When I started this blog part of the purpose was to talk about the musicians and albums that shaped my musical listening. Early posts reviewed albums that laid the groundwork for my love of folk music. Those albums included John Prine, Steve Goodman, Mr. Bojangles and Songs of Leonard Cohen. The fifth album on the list may be one of the most influential Tom Rush’s The Circle Game, released in December of 1968, the not only introduced me to Tom Rush’s music, it also introduced me and the music world to the music of Joni Mitchell. I have been listening to Tom’s covers of “The Circle Game”, “Tin Angel” and “Urging for Going” for 40 plus years and they are still some of my favorite songs! But not only did Tom cover Joni Mitchell on this album, he also recorded songs by then unknown James Taylor. Taylor’s first self titled album would not be released until February of 1969, as well as “Shadow Dream Song” by Jackson Browne.
Also included on the album are two Rush originals an instrumental “Rockport Sunday” which displays Tom’s great guitar playing and “No Regrets”, which has been recorded by the likes of Emmylou Harris, indie-pop group Luna (band), Fairport Convention, Olivia Newton-John and Curtis Stigers. The songs has always been a favorite of mine!
On his following albums Tom introduced me to other musicians like Guy Clark “Desperadoes Waiting for a Train” and Bruce Cockburn come quickly to mine. The following is a list of his albums on my collection.
1970 – Tom Rush (Columbia)
1970 – Wrong End of the Rainbow
1972 – Merrimack County
1974 – Ladies Love Outlaws
1982 – Tom Rush: Late Night Radio
1999 – No Regrets: The Very Best Of Tom Rush
2009 – What I Know
In 2009 Rush released his first studio album in 35 years What I Know on Appleseed Recordings (Thank you Appleseed not only for Tom Rush but also for Tom Paxton) both Tom’s voice and his song writing talents have not diminished over the years and this is a favorite CD on mine. Anyone who uses Conshohocken in a song rates high on my list! Here’s Tom doing “Urge for Going”
So if you never heard Tom Rush go find his CD and listen as for me Tom thanks for 40 years of wonderful memories and music!