LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Phillips was still in pretty much of a traditional early-'60s folk troubadour mode on his debut album, on which he's accompanied only by his 12-string acoustic guitar. He did stand out from much of the competition (certainly in Britain, where the American singer was based by the time of this mid-'60s release) by virtue of his eclectic repertoire, impassioned delivery, and imaginative arrangements. He wasn't as much of an innovator as peers such as Dino Valenti and Fred Neil were in this respect, but like them he was breaking away to some degree from hidebound, stiff folk deliveries. He wasn't recording much original material, though, and this set is largely devoted to covers of songs by the likes of Phil Ochs (including the obscure "I'm Tired"; Ochs' own version wouldn't be released until the 1980s), Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man" (years before Quicksilver Messenger Service popularized it as a rock song), and Travis Edmonson's title track, which is better known under the title "The Drifter." The inclusion of a couple of mainstream pop/musical standards ("It Was a Very Good Year" and "My Favourite Things") was certainly a departure for a hip young folksinger of the time. The three original tunes were OK, though not outstanding -- numbers that, like most of the album, project an earnestness that is both likable and dated. Shortly after its first appearance, this was issued again under the title Favorite Things; in 1999, it was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird, with the addition of the 1965 non-LP single "Doesn't Anybody Know My Name.""