Paul Siebel - any fans?

I remember first hearing the music of Paul Siebel at fellow forum member Dennis Metz's place back in the '70s. Siebel released two fine LPs on Elektra that fused folk, country and rock music.

Woodsmoke and Oranges (1970) and Jack-Knife Gypsy (1971) were both hits with the critics but did little in the way of sales. Some of his songs were covered by other artists. For example, Louise was recorded by both Leo Kottke and Linda Ronstadt.

Both albums contained some excellent material and were well recorded and well mastered. In fact, Bob Ludwig mastered the records and MASTERDISK RL appears in the deadwax of both LPs. He also had a pretty good collection of musicians backing him up, too.

Anybody else a fan of Paul Siebel's work?

Woodsmoke and Oranges
"She Made Me Lose My Blues"
"Miss Cherry Lane"
"Nashville Again"
"Ballad of Honest Sam"
"Then Came the Children"
"Louise"
"Bride 1945"
"My Town"
"Any Day Woman"
"Long Afternoons"
Personnel
Paul Siebel - acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals
David Bromberg - dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Weldon Myrick - pedal steel guitar
Richard Greene - violin
Gary White - bass
Jeff Gutcheon - organ, piano
Don Brooks - harmonica
James Madison - drums

Jack-Knife Gypsy
"Jasper and the Miners"
"If I Could Stay"
"Jack-Knife Gypsy"
"Prayer Song"
"Legend of the Captain's Daughter"
"Chips Are Down"
"Pinto Pony"
"Hillbilly Child"
"Uncle Dudley"
"Miss Jones"
"Jeremiah's Song"
Personnel
Paul Siebel - guitar, vocals
Clarence White - guitar
Robert Warford - guitar
Buddy Emmons - steel guitar
David Grisman - mandolin
Jim Buchanan - violin, viola
Doug Kershaw - fiddle
Billy Wolfe - bass
Bernie Leadon - guitar
Gary White - bass
Ralph Shuckett - organ, piano
Russ Kunkel - drums


Cheers,
Chris

 

Paul Siebel is one of those artists whose music I should check out one day. I love Linda Ronstadt's version of "Louise" and Emmylou Harris' version of "Spanish Johnny" (did Paul Siebel ever record that himself?). Thanks for reminding me again.

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only person who remembers Paul Siebel.

Spanish Johnny was recorded by David Bromberg. Siebel never had a version released, unfortunately.

BTW - For those who might be interested, there has been a CD released which couples his albums together.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I'll have to get that CD one day. Somebody wrote a letter to Uncut a few years ago telling how he discovered Paul Siebel because of their review of that CD, asking his father to give it as a birthday present, only to find out that Paul Siebel was his father's best friend in high school and that his father had played music with Paul Siebel when they were in their teens. His dad was still in touch with Siebel, but for some reason Siebel had never told him he had a career in music.

 

That's a great story!

I forgot to mention that there is an story/interview from Dirty Linen folk magazine posted online. It dates from 1996. It's well worth reading.

At the end of the article it notes about him today:

He works as a bread-baker in a cafe/store in Maryland and has a keen interest in wooden sailing ships. But he misses New York. "As I'm getting older," he lamented, "I'm finding out that even though I like sailing and I like ships and I want to have a working wood shop and that kind of thing, as I get older, the things that happened in New York I'm missing more than I want to do those other things. When you get used to a city as powerful and glamorous and all of that as New York is, it's a hard thing to step out of. You know, when you miss it, you really miss something pretty big."

Cheers,
Chris

 

There was a nice Rounder compilation from a few years back which had a very different (and superior) version of 'Long Afternoons' on it, one of his very best songs. Excellent artist, highly underated

 

Thanks for starting this discussion, Chris. I'd thought about one before, but was afraid no one would know of Paul. The two albums he released are among my dearest discs. I was happy to find that the sound of the 2004 collection was really excellent, better than I've ever heard these songs.

To me, Paul was as remarkable a talent as David Ackles, and even Nick Drake. His music is to cherish, to savor like the finest wine.

With all the music that is elevated to mythic status, there must be room for Siebel's recordings. They're in a class by themselves.

 

I was listening to Jack-Knife Gypsy earlier today and for some reason Nick Drake's name popped into my mind. While Siebel didn't pass away, his sudden departure from the music world after two wonderful albums can be felt to leave one wondering what could have developed had he continued.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I think both Nick and Paul poured every bit of their soul into their music. Both expressed a resigned passion in their music (as did Ackles).

If Paul Siebel had done more, along the lines of Jasper and the Miners (which I always heard as a country cousin to Dylan's Frankie Lee & Judas Priest), we would have heard some extraordinary things.

 

What a great couple of albums!!
He did have a live cd from McCabes in 1981 on Rag Baby, but release seemed to be pretty limited.
But those two Elektra albums are just wonderful. I wish he'd have seen fit to keep recording. Maybe he'll decide to record once again. If he does, I'm there!

 

WEA Europe put out a nice twofer of both Siebel albums a few years back and there's even a bonus track included. I really like "Woodsmoke & Oranges". And Bonnie Raitt also did a nice version of "Louise".

 

Because Paul deserves so much more than what's been accorded him here, I bump this thread with extreme prejudice.

 

I'll second that! I just saw a copy of Jack-Knife Gypsy show up at a local shop recently and it reminded me that I started this thread some time ago.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I got those two albums in the early 1970s and love them.

 

His two studio albums indeed very, very good. The debut "Woodsmoke and Oranges" is IMO the better of the two, but both are highly recommended.
Many singer/songwriters competed for attention in the early 70's. Some of them gained fame and fortune, most didn't. Sadly, Paul Siebel ended up in the latter category, despite the quality of his songs and albums.

 

I recently found a live CD by him...not bad

 

I agree.

 

nice to see this thread bumped! I picked up a clean copy of the Jack-Knife Gypsy LP a few weeks ago in a dollar bin. ..going to VPI it and give it a spin. :music:

 

The two versions are really the same performance, just a different mix. On Siebel's first album, "Long Afternoons" has his fingerpicked acoustic guitar in the right channel and David Bromberg's lead acoustic guitar in the left channel. Seibel's voice is in both channels. On the Rounder/Philo CD that collects the best of Siebel's 2 Elektra albums, they make the song into a mono recording by just using the right channel. I'm looking at the two soundfiles side by side and the right channel of the Elektra recording is identical to both channels of the Philo/Rounder recording.

 

If I remember correctly the Philo/Rounder CD has one complete album (I think it's Woodsmoke and Oranges) and a few songs of the other. I can't check because I sold it when I got the European Rhino twofer.

 

You remember correctly. All of "Woodsmoke & Oranges" and five songs from "Jack-Knife Gypsy.