Bobbie Gentry Ode To Billie Joe

Audio Beat Rated 3.5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sound!
Remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios. Pressed at Pallas in Germany!
Bobbie Gentry's debut album from 1967 is a happy coincidence. A demo on which she herself had sung her "Ode To Billie Joe" for reasons of economy and which she submitted to Capitol Records to sell her compositions to other artists hit a nerve. Kelly Gordon produced an album with Gentry that sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
Her smoky voice, simple guitar accompaniment and no-frills songs are reminiscent of Rodriguez's "Cold Fact", released three years later. The intimacy and soulful interpretation elevate the album to the league of "Dusty In Memphis".
Gentry's first 1967 album is a masterpiece, it's a simple as that. An album of hauntingly beautiful songs penned by Bobbie herself bar one track. The album is an uncluttered, straight down the line collection of smoky voiced gems, mostly with the simplest guitar accompaniment, but with a quirky, almost psychedelic twist on each track. The album is in a very similar vein and feel to Rodriguez's stunning Cold Fact which came out three years later, and side by side you would imagine the later album may have been inspired by Bobbie's seminal Ode To Billy Joe. This album can also easily compare with Dusty's In Memphis for it's sheer intimacy and soulful feel and is certainly in the same league musically.
After this first album, Bobbie moved into a more MOR groove, which in a way makes this such a stand out and important album. Very highly recommended especially as it has now been re-mastered at Abbey Road by Sean Magee.
"As usual, the Pallas pressing is exceptional -- free from artifacts and quiet to the very depths of the groove. Pure Pleasure has the most wide-ranging catalog among reissue labels, and this album is right at home with other off-the-beaten-track titles." - Marc Mickelson, www.theaudiobeat.com, 3.5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sound!

Features:

• 180g Vinyl Analogue
• Pressed at Pallas in Germany
• Limited Edition
• Remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios
  

Selections:

Side A
1. Mississippi Delta
2. I saw an angel die
3. Chickasaw County Child
4. Sunday Best
5. Niki Hoeky
Side B
1. Dad, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You?
2. Bugs
3. Hurry, Tuesday Child
4. Lazy Willie
5. Ode To Billie Joe

The remastering for Pure Pleasure was done by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios