Meic Stevens – Outlander

Does anyone know when in 1970 this album was released?

Truly a pinnacle of the psych-folk genre. It may be all over the place stylistically, but Meic Stevens proves he could wear many hats while never giving the impression that he's playing dress-up. He goes from hushed balladeer cooing heartbreakingly authentic story-songs that rival anything Bob Dylan or Tom Rush were putting out (Midnight Comes, Dau Rhosyn Coch), to sitar-laced eastern jams (Sailer, Yorric), then jumps effortlessly into full band rock-outs (Rowena, Ghost Town). And listening through it all, the level of skill is astonishing and the quality never falters. As axemen go, Meic was an adept fingerpicker, a thoughtful chord-arranger, and could play a righteous lead when he had to. He could also belt out some serious howls, and would rightly be remembered as one of the great rock vocalists of the time if there were any true justice in this world. Coupled with the expertise of Dewan Motihar on sitar, Keshav Sathe on tablas, and a robust rock band outfit (at least eleven players appear throughout this record), Outlander remains a force to be reckoned with well into the 21st Century.

Due to the fact that most of his large discography is sung in Welsh, this 1970 debut is also probably the best entry point for any curious students of musical archaeology. So enter hear, enter now. This one will not disappoint.