Music From Living On The Earth by Alicia Bay Laurel

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17 tracks | 48 minutes

Released Aug 2001
on newjazz.com

Click for a 30-second preview. All tracks are 192kbps high fidelity sound quality. Protected WMA $0.77 or unprotected MP3 $0.88.

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sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:51 In the Morning lyrics BUY MP3 02:51 In the Morning lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:51 In the Morning

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:44 Chard & Chives lyrics BUY MP3 02:44 Chard & Chives lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:44 Chard & Chives

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:51 Rain lyrics BUY MP3 01:51 Rain lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:51 Rain

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:38 Hang Out and Breathe lyrics FREE 02:38 Hang Out and Breathe lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:38 Hang Out and Breathe

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:07 Thanksgiving Hymn lyrics BUY MP3 03:07 Thanksgiving Hymn lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:07 Thanksgiving Hymn

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:56 Rinpoche lyrics BUY MP3 03:56 Rinpoche lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:56 Rinpoche

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:05 Oh Sweet Self lyrics BUY MP3 03:05 Oh Sweet Self lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:05 Oh Sweet Self

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:10 Waterwheel lyrics BUY MP3 02:10 Waterwheel lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:10 Waterwheel

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:15 Mandala lyrics BUY MP3 03:15 Mandala lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:15 Mandala

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:10 Nineteen Sixty-six lyrics BUY MP3 02:10 Nineteen Sixty-six lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:10 Nineteen Sixty-six

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:29 Vai Raga lyrics BUY MP3 03:29 Vai Raga lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:29 Vai Raga

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:13 Pain and Love lyrics BUY MP3 03:13 Pain and Love lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:13 Pain and Love

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:01 Lullaby lyrics BUY MP3 04:01 Lullaby lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:01 Lullaby

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:15 Family To Me lyrics BUY MP3 02:15 Family To Me lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:15 Family To Me

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:20 Sky Blues lyrics BUY MP3 02:20 Sky Blues lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:20 Sky Blues

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:11 Invocatioon lyrics BUY MP3 03:11 Invocatioon lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:11 Invocatioon

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:23 In the Morning (Choral Version) lyrics BUY MP3 02:23 In the Morning (Choral Version) lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:23 In the Morning (Choral Version)

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Psychedelic Folk--think of Richard and Mimi Farina or Kate Wolf. Unique lyrics, open tuned guitar improvisations in John Fahey style, peace, love, nature, and spirit.

Editorial review

The debut recording from Alicia Bay Laurel comes after a 30-year apprenticeship in everything from folk to jazz, Brazilian, and Hawaiian music (in addition to a career as an acclaimed author and illustrator), and it is a beautiful and rejuvenating catharsis of a record. It is a thankful piece of work, refreshing and pure, full of sweet naivet? but also a kind of undiluted wisdom and a strong sense of self-awareness, best exemplified by one song, "Oh Sweet Self." The songs were written in Laurel's commune days, during which she was writing the original version of her bestseller Living on the Earth, chiefly between 1968 and 1975. All but one of the songs, though, were recorded over a two-month period at the beginning of 2000 by Laurel with just her guitar playing as accompaniment. As simple as the pleasures of the music are, however, this is not simple music. This is a quintessentially folk album, but not a standard one. It betrays strong elements of jazz and even hints of gospel, and Laurel displays some fabulously fingerpicked acoustic blues passages throughout, especially on songs like "Chard & Chives," the jazzy autobiography-in-song "Nineteen Sixty-Six," and the instrumental "Sky Blues." In addition, the influence of Indian culture shows up not only in the classical "Vai Raga" but also in the folk-raga hybrid instrumental of "Waterwheel" and some of the leitmotifs of "Mandala." Many of the songs utilize tricky and unconventional open and modal tunings, all expertly managed by Laurel. The songs stand well on their own, but work even better as complements to and invocations of Living on the Earth. Lyrically, there is a concerted slant towards the communal/hippie themes that were so endemic to the period during which all the songs were written: love, nature, freedom, understanding, spirituality, compassion, voluntary simplicity. "Chard & Chives," for instance, is an innocent ode to gardening that soon extends to the larger ideals of living in and with nature, and then to the importance of growing into one's life. The wonderful "Hang Out & Breathe" offers gentle rural charms and serves as a sort of folk meditation on Ram Dass' tenet, "Be here now." And the a cappella "Rain" is a straightforward celebration of the cleansing properties of the title subject. But these ideals also happen to be universal themes, many of them still, unfortunately, lacking in the world, rendering the songs just as relevant as the day on which they were composed. The album appropriately closes with the 40-voice choir version of "In the Morning" recorded live in the 1970s by the Occidental Community Choir from choral arrangements made by friend, mentor, and avant-garde composer Ramon Sender. The solo folk version that opens the album is a gorgeous awakening to our common humanity, and a lovely way to bring the music to commencement. But when the 40 voices join in the end, the song turns into a transcendent prayer. It seems to break from its strictures, wander out into the early light of day, and mingle with the living earth where it can breath, before rising up toward the heavens, a gift. Many of the songs on Music From Living on the Earth, in fact, seem like small, tranquil gifts. [The album is available from the artist's website, {/www.aliciabaylaurel.com}, or by writing directly to her at P.O. Box 2133, Kihei, HI 96753.] ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

Bio / Background

In 1970, at the age of 20, Alicia Bay Laurel saw her first book published, a guide to bohemian country living completely handwritten and illustrated with her line drawings, which she created while living at a hippie commune in Northern California. Living On The Earth hit the New York Times Bestseller List the following year, sold over 350,000 copies, and influenced thousands to live closer to nature and make things from scratch.

In 2000, the book was published again in a 30th anniversary revised edition, and Alicia, now a professional musician, drove around the United States in a van for eight months, singing the songs she wrote alongside the original book at her booksignings. This CD is Alicia singing her songs, which richly evoke the spirit of the period much as the book does.

Alicia learned the open tunings she plays on guitar directly from John Fahey, who was married to her cousin Jan Lebow when Alicia was in her 'teens.