempo countryish songs such as "i was the rebel and she was the cause" and "signs of a desperate man" but for the most part this is an album of quiet yearning,love and of loss... This album i felt was as strong as the later "Blue River" but was not as varied or produced or commercially acclaimed.It's record that slipped between the cracks at the time..and since obviously.....Its a late night record to listen to, to drift away with.If you hear this c.d. and listen to the quiet songs you will know what i mean....very confessional songs for the most part and a lot of minor chord melodies which i happen to love. It is his most personal record,I feel.. .. Not as experimental as another record of his at that time "avalanche"(.also just released).. I look forward to finally sinking into the world of mood that this record creates.A gem."

Yes, it's well worth rediscovering

E. Harwood | Lewiston, Maine United States | 02/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would simply like to second the previous review. "Eric Andersen" is a record that I loved when it first came out, but that has in some respects grown in stature over the years, perhaps because the good things here are really rather extraordinary. In particular, "I Will Wait" has to stand as one of Andersen's finest songs with, as was noted, a truly exquisite and complex melody. It in some respects seems to have been cut from the same cloth as the equally beautiful "We Were Foolish Like the Flowers" from "Avalanche," another remarkable song that shows the songwriting heights to which Andersen could ascend at the time. No one else was writing like this in 1968, nor have they, for that matter, since. There are other classics here, most notably "Lie With Me" and "Secrets." "What Is It Like to be Free" could have been another wonderful track, but is somewhat compromised by an over-the-top arrangement...a not infrequent problem for Andersen during these years. One of his other great songs from this period, "Dreams of Rimbaud," finally appeared some time back on the re-release of the "Lost Album," but it is very much of a piece with the songs here. I have always assumed it was from the same sessions, and thought it strange that it did not make the cut for the album. It would have been very creative to have included it in this cd release. I guess we can all do that on our i-pods in any case, but it would have been interesting to see it reunited with similar work. One assumes that neither this nor "Avalanche" will stay in print for long, and so you should act now if Eric Andersen is of interest to you."

Until the Morning Sets You Free

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 04/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The vinyl on Eric Andersen's self-titled 1969 album is still in my collection. I'm delighted to get the CD version on re-release. Andersen recorded this set for Warner Bros. The album still sounds fresh. The opening rocker "Don't Leave Me Here for Dead" booms with Eric's excellent chorus, "It's coming on like lightnin'; Thunder to my head." "It Wasn't a Lie" follows with its soft textures and aching vocals for an unrequited love. "Sign of a Desperate Man" adds pedal steel for a full-blown country track. "I Will Wait" has one of Eric's soft contemplative melodies with the piano like a wistful reflection of days gone by, "Day after day through the fields, sit by the sand with weary heels." "Lie with me & be my love, Just for now stay with me all through the night, Be as close as you can be 'till the morning sets you free," Eric sings on his soft gentle love song "Lie With Me." "Secrets" has a childlike melody with Eric's haunting lyric, "Toes in the dust walkin' down the road; I kissed you on the lips so ruby & bold; Heather in your eyes, your hair spun gold." This is a welcome release, great delight. Enjoy!"