Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe (Mono, Vinyle orange)
RARITY - Sealed
Vocals, Guitar – Bobbie Gentry
Cello, Bass – Jesse Ehrlich, Joseph Saxon, Norman Serkin
Drums – Earl Palmer
Guitar – James Burton, Mike Deasy
Harmonica, Harp – George Fields
Percussion – Dale Anderson
Trombone – Barrett O'Hara, Harold Diner
Trumpet – Jack Sheldon
Violin – Carl Nashan, Ralph Schaeffer, William Kurasch
Conductor – Jimmie Haskell
Arranged by Jimmie Haskell, Shorty Rogers
Written by Bobbie Gentry (A1-4, B1-5), Jim Ford (A5), Lolly Vegas (A5), Pat Vegas (A5)
1LP, Standard Sleeve
Limited Edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Orange
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Mono
Studio
Record Press : GZ Media
Label : VMP (Vinyl Me Please)
Original Label : Capitol Records
Recorded February – July 28, 1967 at Whitney Studio (Glendale, California) & Capitol Studio (Hollywood, California)
Engineered by Joe Polito
Produced by Kelly Gordon
Lacquer cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
Liner Notes by Brittney McKenna
Originally released in 1967
Reissued in 2023
Tracks:
Side A
- Mississippi Delta
- I Saw An Angel Die
- Chickasaw County Child
- Sunday Best
- Niki Hoeky
Side B
- Papa, Woncha Let Me Go To Town With You
- Bugs
- Hurry Tuesday Child
- Lazy Willie
- Ode To Billie Joe
Awards :
Grammy Award 1968 – Best New Artist (Bobbie Gentry)
Grammy Award 1968 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“Ode to Billie Joe”)
Grammy Award 1968 – Best Contemporary Female Solo Vocal Performance (“Ode to Billie Joe”)
Grammy Award 1968 – Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (Jimmie Haskell)
Academy of Country Music Award – Most Promising Female Vocalist (1967)
National Recording Registry – Library of Congress (2023) – “Ode to Billie Joe”
Review:
« Gentry's debut LP, which went to number one on the pop charts, was a promising but not wholly satisfying disc, with the singer penning all but one of the songs. Inevitably, the title track dwarfed everything else by comparison, but a greater problem was that several of the other tunes recycled variations of the "Ode to Billie Joe" riff. On the other hand, "Mississippi Delta" is gloriously tough, throaty swamp rock; few other women pop singers have sounded as raw. Other good cuts were "I Saw an Angel Die," an effective mating of Gentry's country-blues guitar riffs and low-key orchestration, and the jazz waltz-timed "Papa, Woncha Let Me Go to Town With You." Her vocals are poised and husky throughout the record, on which she was definitely on the right track -- one that she was quickly diverted from, into more MOR-oriented sounds. » AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
Ratings:
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.4/ 5