Genre: bizarre
Rating: ** (2 stars)
Title: Evil Is On My Mind
Company: Live Bears!
Catalog: --
Year: 1976
Country/State: Ripley, Mississippi
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened)
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4508
Price: $140.00
Cost: $66.00
Geez, where do you even begin with an oddity like this one ... J. Leland Braddock''s "Evil Is On My Mind" occasionally shows up on dealer lists as a rare psych effort. The rare part is probably true since less than 500 copies were reportedly pressed. In contrast, the psych label is pretty far off target and anyone buying it with that in mind is likely to be disappointed.
Braddock's a complete unknown to me and there's virtually no trace of the guy online. Judging by the album's liner notes, Leland's a fairly strange character. Apparently from Ripley, Mississippi, his format is fairly straightforward blues. Backing himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica, nothing here is particularly original, though to my ears he occasionally bares a resemblance to a bluesy (if bizarre) cross between Joe South, Leon Redbone and some 80 year old blues guy ('The New Willie Brown' and 'Diamond Ring'). Another big drawback is the fact that much of the material has the same kind of sound. A guy strumming an acoustic guitar and playing harmonica has certain aural limitations and those are clear on Braddock's set of acoustic, mid-tempo numbers. It's simply hard to tell where something like 'Hometown Blues' ends and 'Lucy's Debut' starts. Bottom line is this one didn't do much for me, but might find some interest in 'real people' devotees. (Not a big deal, but there's also a disconnect between the LP an the liner notes. Sides 1 and 2 are reverse between the liner notes and the actual playing sequence. Side 1 on the liner notes is actually side 2 and vice versa.)
"Evil Is On My Mind" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Hometown Blues (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:37
2.) Lucy's Debut (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:05
3.) The New Willie Brown (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:54
4.) Diamond Ring (J. Leland Braddock) - 4:03
5.) Tishomingo Girl (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:05
6.) The Benton County Gal Blues (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:28
(Side
2)
1.) Goin' Straight To a Devil's Hell Blues (J. Leland Braddock) - 6:50
2.) Leech Desperation (J. Leland Braddock) - 3:45
3.) Tishomingo and the Fire Rose (J. Leland Braddock) - 5:25
4.) Further Down Than Down Below (J. Leland Braddock) - 4:52