Judy Henske & Jerry Yester
Farewell Aldebaran

THE REVIEW

And here's another gem. We're still in 1969, a special year. Masterpiece finally remastered for the first time on CD after almost 40 years. Lost and found, buried and rediscovered. Psychedelic rock, folk-pop, psychedelic pop, pop-rock, folk-rock, psychedelic folk (if it ever existed): genres that at the time were almost the daily bread for many musicians. Yet this album sounds like "one, none, and a hundred thousand". "One" as an absolutely unique and rare record, "none" like the similar records, and a hundred thousand as the power it manages to emanate, a power built on a memorable voice, magnificent lyrics, melodies to die for, and sublime music.

Judy Henske (vocals and lyrics), American singer-songwriter, tall and a great drinker, discovered by Jac Holzman, head of Elektra, and described at the time by producer and composer Jack Nitzsche as "the Queen of Beatniks". Her debut album dates back to '63 (hilariously funny, because it was recorded live in a club and, between songs, Judy tells jokes or parodied stories of the mostly dramatic songs she is about to perform), followed by "High Flying Bird" the next year (with the title track later covered by Jefferson Airplane), one of the very first folk records to use a rhythm section. But forget the usual folk circuit singer; she was more of a cross between Janis Joplin and Billie Holiday. Powerful voice, explosive personality, unfortunately one of those cases where immense talent didn’t automatically mean success.

Jerry Yester (bass, guitars, vocals, and producer), member of the Modern Folk Quartet and then of Lovin' Spoonful, was above all a successful producer of records like the second and third albums of Tim Buckley and songs for Pat Boone and Tom Waits.

An artistic, physical, and mental marriage, in every sense. A fierce duo, it was like putting together a spark and a hundred thousand cannons ready to fire, a flame and a vast river of alcohol. Both of them were masters at mixing the cards and keeping the deck tight together, a lethal mix of genres and styles never heard until then, eclectic and experimental, but light years away from the inaccessibility of many priscadelic works. This record is for me, for you, for everyone.

For you who love sweet and poignant songs like only sad ones can be ("One More Time" is about an old, lonely prostitute, ill and about to die, "Three Ravens" a knight fallen on the battlefield, protected only by a deer while the three ravens wait for nothing else but to eat his corpse); for you who love to smile, irony, and double meanings ("St. Nicholas Hall", a letter that the dean of a convent sends to his un-believers asking for money to rebuild the church, buy a new organ, new zoology texts, and to fight the Lutherans); for you who get excited listening to catastrophic songs ("Rapture" with a chorus that cannot be commented on but must be heard at least once in a lifetime, "Farewell Aldebaran" which musically narrates the end of a galaxy).

I prefer not to linger too much, so I'll just say that if Frank Zappa had fallen madly in love with this record (it was indeed released at the time by his record label, Straight), that must mean something!

I would nevertheless like to conclude by wholeheartedly thanking the record label that decided to reintroduce this jewel, Radioactive, without which I would never have been able to laugh, cry, get excited, and emotional, all in just 35 minutes!