Search - Meic Stevens :: Outlander

Walking Through A Maze With You

K. H. Orton | New York, NY USA | 08/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released in the early 70's Outlander is Meic Stevens' only record in English that I know of. For over 30 years he's been Wales' answer to Bob Dylan. Lyrically though, I'd say he has far more in common with Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Vocally, I suppose one could compare him to Robert Plant in terms of dynamics, but Stevens is far more feral & edgy.



Signed with Warner Bros in the late 60's, Stevens could have been as huge as Van Morrison or Neil Young. According to an interview, he said he just didn't have it in him to play the game. Emerging from the same scene that gave rise to Bert Jansch & Davy Graham, Stevens was certainly a major influence the likes of Led Zepplin, Fairport Convention & Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett.



But enough background & name dropping. This is an incredible album. A misty haunted moor of a record with a garden maze of imagry. The manic acoustic strumming & howls & yelps of "Rowena" are a pretty accurate depiction of what awaits the unsupsecting listener.



Gorgeous balladry like "Loved Owed" & "Left Over Time" rival the likes of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright". I could go through each track & pontificate on how great this is, but just the fact I took the time out to write this review should be enough. It's gem. Musically, it borders on Psychedelica at times, especially on mad headspinners like "Yorric". Whether Stevens chooses to strum a lone acoustic guitar or break out the sitars for a raga freakout, he's never jamming for the sake of jamming. There is a focus here. Though things may appear raw & off the cuff, it's only because Steven's knows exactly what he's doing.



At heart, I'd say Stevens' own influences lie somewhere between Woody Guthrie & the Welsh Folktale tradition. True, the fact that Stevens has dedicated most of his career to keeping the Welsh language alive has resulted in limited global accessibility. Still, we should be grateful for this reissue of his one English record. In any language, Steven's talent can't be denied. Any fan of Syd Barrett Psychedelica or Richard Thompson won't regret hitting the purchase button. One of the best Folk records I've ever heard.



"

Some great moments, but a bit disappointing

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 11/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I heard a lot about this record before I bought it: unique, amazing lyrics, voice like Robert Plant, as good or better than Bob Dylan. After owning "Outlander" for over a year, I can't say it lived up to the hype.



More than anything else, I think what holds this album back is its Bob Dylan influence. At times, it seems like Stevens isn't doing much more than recreating specific Dylan tunes: "Left Over Time" is structured, arranged, and delivered A LOT like "Visions of Johanna." Likewise, "Love Owed" and "Lying to Myself" come off as bland pre-Bringing it All Back Home acoustic Dylan tunes, but, unlike Bob's tunes, the lyrical substance just isn't there. I'm a much bigger fan of Stevens' voice when he isn't trying to pull off a Bob impression, but it seems to be his goal more often than not. These criticisms said (sorry hardcore Meic fans), some of this record has a whole lot going for it.



I really dig Stevens' crazy acoustic strumming and howling on "Rowena" and "Ghost Town." The use of sitar on "The Sailor and Madonna" and "Yorric" gives Stevens a psychedelic, exotic, trance-like sound that Dylan could only dream about. I wish he was tapping into this kind of groove a lot more, rather than being held back by his reverence for his Bobness. "Oxblood" is also a lively, folky jaunt. More than anything, this record feels like it's not living up to its potential--I don't know any of Stevens' Welsh-sung catalog, so I can only hope that it's not just imitation Dylan, and is actually more of what makes Meic Stevens unique.



Overall, I can't rate this album too high because half of it just isn't original enough to warrant some of the praise I've heard for it (again, sorry Stevens fans). Some obscure records are really worth shelling out the extra money for, but, in my opinion, this one isn't worth the prices it's going for (at least $15). That said, a lot of people love it, so if you're a fan of psychedelic folk rock that pays homage to Blonde on Blonde, you just might find it worth the money."

Great folk from this Welsh musician

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 03/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Meic Stevens is mainly known in Wales for his Welsh-language folk albums. The Outlander is his 1970 debut, released on Warner Bros., is his only English-language release, but he even throws in a Welsh-language song here: "Dau Rhosyn Coch". He gets plenty of outside help, but the biggest surprise is the presence of drummer Dennis Elliott, then a member of IF (British horn rock group, sorta like a UK answer to Chicago), later of the hugely popular AOR act Foreigner.



The album is quite varied from more psychedelic numbers like "Rowena", "The Sailor & Madonna", and "Yorric" to Dylanique numbers like "Love Owed", "Left Over Time", "Lying to Myself", and "Midnight Comes", complete with acoustic guitar and harmonic, not to mention he even imitates Dylan vocally. "Oxblood" shows Stevens' humorous side, not unlike Dylan's humorous side, I really like the use of banjo, and it has a strongly American feel. The more psychedelic numbers tend heavily to flute, sitar and tabla, giving an Eastern feel, while "Rowena" features a lot of that "wah-wah" effects. "Ghost Town" is one fantastic number with piano and guitar. The Welsh-language "Dau Rhosyn Coch" is a great acoustic piece.



It's too bad that Outlander didn't give Meic Stevens international recognition. Despite being released on Warner, it's apparently very difficult to get a hold of on LP. That means you're much better off with the CD. Stevens was apparently disenfranchised with the label (since he was considered the Welsh Dylan, Warner apparently wanted his music to be more like Dylan, which does show on several cuts, but at least there are several psychedelic cuts out of the question on a Dylan album), so he decided to record for Welsh labels and sing entirely in Welsh. Of course singing in Welsh would not receive him international recognition, it did help him big time in Wales.



This is a great album for adventurous folk fans."