"Harlan County" is one of my favorite records of all time. If you're not familiar with Jim Ford, here are the need-to-know bullet points to introduce him:
- Sly Stone once called him "bad" (as in "good", like how Michael Jackson meant it).
- He wrote a late-era album for the Temptations.
- According to legend, he once got busted in an airport with an incredibly high volume of cocaine strapped to his person, which according to sources close to Ford, was likely for personal consumption.
In other words, he was one of those soulful, if unhinged, geniuses the late 60's seemed to have like 2015 has...butt implants? This is probably why Ford, like countless other talents, faded into oblivion before ever making a lasting impact on the industry, save for those "in the know."You won't see this album on any Rolling Stone list, but it has every ingredient of a stone cold classic: Think of Ford as Kentucky Van Morrison doing a record on Motown, and you'd be in the right ballpark, but there are too many moves on here to pin Jim down. Soulful ballads, fuzzed-out country funk, and even an adults-only Jackson 5-esque tune with basically single entendre drug references ("Dr. Handy's Dandy Candy") find their way into the mix. If you're anything like me, this album will get its hooks in you from spin one, and stay near the turntable (or queued on the device of your choosing) til the cows come home.
Key Tracks: Harlan County, I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me, Changin' Colors, Dr. Handy's Dandy Candy, Love on My Brain
P.S. There's some solid stuff from this era that I think would have found a better home on side two of "Harlan County" than a couple of the last cuts. Here they are for your edification and enjoyment:
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