Genre: rock
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Addressed To the Censors of Love
Company: ATCO
Catalog: SD 7034
Year: 1973
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: promo copy with sticker on cover; small cut out notch on bottom seam; includes lyric insert
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 640
Price: $35.00
Cost: $1.00
Bought this one
without knowing much about the artist ... While waiting for the wife I was
poking around a junk store and found a stack of albums in the back corner. I
vaguely remember having read a favorable review of the album in an old
Rolling Stone a friend had kept (turned out it was in a 1972 issue) and took
a gamble (you probably don't want to know I paid 50 cents for the LP).
The son of English heavyweight boxer Tommy Farr, singer/guitarist Gary Farr
got his musical start as a member of The T-Bones. Not to be confused with
the American band who scored a mid-'60s hit with "No Matter What Shape
(Your Stomach's In)", the mid-'60s saw The T-Bones (whose line up at
one time included keyboardist Keith Emerson) enjoying minor popular success
with a little-heard 1965 single for Epic ('Give All She's Got' b/w '' Epic
catalog number 9832). Unfortunately, by 1967 the band had run out of steam,
Farr embarking on a solo career. A pair of UK albums vanished without a
trace and by the early-'70s he'd relocated to New York City.
In the New York Farr began playing the city's club circuit. English and
handsome, it was probably only a matter of time before he attracted the
attention of a major label; in this case he was spotted by Atlantic A&R
man Jim Delehant. Quickly signed to Atlantic's ATCO subsidiary, Farr was
teamed with producer Jerry Wexler who promptly took him to Muscle Shoals.
With Wexler and Delehant producing, 1973's "Addressed
To the Censors of Love" is challenging, but definitely
interesting. We'll be honest and tell you the set didn't do much for us the
first time we heard it. Most of Farr's songs were lyrically dense story
teller fare that took some effort to understand. There was also the issue of
his voice - Farr's deep, drowning delivery (recalling a frog with a bad head
cold), was an acquired taste. That said, the album's well worth the
investment of time and energy. Original songs such as 'Mexican Sun',
'General's Daughter' and 'John Birch Blues' showcased Farr's literate,
intriguing and frequently odd material. With sterling backing from the cream
of Muscle Shoals players (including Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins and David
Hood), Farr aptly displayed he could be sensitive (the pretty ballad
'Wailing Wall'), funny (check out his subtle ode to oral pleasure 'I'll Be
Your Rocket'), while still capable of rocking ('Breakfast Boo-Ga-Loo'). In
spite of favorable reviews, the set vanished without a trace.
"Addressed To the Censors of Love" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) Breakfast Boo-Ga-Loo
(Gary Farr) - 3:13
2.) Wailing Wall (Gary Farr) - 4:41
3.) Muggsey the Lard (Gary Farr) - 3:57
4.) General's Daughter (Gary Farr) - 3:32
5.) Mexican Sun (Gary Farr) - 2:39
6.) White Bird (Gary Farr) - 3:22
(side 2)
1.) Faith with a
Face (Gary Farr) - 3:13
2.) I'll Be Your Rocket (Gary Farr) - 3:05
3.) Certain Lady (Gary Farr) - 3:00
4.) John Birch Blues (Gary Farr) - 2:42
5.) Rhythm King (Gary Farr) - 4:57
6.) I'm a King Bee (Slim Harpo) - 3:56
In the early-1980s Farr moved to Southern California were he reappeared as a
member of Lion. The band managed to release one instantly obscure album
before calling it quits (see separate entry). Farr subsequently largely
dropped out of the music business. He got married and raised a family while
paying his bills as a photographer. Sadly, in 1984 he suffered a fatal heart
attack in his sleep.
By the way, the wonderful UK music magazine Mojo featured this LP in their February 2002 Buried Treasures column.