DALTON,KAREN
IT'S SO HARD TO TELL WHO'S GOING TO LOVE YOU THE BEST (180 GRAM) - LP

UPC: 600753982273
Label: ELEMENTAL
Format: LP
Release Date: March 1, 2024
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This essential folk/blues classic, originally released in 1969, was the debut album by Karen Dalton. Dalton was discovered by singer/songwriter Fred Neil, who introduced her to producer Nick Venet (the man who signed The Beach Boys and took The Beatles to America). She cut most of the tracks with one take, and all in one night.

A perfectionist, Dalton was hard to convince to record, and producers Venet and Neil were only successful by tricking her into thinking the tape wasn't rolling. "Some find Karen Dalton's voice difficult to listen to", wrote AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger. "But Dalton's vocals aren't that hard to take, and they are expressive; like Buffy Sainte-Marie, it just does take some getting used to because of their unconventional timbre."

On this album, Dalton covers a wide range of styles, from Tim Hardin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Leadbelly to the traditional folk song "Ribbon Bow" and the Eddie Floyd/Booker T. Jones penned soul tune "I Love You More Than Words Can Say." She also sings a couple of Neil tunes. After years of drug abuse, Dalton died in 1993, aged 55. Although she didn't enjoy a commercial success during her lifetime, her work has gained significant recognition since her death, and artists like Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom have noted her as an influence.

PERSONNEL:

• Karen Dalton - (12-string guitar and banjo)
• Harvey Brooks - (electric bass)
• Kim King (electric guitar)
• Gary Chester - (percussion)li>
• Dan Hankin - (acoustic 6-string guitar)

Recorded live in Studio A, The Record Plant, New York City, 1969.

TRACK LIST:

• SIDE A
• A1. LITTLE BIT OF RAIN
• A2. SWEET SUBSTITUTE
• A3. RIBBON BOW
• A4. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY
• A5. IN THE EVENING (It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best)

• SIDE B
• B1. BLUES ON THE CEILING
• B2. IT HURTS ME TOO
• B4. RIGHT, WRONG OR READY
• B5. DOWN ON THE STREET (Don't You Follow Me Down)