RFI: Judy Henske

Heads up Los Angeles: http://www.grammymuseum.org/events/detail/judy-henske-jerry-yester-celebrating-farewell-aldebaran

Farewell Aldebaran was brought to life by Judy Henske (dubbed "Queen of the Beatniks" by producer Jack Nitzsche) and Jerry Yester (The Association, Tim Buckley, Tom Waits), and co-produced with Lovin' Spoonful alum, Zal Yanovsky (who also contributed guitar, bass and vocals). Among the many notable contributors are David Lindley, Paul Beaver (of the pioneering electronic music duo Beaver and Krause) and influential jazz bassist, Ray Brown. Omnivore Recordings is proud to reintroduce Farewell Aldebaran nearly 50 years after its first release. This is the first authorized and licensed reissue of this oft-bootlegged psych-folk classic —originally issued on Frank Zappa’s inventive Straight Records label — now remastered from the original masters. From baroque pop to guitar-driven rockers, Farewell Aldebaran employs the use of instruments as unconventional as bowed banjos and hammered dulcimers to vocal samples on a Chamberlin tape organ to an early use of the Moog synthesizer on the title track. Farewell Aldebaran still defies classification, but has more than stood the test of time. To celebrate this classic, the GRAMMY Museum is pleased to invite Judy Henske and Jerry Yester to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation, moderated by music journalist Steve Hochman.

Cd finally sounds pretty good.

Love this lp so glad to finally have an official release of it

omg, tt showed me this album today! it's lovely and what a closing track, chewing up the 60s and spitting them out. had no idea it's had a reissue.

Omnivore reissued it about a month ago. a copy i ordered never appeared or I'd have had it for a few weeks.
Been hoping for an official reissue since before the Radioactive one appeared.
Joe Foster had said he had one from the masters in the pipeline but cancelled when the Radioactive version appeared.
Not sure how true that is.
But it is now finally out on Omnivore.

Discussion of and descriptions of this on Rolling Reissues 2016, also some about it and other Henske albums fairly recently on can we give some love to the ladies of the 60's/70's that aren't receiving any hipster kisses?

Also keeping in mind what Scott says at beginning of this thread.

Thanks to Tom D. for the tip -- she passed the other day

https://bestclassicbands.com/judy-henske-obituary-4-29-22

Ah damn---Omnivore also reissued the s/t album by Henkske and Yester's group Rosebud, in 2017, though some unfavorable comments on the original are upthread; maybe this expanded edition is better:

The iconic 1971 release – expanded with 10 bonus tracks!
When Judy Henske and Jerry Yester’s (now revered) Farewell Aldebaran sadly disappeared into legend, they decided to take a different approach for their next release—becoming a “band.” Adding songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Craig Doerge (pronounced “Durgee”) and John Seiter (known for his work with Spanky & Our Gang and The Turtles), Rosebud was born. After recording was done and the album “finished”—the band added Bassist David Vaught. Additional songs were laid down, and others removed in lieu of the new material. Finally, in 1971—Rosebud the album appeared.

In his liner notes, Barry Alfonso (acclaimed author and songwriter) says “French choral numbers, gospel rockers, nostalgic ballads, angelic lullabies—it sounds like the contents of a greatest hits collection. In fact, the above tracks are all found on the sole album by Rosebud, an L.A.-based quintet that barely lasted a year.”

Rosebud, is indeed, all of that and much more. While inching Henske & Yester closer to the mainstream, Rosebud is just as daring as Aldebaran, as its songs have the same studio sophistication, hook-laden material, and wit.

To make this reissue even more special, 10 bonus tracks have been added, 7 of which are previously unissued. The packaging contains photos and ephemera, tracing the changing history in the making of the album, as well as new interviews with Henske, Yester and Doerge in Alfonso’s essay. Produced for release by Grammy®-winning Producer Cheryl Pawelski, and new mastering and restoration by Michael Graves (who also has won a few Grammys® himself), Rosebud is ready to take the uninitiated on a journey, and adds nearly another album’s worth of rare singles and unheard tracks for those who loved the original.

Named after the sled in Orson Welles’ iconic Citizen Kane, Rosebud is a secret no more.

From my P&J 2016 ballot comments, based on early and later listening:

Judy Henske & Jerry Yester, Farewell Aldebaran: Foreboding yet outward bound, folk, olde verse, and mid-20th Century romantic and Romantic (idealistic, fatalistic) imagery times concerns ("Age of Anxiety" Auden called it; Bomb Culture Jeff Nuttall titled his life studies of UK para-Beat etc. activities/mindset), further times expert chamber folk-pop-rock focus---crisp, fluid, though with some curlicues of thought and expression---Henske read a lot of Oxford Edition poetry while preparing this album--- tale of the tape: ultimately character/POV-driven.
Although Henske maybe has even more vocal range, and male vocals (mostly Yester's deceptively gentle, Nesmith-ish clarity, and Yanovsky's unpretentious support) are occasionally featured, otherwise the vibe & polish remind me of Michele's studio-aces-in-space Saturn Rings, another 1969 release, and produced by Curt Boettcher, with hip guests, though Henske and Yester did almost all of this themselves*. Some of it also suggests the more expansive tracks on John Cale's pastoral-post-country gothic Vintage Violence, released in 1970. And it sails by the wilder shores of early English folk-rock too.
Title track is esp. rec to fans of Laser Pace, what with synthesizer (incl morphing of vox) by Paul Beaver (I gotta check Beaver & Krause, right? Bernie Krause added electronic mirrorshadings to one of my favorites, Link Wray's mid-70s The Link Wray Rumble).
Fun instrumental bonus versions, incl. "Moods For Cellos," very different from scary swooping LP use: this seems like a wordless Beach Boys lullaby.
Lots to wrap brain around, but so far only the opener, "Snowblind," seems a bit awkward, as written. It's more about the overall effect, anyway (attitude w musical smarts also re with United States of America's '68 s/t).
―
PS: The instrumental bonus tracks on Farewell Aldebaran stand on their own, sometimes *very* different in vibe etc. than the corresponding tracks w vocals and other elements using these in various ways.
Still got some doubts about some of the opening tracks on Farewell Aldebaran: the mix seems too crowded at tymes, though 60s enthusiasm would do that, and better than too sparse; also the aforementioned mid-20th Century romantic and Romantic (idealistic, fatalistic) imagery times concerns can seem dated and predictable (like a lot of dystopian science fiction, then and now), but the musical enthusiasm and freshness does take it further than a lot of other artistes managed. "Three Ravens" pulls and pushes like that, though thought it was gonna be a draw, for a while. Don't know why I referred to this finished track as "scary and swooping," but it sure is different enough from the bonus instrumental source, "Moods For Cellos."
I may have confused "Three Ravens" for "Raider," which is my fave now, with the calling voices I mentioned, like an Appalachia-to-British Isles ballad ritual the Velvet Underground might've dug: " 'Raider,' she cries, 'you got tearrrs in your eyes, oh you're dreeam-ing mmmeee." Excellent bass by Jerry Scheff, bowed banjo and hammered dulcimer by David Lindley and Solomon Feldthouse of Kaleidoscope.
*I shouldn't have said that "Henske and Yester do almost all of it themselves." Yes, Yester does a lot, but, as well as Zal and some Kaleidoscopians, jazz bassist Ray Brown shows up, ditto Tim Buckley's sometime co-writer, Larry Beckett, and the splendid session/touring drummer Fast Eddie Ho (who played on Buckley's Yester-produced Goodbye and Hello, also with the Mamas and Papas and many others).

"Three Ravens" is my favourite track, but then I love the song "Twa Corbies", which it's based on.

... actually checking wiki and "Twa Corbies" is based on the original "Three Ravens" (which dates from 1611!)