Michael Hurley
First Songs

Recorded in '64, released the following year, this album is a revelation for me, a disclosure. Twelve "first songs," repetitive, imperfect yet meaningful, simple, immediate, capable of being penetrating, and not so easily forgotten. I just finished listening to it and still can't believe my ears.
In the year of "Highway 61 Revisited", Hurley releases his first work, whose title leaves no ambiguity. It is precisely the simplicity, essentiality, and spontaneity that permeate the sound of this LP, published by the as historical as legendary Folkways Records.

The artist from Pennsylvania hails from Greenwich Village, the same playing field as the much more fortunate colleague, Bob Dylan, who represents the most illustrious name. Today, Hurley's genre is called "outsider folk", and not without reason. Proof of this, besides the sound itself, is his inconsistency, which leads him to disappear shortly after the release of "First Songs". Despite the shadow that hangs over him, by his own choice, Hurley pokes his nose out by lending some of his pieces to the Holy Modal Rounders (not at all freakish people, eh?). Sarcastically renamed Unholy Modal Rounders, they will record – under the name "UMR, Michael Hurley, Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones" – an album, in '76, titled "Have Moicy!", with the exclamation point like the famous "Freak Out!" by the Mothers of Frank Zappa. More than making music, Michael is skilled in songwriting, which will distinguish him throughout his life in the underground context. Even the Youngbloods (those of "Get Together … come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now" – not Kurt Cobain!) include songs from "First Songs" in their repertoire.
Still alive, and about to turn a year older (in two days, on December 20th, he will be 76), Hurley seems to have paused for now, despite last year releasing his latest album, "Bad Mr. Mike", for Mississippi Records (Peter Buck, of R.E.M., has signed with the label for three of his solo works).

Returning to the wonder album, it is a "collection" of truly magnetic tracks, steeped in blues, haunting, because they recall a space and time that are no more. Although it may seem anachronistic, in my humble opinion, "First Songs" is an innovative album, breathtaking, that has the right to be what it is, now as it was then: the voice of the very young Michael, 22 years old, seems to come from the vocal cords of a sixty-year-old alcoholic or a victim of vices. His soul is haunted by ghosts, and the lyrics, tragicomic, twisted at times, are striking signs of a lucid madness, lived by the artist in virtue of his "inadequacy". "Sister Song" is the most southern thing one could imagine, and the scene depicted is rendered "cinematically" to perfection: the identification is complete. "The Tea Song", another strong piece, fights with the listener, with Hurley's long, visceral, and heartrending laments that challenge him. There is also room for a spoken-word track, "Raven Rock – They Took Away The Diesel".

Just a guitar, a violin (?) and the tap of a foot, besides, undoubtedly, Michael's voice, make this LP an immeasurable masterpiece.

Rating … do I even need to say it?: 10/10