This is a rare occasion where I'm reviewing an album that I've bought which I almost never do. But this album is that exception for many reasons, the main one being that it had been on my 'to find' list since about 1981/82 when I first heard about it being produced by John Cale and featuring the only studio recording of his song Empty Bottles. This is a song that (as far as I know) he only sang live once at the show at the Bataclan in Paris with Lou Reed and Nico which I had on a bootleg for many years before it finally came out officially a few years ago.
'Jennifer' had become a holy grail for many John Cale completists but I had never found one who had found a copy of the album. It is not to be confused with her third album, 'Jennifer Warnes', a mistake I had made myself while trying to find this one. I'd never seen one on sale and had looked extensively so it was with great joy that I found out that for the first time since 1972 it had been re-issued in Japan on the album's original Reprise imprint.
In keeping with many major label debuts of the time, Jennifer had been paired with some great session musicians and some very well chosen songs to sing. Indeed, her band here includes Jackson Browne, Spooner Oldham, John Cale, Sneaky Pete etc. It's a star-studded cast.
The album opens with a great version of Barry Gibb's In The Morning that has a great sense of longing in the vocals. It works beautifully and Cale has arranged it almost perfectly. Then she tackles Jimmy Webb's classic P.F. Sloan and it is one of the best versions of the song I've heard. It also sounds like Rumer nicked this arrangement wholesale for her take on the song. The album is worth getting just for this song, frankly.
Empty Bottles is every bit as brilliant as I'd hoped with a lush arrangement and Jennifer's vocals floating over the top of it. I only wish it had been a whole lot easier to find. This should have been her first hit single but instead it took her a good while to become a star after this album. Donovan's Sand And Foam is less folky than the original and more lush, but that's no bad thing at all.
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Obviously her version of Free's Be My Friend is a lot more restrained than the original and I'm sure Free fans would think she has made it too middle of the road. That's as maybe but it's still sounds really good like this. Needle And Thread isn't the Richard Thompson song of that name but is still rather familiar even if I don't know who recorded the original. Sorry.
Last Song is the only original Jennifer was allowed to sing on the album and from the sound of it they should have let her sing a couple more of her own tunes as it's a fine soft rock effort with an impressive arrangement and good lyrics. She then sings Jimmy Webb's All My Love's Laughter which for me is about the weakest song on the album and a poor song choice as it just seems to meander a bit.
But that's soon forgotten by one of the best versions of These Days you'll hear anywhere. It is up there next to Nico's version and much better than Jackson Browne's own version of the song and the version by Rainy Day is a slightly folkier arrangement of this great song. A must hear for any fans of this song, it almost sounds like it should be on the soundtrack to some Southern Gothic film.
The album closes with a fine version of Procul Harum's Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) agin with plenty of longing in her vocals and some very nice piano, I assume from John Cale. It's wistful and poignant and a good closing song to what should be a classic album rather than an overlooked obscurity only searched for by collectors of certain artists.
If you only buy one 1970's re-issue this year make sure it's this one. Oh and it sounds nothing like that song she is known for with Bill Medley. Thankfully!!
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