Outlaw Man: Cherry Red, Morello Collect Four Albums from Singer-Songwriter David Blue

Item: Outlaw Man: Cherry Red, Morello Collect Four Albums from Singer-Songwriter David Blue
Author: Joe Marchese

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David Blue might be best-known for two things: writing "Outlaw Blues" on Eagles' Desperado album, and being a friend and occasional sidekick of Bob Dylan's. Yet he recorded seven albums (plus a major contribution to an eighth, the 1965 Elektra anthology Singer Songwriter Project) between 1965 and 1976 in addition to making appearances on stage and film before his untimely death in 1982. Cherry Red's Morello imprint has recently celebrated the late folk troubadour with a four-albums-on-two-CDs set comprising one of his two Reprise LPs and three of his four Asylum sets.

The first CD opens with the former Stuart David Cohen's second album and first for Reprise, 1968's These 23 Days in September. If his eponymous first album positioned him as a "new Dylan" - and his phrasing and delivery didn't do much to dissuade anyone from that notion - his sophomore set plays like a cross between Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Producer Gabriel Mekler (of Steppenwolf fame) surrounded Blue's drawled vocals with spare instrumentation overseen by musical director Robert Rifkin, sometimes allowing a slight country vibe to infuse the proceedings. Mekler played piano while Rifkin added guitar. These 23 Days in September is, as one song goes, "slow and easy," an accessible and enjoyable if unexceptional assemblage of Greenwich Village folk (and folk-rock, as on the case of the closing "The Fifth One").

Blue's next album, Me, was released under his real name of S. David Cohen. Much as 23 Days had seen him grow as a songwriter from David Blue, he continued to hone his style on Me, edging it in a Tex-Mex direction and anticipating the sound of "outlaw country." Morello has overlooked that album, however, meaning that the four-for-one set continues instead with 1972's Stories. Adorned by a self-portrait, it was his first album for David Geffen's starry Asylum label. The artist produced the taut eight-song collection alongside Rafkin and engineer Henry Lewy. The warm, welcoming opening "Looking for a Friend" set the tone for an LP on which Blue sang about friendship, solitude, and romance.

David took his music in a personal direction befitting the "confessional singer-songwriter" era, singing unflinchingly of his heroin addiction on "House of Changing Faces," alluding to the habit again on "Come on John," and declining to say so long to "Marianne" on a song reportedly inspired by his real-life relationship with Leonard Cohen's girlfriend. While Side One featured just Blue and Rafkin's guitars, the second expanded the instrumentation. Guests included Russ Kunkel and The Turtles and CSNY's Johnny Barbata on drums, The Flying Burrito Brothers' Chris Ethridge on bass, Utopia's Ralph Schuckett on organ, and Milt Holland on percussion. Ry Cooder and Rita Coolidge graced the standout "The Blues (All Night Long)" with slide guitar and background vocals, respectively. Pete Jolly added the evocative accordion to "Marianne." Jack Nitzsche wrote the arrangement for the stately piano-and-strings ballad "Fire in the Morning."

Graham Nash was on board to helm Blue's next album which opens the second disc of the Morello release. Nice Baby and the Angel was even more star-studded than its predecessor. Nash played acoustic guitar and electric piano in addition to adding background vocals. Dave Mason (acoustic and electric guitar) and David Lindley (acoustic, slide, violin, viola, mandolin, and zither) joined the returning Rafkin and Ethridge. Mason, Glenn Frey, and Jennifer Warnes all also contributed vocals. Cello (arranged by Blue and Nash) was played by Terry Adams. Blue's lyrics were less personal this time if still characteristically introspective.

A consummate craftsman, Nash brought a full, commercial, Southern California rock sound to Nice Baby, evident from the very first track on the set: the original version of "Outlaw Man." Blue's vocals were more confident and swaggering than usual, augmented by Mason's searing electric guitar and Nash's high harmony part. The uptempo "Train to Anaheim" was in the same vein and would have been equally comfortable on an Eagles LP. The affable pop-rock of "Darlin' Jenny" isn't too far-removed from what Richard Perry was producing around the time for Ringo Starr, and also features some tasty guitar work from Lindley. Jennifer Warnes' lovely sound could be heard on the mellow plea to a special "Lady O' Lady" and the pretty title track, while the catchy "True to You" (which followed "Outlaw Man" to single release) made for a Laurel Canyon-style singalong/hoedown. "Dancing Girl," with its prominent violin, anticipates the sound of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue which Blue would briefly join in 1975. A trio of tracks harkened back to the dark-tinged acoustic sound of Blue's earlier folk days including "On Sunday, Any Sunday," "Yesterday's Lady," and "Troubadour Song." The Nash magic worked; Nice Baby and the Angel sold over 25,000 copies, becoming Blue's best-selling LP. When Glenn Frey brought "Outlaw Man" to his fellow Eagles and included it on Desperado, David finally had a song on a major hit record.

Morello jumps over 1975's Com'n Back for More, another all-star affair. Produced by John Guerin, it featured cameos from Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, all three members of America (Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek), Larry Carlton, Don Felder, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, Neil Young associate Ben Keith, Neil Diamond band members Tom Hensley and Reinie Press, and Max Bennett. The set picks up with Blue's seventh and final album, 1976's Cupid's Arrow. Barry Goldberg produced as well as playing piano and keyboards, and assembled a band including Levon Helm on drums, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar, and the returning David Lindley on mandolin, slide guitar, and violin. Former Apple Records artist Jackie Lomax and Pattie Brooks were among the guest singers.

Goldberg eschewed the polished SoCal sound of Nash's production as well as the jazzier approach of Guerin in favor of a rootsy feel. Blue complied, penning another set of songs about loving and losing with seemingly less-personal lyrics. Within that framework, however, Cupid's Arrow was a varied set. A Tex-Mex feel imbued the opening "Run, Run, Run," a danceable beat graced "Tom's Song," and a light reggae vibe distinguished "Maria, Maria." On "I Feel Bad," the band delivered amiable country-rock anchored by Goldberg's barrelhouse piano while the weepy ode to "Cordelia" channeled nostalgic C&W. Blue paid tribute to his old folkie friend Phil Ochs with the sweet title track ("You moved me and I didn't know why/Cupid's arrow shot from the sky") and sadly performed it at Ochs' memorial; the protest singer died in April 1976 at the age of 35. "Primeval Tune" lived up to its name with one of the LP's most driving rock performances, although Blue's limited range didn't make him a natural rock singer.

Following Cupid's Arrow, David Blue pursued his interest in acting. He appeared off-Broadway and in films from Wim Wenders and Neil Young. When he died of a heart attack at just 41 years of age, he had been clean and sober. Morello's 2-CD tribute to Blue has been remastered by Alan Wilson and includes an eight-page booklet with a brief, two-page essay about the singer-songwriter's life and career by Spencer Leigh. While one wishes Morello would have chronologically presented all of David Blue's albums on two collections like this one, the presentation of These 23 Days in September/Stories/Nice Baby and the Angel/Cupid's Arrow makes for a fine introduction to his discography - and should fill in some gaps for collectors of material related to Eagles, CSNY, Jennifer Warnes, Dave Mason, and the other notable artists represented here. (The albums were previously released on CD in the U.S. by Wounded Bird Records but are all long out-of-print.) It's available now from Cherry Red and should soon be in stock at Amazon, as well. (Release dates have been in flux due to COVID-19.)

David Blue, These 23 Days in September/Stories/Nice Baby and the Angel/Cupid's Arrow (Cherry Red/Morello QMRLL96D, 2020) (Cherry Red / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

These 23 Days in September (Reprise LP RS 6296, 1968)