''Just Another Diamond Day'' is the debut album by the English
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
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*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
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*** Folk metal
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* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
singer-songwriter
Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...
, and was released on
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...
in December 1970. Much of the album is a musical reflection on Bunyan and travelling partner Robert Lewis's experiences while travelling by horse and wagon through
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
in 1968. It highlighted Bunyan's vocals with minimal instrumental accompaniment that was arranged by contemporary musical artists supervised under record producer
Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band ...
.
Upon release, ''Just Another Diamond Day'' went relatively unnoticed. Stricken by the demoralizing and disillusioning outcome, Bunyan began a self-imposed exile from the music industry to live a low-profile lifestyle. Over the years, the album has received more attention among record collectors, resulting in
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New aud ...
s that sparked a revival in Bunyan's music career. Although it was largely overlooked by the public at the time of its release, the album's critical standing has improved over the years and today ''Just Another Diamond Day'' is now by many considered one of the best works in
British folk
Throughout the history of the British Isles, the United Kingdom has been a major music producer, drawing inspiration from Church Music.
Traditional folk music, using instruments of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Each of the ...
.
Background
Vashti Bunyan had initially appeared on the English music scene in 1965 after meeting record producer
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.
Early life
Loog Oldha ...
with a promising assortment of original material. Even with the hype boasting that Bunyan could replace
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...
, who had recently departed
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
, her debut single, the
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
and
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
-penned "
Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind
"Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" is a song by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, released first by the singing duo Dick and Dee Dee (early 1965), who were a support act for the Stones when they first toured the U.S. in 1964, and then by Vashti B ...
", did not achieve much critical traction. Sensing a follow-up release would not materialize, Bunyan decided to depart Oldham's stable to record with Peter Snell. Bunyan recorded "Train Song", the melody of which stemmed from her own composition, "17 Pink Elephants", with lyrics written by folkie Alastair Clayre. Upon release, however, "Train Song" failed to fulfil Bunyan's vision of her acoustic arrangements appealing to pop culture as the single was met with the same lack of commercial success as Bunyan's debut. As a result, the brief media exposure surrounding her faded by late 1966, Bunyan detached herself from the London music scene, and had been all but forgotten by mainstream pop audiences.
Shortly after the release of "Train Song", Bunyan found herself without a record label, and with the help of her brother organized a showing of her songs to
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American Folk music, folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989.
First American period
Seeg ...
and
Ewan MacColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...
. Bunyan recalled the meeting did not impress the two; however, their suggestions for her inspired Bunyan to pursue the solemn atmosphere present in her music. Hearing word of
Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
's intention to establish a musical
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
, Bunyan and fellow
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
student, Robert Lewis, travelled through Scotland on
horse and carriage
]
A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two ho ...
. Donovan's project never developed; however, the nearly two-year journey gave Bunyan the opportunity to pen an album's worth of material. These songs so impressed record producer
Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band ...
, whom Bunyan happened upon on her travels, that he left her a standing invitation to record them when Bunyan concluded her wandering. Writer Keith Wallace has stated Boyd's affluence of experience producing exotic musical acts and expert mixing abilities would prove invaluable as Bunyan came off a long hiatus from recording.
In November 1969, Bunyan returned to England and Boyd organized
recording sessions The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.
Studio cast recordings
In the case of Broadway musi ...
for the subsequent month. Following an extensive day of rehearsals at
Sound Techniques
Sound Techniques was a recording studio in Chelsea, London that was operational between 1965 and 1976. Housed in a former dairy, it was founded by recording engineers Geoff Frost and John Wood. The studio became well known as the place where man ...
, Bunyan completed the entire ''Just Another Diamond Day'' album during a work-extensive three-day period in December 1969.
[ Bunyan was joined by a wealth of musicians, including John James, ]Robert Kirby
Robert Kirby (16 April 1948 – 3 October 2009) was a British-born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He was best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, ''Five Leaves Left'' and '' Bryter Layter'', but also worked ...
, Robin Williamson
Robin Duncan Harry Williamson (born 24 November 1943) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller who was a founding member of The Incredible String Band.
Career
Williamson lived in the Fairmilehead area of Edinbur ...
of the Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a Scottish psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially in the British co ...
, and Dave Swarbrick
David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. His style has been copied or developed by almost every British and many world folk violin players who have followed him. He was ...
and Simon Nicol
Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the ...
of Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...
. However, Bunyan's diffident approach resulted in her losing control of the songs' arrangements, and only later did she note her reservations toward the album's lack of precision and production. Music historian Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.
Life and writing
Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...
has remarked that despite the influence of outside artists, the drum-less, acoustic arrangements on ''Just Another Diamond Day'' complemented Bunyan's measured and wispy vocals.
Release and reception
''Just Another Diamond Day'' was released in December 1970 in the UK on Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...
(catalogue item Philips 6308 019). It failed to make an impact on the charts after only a few hundred copies were pressed with little to no advertisement. The demands of having to care for her newborn child effectively barred Bunyan from promoting the album. Frustrated with the public's lack of response, Bunyan abandoned the music industry to live with the Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a Scottish psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially in the British co ...
in a vacant house at Glen Row, in Scotland. The album proved to be the last recording made by Bunyan for the next 35 years.
Modern reception
Although ''Just Another Diamond Day'' was overlooked by the record-buying public at the time of its release, its critical stature has grown substantially over the years. Richie Unterberger, writing for the Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
website, described the album as "a pleasing yet overly dainty slice of British rock-tinged folk" and goes on to say it was Bunyan's most seriously-minded effort up to that point.[ In his 2010 book, ''Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music'', author Rob Young states "Vashti Bunyan's still, small voice of calm, and her bold improvised trek over Britain serves as a powerful symbol of the wider panorama of non-mainstream rock and folk". Young goes on to say that ''Just Another Diamond Days themes "existed not in the traditional geographical locations of the British Rock scene...Instead it flowed from zones far more remote: the dual landscape/dreamscape of Britain's interior".
Critic Dave Henderson, writing for '' Q'' magazine in 2000, remarks that "Bunyan's voice is lonely, lovelorn and fragile, and with three tracks scored by Nick Drake arranger Robert Kirby this remains an achingly memorable outing". Peter Paphides in his review for '' Time Out'' magazine, writing that ''Just Another Diamond Day'' "chronicle the odyssey north, which explains the unquenchable optimism". In a glowing review for the Internet publication, ]Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
, music critic Matthew Murphy describes the album as a "sonic sibling to the Boyd-produced Nick Drake albums-- albeit one that chooses fresh air and sunlight over Drake's depressive shadows", before concluding "it's unlikely that you'll encounter another album as charming or transporting as Just Another Diamond Day any time soon". John Mulvey in ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine notes that despite the album's initial commercial failure, its contents "are gifted with a beauty and purity rare even in her contemporaries".
CD reissue
''Just Another Diamond Day'' was officially issued on compact disc for the first time by Spinney Records in 2000. The reissue featured four bonus tracks
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
, including "Love Song", which had been issued as the B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to her 1966 single. The CD release also included the previously-unreleased 1966 demos of "I'd Like to Walk Around in Your Mind" and "Winter Is Blue" (accompanied by Mike Crowther). The final bonus track on the Spinney reissue is a 1969 version of "Iris's Song for Us".[ The demand for ''Just Another Diamond Day'' prompted Bunyan to return to her music career. After recording and performing for the first time in 30 years, Bunyan finally released her follow-up album, '']Lookaftering
''Lookaftering'' is the second studio album by Vashti Bunyan. It was released via FatCat Records on October 17, 2005. It is the follow-up to 1970's '' Just Another Diamond Day''.
Reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score ou ...
'' on Fat Cat Records
FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...
.
Legacy
''Just Another Diamond Day'' was covered by indie folk band Mutual Benefit
The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United State ...
in 2019.
Track listing
All songs written by Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...
, except where noted.
Personnel
*Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...
– vocals, acoustic guitar, recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
(4)
*Christopher Sykes – piano (4, 13), organ (8)
* John James – dulcitone
A dulcitone is a keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard.
The instrument was designed by Thomas Machell of Glasgow in the 1860s, at the ...
(3, 8), organ (5)
*Robin Williamson
Robin Duncan Harry Williamson (born 24 November 1943) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller who was a founding member of The Incredible String Band.
Career
Williamson lived in the Fairmilehead area of Edinbur ...
– fiddle, whistle, Irish harp
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...
(3, 8, 13)
*Dave Swarbrick
David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. His style has been copied or developed by almost every British and many world folk violin players who have followed him. He was ...
– fiddle, mandolin (5, 9, 14)
*Simon Nicol
Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the ...
– banjo (5, 9)
*Mike Crowther – guitar (17)
*Robert Kirby
Robert Kirby (16 April 1948 – 3 October 2009) was a British-born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He was best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, ''Five Leaves Left'' and '' Bryter Layter'', but also worked ...
– string and recorder arrangements (1, 6, 11), trumpet (7)
Production
*Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band ...
– producer, liner notes
*Jerry Boys – engineer
*John James – cover art
References
{{Authority control
Vashti Bunyan albums
1970 debut albums
Albums arranged by Robert Kirby
Albums produced by Joe Boyd
Philips Records albums