Judee Sill

she seems to use the same melodic devices very consistently through the album, but it seems to float by nonetheless, slipping in and out of bombast very gracefully. i wouldn't expect to be pleased with such little

jesus was a crossmaker is a good early climax, but it's not the only worthwhile song by a long shot.

not into the second one as much though, which i find a little tuneless.

Ordered that 2XCD demos and rarities thing a while back but it hasn't arrived yet.

I can honestly say these two albums are one of the best discoveries I've made in a long, long time.

What's the verdict on that Dreams Come True thing that came out this year as well? Roger... did you ever get your copy?

You can buy them on Amazon, so that counts as wide release I'd think.

Anyway, she's the tops, easily one of my top 5 favorite artists, and I've only been listening to her for less than 9 months.

also, The Donor is one of the fucking raddest songs ever.

actually, i do. have fun listening to limp bizkit.

-- timmy tannin (timmytanni...), Yesterday 8:28 PM. (pompous)

OTM, they way he controls the (muliple) tempos of that song is great.

I do enjoy Joni Mitchell, esp. Hissing of Summer Lawns.

but these are trifling matters. awesome piece, DL.

for those completely obsessed with sill, that tommy peltier disc that came out last year is pretty good. her contributions aren't too overwhelming, but it's nice stuff.

so, there's a new Judee Sill release! Live recordings from BBC sessions, on Water. picked it up last weekend -- great stuff, even better than the live stuff that was on the Rhino CD of the first album.

Her guitar playing really sounds great on "There's a Rugged Road" and ditto her piano on "Enchanted Sky Machines". there's a funny moment in an interview with a BBC dude who asks if she's enjoying playing European venues, and Sill says "What's a venue?" also a sweet part where she says she misses her basset hound.

anyone else pick this up?

Yep, got it in mail the other day. Sounds really good, tho hearing those between song talks sheds as much light on JS as the songs do to me

Just got the BBC disc in the mail this morning. Stunning from the outset.

Voxtrot's new album has a song about Judee Sill called "Real Live Version". I have mixed feelings about it, but ultimately I think I may like that at least someone tried to write a song about her. Any other examples?

Jackie Leven, 'The Silver In Her Crucifix,' from his fine 2007 album 'Oh What A Blow That Phantom Dealt Me.'

Was listening to that BBC session earlier, when she introduces The Kiss as "a new song I finished a few weeks ago", wow... that's intense beautiful. Like Dominique said, you can tell by those talks she wasn't really kidding around.

Apparently there's a Tommy Peltier record called Chariot of Astral Light which supposedly features Sill, anyone heard it?

the harmonies in "my man on love" are wacky; love it.

Her voice can make me cry sometimes.

can someone tell me where is this song from originally?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Y1YimQa5U

there's a couple of songs on that comp that were based on unrecorded sheet music

thanks

It's all so great but here are my very favourites based on having the two albums on rotation these last two days? Anything essential I'm missing?

Dreams Come True is very good. Not better than the two proper albums, but I still highly recommend it if you need more Judee.

co-sign dreams come true. "i'm over" is maybe my favorite song she did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1BGIz92xQ

I found Dreams Come True a bit of a letdown, years passed and I forgotten I'd ever heard it but I should give it another spin.

The disc of demos/home recordings on Dreams Come True is wonderful

"Emerald River Dance" tears my heart in half every time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzs_QXTisyA

Apart from Dreams Come True, there's demos, alternates, and live tracks found on the CD reissues. It can all be found on Abracadabra, The Asylum Years. There's one outtake, "The Desperado," from Heart Food. Vinyl nerds can find these tracks on the Songs of Rapture and Redemption 2lp set. I'm glad I have these different versions but I never find myself reaching for them.

Live In London: The BBC Recordings is pretty good.

Chariot Of Astral Light by Tommy Peltier features Judee on some songs and while it's not bad, it does feel like the bottom of the barrel. There's a nice interview with Tommy where he talks about his relationship with Judee. I should give it another chance.

That judee sill documentary I helped out on (as music supervisor) is nearly done https://t.co/onbJqaaoD4

— Pat Thomas (@PatThomas1964) July 2, 2022

Guardian article on the new Judee Sill documentary, including a teaser trailer

Is it easy to see this doc?

Just saw a young charming singer who grew up a block away from where I live who did a Judee Sill cover- while wearing a picture of Dolly Parton hanging around her neck, who she also covered- and it was great! Actually did two Judee Sill covers along with two Roches covers. Can’t now recall what the first Judee Sill tune she did was, the second was “Enchanted Sky Machines.”

That’s my kinda show

I wish it had been recorded.

One of The Roches covers was “The Hammond Song.”

I had been hoping a Martha Wainwright song would be played but added “or a song by someone related to her” and The Roches sort of count, do u see?

I didn’t even tell you about the sing-a-long encores of “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” and the Tapestry version of “You’ve Got A Friend.”

What's her name?

Ali Dineen. Think she has maybe one album and a few other things out now. They seem pretty good but the live experience was really something extra.

3) The artist behind this song is the phenomenally talented Ali Dineen.
I was her 7th grade English teacher.
So imagínate how proud I am.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 8, 2017

Yes, apparently she went to Hunter, I guess.

I’m kind of equally if not more impressed that she has the likes of Richie Barshay playing gigs with her.

Also, there's some kind of folksy scene at a place called Jalopy House in Brooklyn that I never heard of that she seems to be associated with, some other people from that place made the journey last night from their borough to ours.

This may give you an idea about the vibe:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVWjK25jcdu/

Also, there's some kind of folksy scene at a place called Jalopy House in Brooklyn that I never heard of that she seems to be associated with, some other people from that place made the journey last night from their borough to ours.

― Because the Nighttoad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, April 30, 2023 2:24 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Jalopy Theater? A lot of their programming seems a little like folk music cosplay to me, like people who exactly replicate the Sun country sound or do 60s western swing or spot on piedmont blues or stuff like that. Curious to check her out though.

It seems like that, and maybe is like that, but what I have briefly experienced seemed to be at higher level.

Looks like the doc is finally streaming. The trailer makes it look like the kind of talking-head doc with contemporary luminaries talking about how much the subject influenced them, but I'll probably still watch it because it's Judee Sill.

Its really great - there is loads of brilliant archive chat with Judee, some brilliant footage , plenty of scurrilous gossip. they do the annoying animation thing but it is based on her own illustrations so they get away with it. It packs a real emotional wallop. Think its the only time i have ever cried in a cinema.

Just finished watching. Animations, "handless" handwriting, relevant talking heads—all the music doc tropes of the last howevermany years—but I found it a pretty rich experience because the details of Judee's story were all kind of a blur in my mind, having read or picked up some things here and there over the years. It was nice to have it all in one place, crafted with love.

I had learned most of the major points of her biography from the 2021 Rolling Stone article, so I knew this would be a tough watch in some ways. This filled in some missing detail, and the bits of footage were great to see, as well as the extensive written quotations (whether just from letters or if there was also a diary, it wasn't clear to me). Definitely worth a watch.

i feel like there used to be a personal site belonging to a childhood neighbour of judee sill where she recounted stories from when they hitchhiked together but i'm starting to wonder if i invented it.

I've never heard of that, but it does sound like something she might have done. Certainly not any weirder than her more well-documented youthful hijinx like armed robbery.

yah it was v sweet iirc and jarred with the 'troubled' version of her omnipresent in descriptions you read

this doc was v sad, i knew 90% of the fucked up shit but the gaps turned out to be very dark. some boilerplate talking head crap and rote animation to fill in narrative gaps but overall better than vast majority of rock doc imo. they kind of glossed over how such a woman with a hardscrabble upbringing could have such a great musical education to do the notation/arranging that she did but then they mentioned the well-to-do stepdad(?) who was also an abuser maybe(?) who was affluent and provided music lessons. Weirdly I ordered a Heart Food vinyl reissue just before I saw this, sounds so great. They had a good radio interview with her to intersperse within the doc but there were (AI?) fake voiceovers too, right - I get confused about what is "kosher" in docs these days?

I don't think it was AI. There was a voice actor reading her diary stuff. Whoever it was did a pretty good job of imitating her voice.

Her 80th birthday today. Reminds me I need to watch the documentary. R.I.P. and wish you were here.

Oh!