Davy Graham's top Five Records
Five of the best Davy Graham albums from the Sixties
The late great Davy Graham was one of the most esoteric guitarists in popular music. His musical output from the 1960’s is still an inspiration to guitarists from all genres. Without Davy Graham the musical landscape would be startlingly different.
An inspiration not only to his peers such as Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, Davy also had a bearing on the work of John Martyn, Nick Drake, Neil Young and Jimmy Page. All of his albums are worth a listen, as they all contain truly staggering guitar playing, but here is a short overview of some of his finest work from his sixties heyday.
- The Guitar Player; 1963
This is the first full length album by Davy Graham released on Pye Record’s Golden Guinea label, 2 years after his debut EP ¾ AD with British blues supreme Alexis Korner was released on Topic. The 12 tracks display Graham’s astonishing versatility on the guitar, backed up by drums and a double bass.
All of the selections are culled from American jazz and blues, from Horace Silver’s “Buffalo” to Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love her So”. Also included is Davy’s take on “Cry Me a River” which strips the tune back to its bare bones whilst retaining its swing. This album is a staggering debut; one which helped shaped the ideas of the other acoustic guitarists in Britain.
- Folk, Blues and Beyond 1964
One of Davy Graham’s most consistent albums, Folk, Blues and Beyond saw Davy extend his repertoire of jazz, blues and folk to include the music which he had learnt on his travels round the globe. “Maajan” is one of the album’s standouts; a glorious excursion into Arabic music with a memorably haunting melody line.
His version of Charles Mingus’ “Get Hit in Your Soul” has to be heard to be believed; it bears little or no relation to the original recording and is a perfect example of Davy taking a song and making it entirely his own.
- Folk Roots, New Routes 1965
On 1965’s Folk Roots, New Routes, Davy teamed up with traditional songstress and all-round English rose, Shirley Collins. With Collins’ pristine vocals and Davy’s jazz inflected arrangements the two of them conspired to rework the traditional songs of English folk, presenting them in a way that no one had heard before. From this album one can hear the ideas which would later form the basis of material by bands such as Pentangle and Fairport Convention.
- After Hours at Hull University 1966
This album was recorded in a dormitory room after a gig at Hull University. The fidelity of the recording is poor and Davy’s playing is as bit more ragged than his studio albums. However the intimacy of the record, with Davy playing out his repertoire to a bunch of a gaggling (in all probability bleary eyed) students, makes the music even more real and relevant of this period.
There’s a great version of “Grooveyard” by Carl Perkins which sits comfortably next to Bach’s “Bourree in Em” and a mind numbingly complex version of “Misirlou” made famous by Dick Dale and the Del Tones.
- Large as Life and Twice as Natural 1968
This 1968 album features Davy backed up ably by Pentangle’s Danny Thompson on Bass and Jon Hiseman and Dick Heckstall-Smith from the psych-rock group Colossuem on drums and sax respectively. The album veers towards folk-rock territory coupled with some more inventive excursions into Indian music.
Davy retreads old ground with the atmospheric “Blue Raga” and blurs musical boundaries with an imaginative take on Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”. With the backing of the other musicians this albums lets Davy explore new ideas and helps to produce his most perfectly realised experimental album.
Conclusion
These five albums are just the tip of the iceberg in relation to the many records that Davy put out during his four decade-long career. His recorded output pay testament to the skill and virtuosity of this remarkable performer; a musical traveler whose legacy will surely echo throughout the ages.
Davy Graham
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