Jesse Winchester
Another awesome dollar bin goldmine find this weekend, with Jesse Winchester’s self-titled long-player from 1970. I actually stumbled across the original Ampex release, too (which is cool because it was reissued several times afterwards, and is a bit of a collector’s item thanks to the strange circumstances). The vinyl features the sepia photo on four panels of the fold-out cover, the same photo of Winchester four times. It’s moving, especially considering the fact that he was a Vietnam evader who couldn’t tour in the States to support the album because he’d defected to Canada, skipping the draft.
He recorded the album with The Band’s Robbie Waterson and Levon Helm, and the record is produced by none other than Todd Rundgren. The sound is familiar — classic Americana tinged with folk sensibilities and wandering allegiances. I’ll be the first to admit, these folk-influenced rock records are a dime a dozen, but Winchester’s is special because he was writing Americana music, devotional music about the south, from Canada. He was writing the songs in Canada during a time when he couldn’t look America in the eye, and yet found the heart to sing about going home to the south to see a lady, have a beer and feel at home again.
Anyway, I highly recommend tracking it down … especially if you can find a copy in a record store.
