July 02, 2005

They weren't all peaceful easy feelings. Her biography is hard to piece together (details such as where exactly she was when she died of a heroin overdose are unclear), but while she was alive, 70's era singer-songwriter Judee Sill made some amazing music. NPR reviewed a recent release of her music and I was reminded of just how great it sounds.

All it took was hearing one song by her the radio last year for me to shell out money for the overpriced Rhino handmades. Here's a few mp3s of her singing live, if you're curious. The full band studio recording of this song is my favorite (you'll have to settle for her solo in the link). The Rhino handmades are sold out, but if you're curious to hear , they still have sound clips up in quicktime.

posted by mandyman 19 years ago
  • ‘‘I love people who are honest about their misery, who don’t try to be slick when they’re really uncomfortable and awkward. It’s a nobility I really love. But heroin, man, my advice is to avoid it at all costs. It can have eternal, astral consequences, too.” Indeed. I'm tempted to be trite with the 'tragic, sad life' theme but it's obvious she had a complex time on earth. I'd never heard of her but she has a beautiful voice -- a bit like Joni Mitchell, but that might just be me. Thanks mandyman. A little bit melodic and a little bit sad.
  • Not that I do this myself, but there are a number of wonderful recordings by this artist on limewire (or whatever you use to download music). Thanks mandyman for turning me on to a seminal yet underappreciated artist.
  • Wow, I was just listening to that NPR bit early this afternoon. It was beautiful and sad. Did you hear about the mototown singles collection that's coming out? I think it was the same NPR piece.
  • I got the overpriced Rhino Handmade reissues last year. Amazing stuff. I first got interested in Sill through a comment made by Peter Holsapple in an online interview a couple of years ago. After I did a little research, the more I learned the more fascinated I became.
  • This post, along with the appearance of Heart Food on Lucinda Williams's recommendations page, reminded me to check her out. Glad I did. Thanks.