Michael Hedges

Michael Hedges - 1970's Demos



After listening to these early demos, one would never guess that Michael would amount to much more than an your average garden-variety guitarist, singer, songwriter.


Tracklist:

01 11 Small Roaches [demo] Michael Hedges
02 About You [demo] Michael Hedges
03 Adrianne [demo] Michael Hedges
04 Down On The Block [demo] Michael Hedges
05 Flying Near The Ground [demo] Michael Hedges
06 Laser Love [demo] Michael Hedges
07 Outside Cabin 11 [demo] Michael Hedges

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Michael Hedges - Breakfast In The Field {1981}



Released in 1981, Breakfast in the Field was part of the thrilling, early '80s rollout of "new acoustic" music unveiled by Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman, where each new release and new artist seemed to yield something revelatory. The startling uniqueness of guitarist Michael Hedges's imagination and style, however, was not fully recognized until he introduced a host of tradition-jarring innovations (unexpected tunings, tappings, and rhythmic slaps) on the magnificent Aerial Boundaries three years later. Here, on just the 13th recording to carry the Windham Hill logo, the 28-year-old Hedges involves himself more with straightforward finger-picking technique--which is dazzling--and more of the peaceful, pastoral sound typically associated with early Windham Hill releases. On these terms, the disc (at a brief, vinyl-era 34 minutes) is a quiet, elegant jewel, adorned with endearing melodies ("Eleven Small Roaches," "The Unexpected Visitor"), astonishing displays of nimbleness ("Peg Leg Speed King," "Silent Anticipations"), and hints of quirkiness to come ("The Funky Avocado"). Bassist Michael Manring contributes to several tracks and even pianist George Winston, fresh off the release of Autumn and spurred by the team-spirit togetherness of early Windham Hill, lends a few notes to the reflective concluding track, "Lenono."


Tracklist:

01 Layover
(Michael Hedges) 2:32
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2C3G3C4E4

02 The Happy Couple
(Michael Hedges) 3:23
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
G1B2E3F#3A3D4

03 Eleven Small Roaches
(Michael Hedges) 3:01
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3B3D4

04 The Funky Avocado
(Michael Hedges) 2:05
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3G3A3D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

05 Baby Toes
(Michael Hedges) 2:12
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A3D3G3C4D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

06 Breakfast in the Field
(Michael Hedges) 2:23
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3D3A3E4

07 Two Days Old
(Michael Hedges) 4:44
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2G2D3G3Bb3C4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

08 Peg Leg Speed King
(Michael Hedges) 3:20
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3A3D4

09 The Unexpected Visitor
(Michael Hedges) 2:49
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2E3G3B3D4

10 Silent Anticipations
(Michael Hedges) 3:19
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4E4

11 Lenono
(Michael Hedges) 3:55
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
F2A2D3G3B3E4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring
Piano - Geroge Winston

@320 - 80460 KB



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Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries {1984}



It's been called the album that opened "a new chapter on steel-string guitar playing," and it's unquestionably one of the most groundbreaking albums in acoustic guitar history. Though Hedges had released the excellent Breakfast in the Field on Windham Hill in 1981, the Grammy-nominated Boundaries came as an unexpected revelation in 1985. On stirring, complex compositions like "Rickover's Dream," "Spare Change," and a deft instrumental reading of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush," Hedges unleashed a stunning new vocabulary of finger-tapping, hammering, and harmonic slaps--processed with electronics and reverb--that still resounds today in the playing of artists from Ani Di Franco to Preston Reed. Steeped both in classical harmony and the fingerstyle guitar tradition of Leo Kottke, Martin Carthy, and John Renbourn, Boundaries remains the late composer-guitarist's seminal work, and its innovations in technique, tuning, tone, and intensity remain key texts in modern acoustic circles.


TrackList:

01 Aerial Boundaries
(Michael Hedges) 4:45
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2C3D3G3A3D4

02 Bensusan
(Michael Hedges) 2:30
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3A3C4
Capo at III

3 Rickover's Dream
(Michael Hedges) 5:00
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3B3C4

04 Ragamuffin
(Michael Hedges) 3:15
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3A3D4

05 After the Gold Rush
(Neil Young) 4:10
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3D3A3D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

06 Hot Type
(Michael Hedges) 1:31
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
A1B2E3F#3A3D4

07 Spare Change
(Michael Hedges) 5:45
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
F2A2E3G3A3D4

08 Menage a Trois
(Michael Hedges) 7:10
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3D3A3D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring
Flutes - Mindy Rosenfeld

09 The Magic Farmer
(Michael Hedges) 3:50
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2F2C3G3A3E4

@320 - 84644 KB




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Michael Hedges - Watching My Life Go By {1985}



With every song he wrote, every instrument he played, every sound he ever recorded, Michael Hedges showed us what a pure, true, and beautiful musical talent he possessed. His guitar skills were particularly breathtaking; while technically mind-boggling, their greater power was in the utter fluency with which two hands and a six-string communicated the treasures of the man's heart. I love dearly the music he left us before moving on. Unfortunately, I come not to praise Michael, but to criticize him. Enjoyable though this recording is, I disagree with the until now unanimous five-star rating.
There's no denying that Hedges' voice was something special: a little raw but a lot beautiful, strong but vulnerable, with a passion learned from Neil Young. Unfortunately, that influence also led him to greatly simplify the guitar parts while singing; and an affinity for unusual metaphor sometimes abused gorgeous melodies with awkward lyrics. Sometimes, melody won out, as in an e.e. cummings' love poem turned into one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard, "i carry your heart" from "Taproot". On the other hand, this approach nearly ruined "The Road To Return" for me.

This album is somewhere between those two extremes. The guitar parts weave a characteristic fabric of strumming, tapping, knocking, and harmonics; but they're also less rich than usual. This leaves more room for the vocals, but it doesn't fill the sonic space so adeptly as in the instrumentals on "Breakfast in the Field" or "Aerial Boundaries". Lyrics, though thoughtful and well-formed, occasionally venture into uncomfortable territory that might alienate some listeners. Of the three tracks that I consider essential Hedges -- the title track, "Woman of the World", and a cover of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" -- the latter two sound warmer and more energized on "Live on the Double Planet". Ultimately, "Watching My Life Go By" suffers primarily by comparison: though there's some good music here, it's not, by a long shot, Hedges' best.


TrackList:

01 Face Yourself
(Michael Hedges) 4:43
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3D3A3D4
Bass - Michael Manring

02 I'm Coming Home
(Michael Hedges) 4:14
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3B3B3

03 Woman of the World
(Michael Hedges) 4:17
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3E3B3A3

04 Watching My Life Go By
(Michael Hedges) 3:16
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4C4

05 I Want You
(Michael Hedges) 4:00
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3A3D4
Bass - Michael Manring
Drums - John Hanes

06 The Streamlined Man
(Michael Hedges) 3:46
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
F2G2D3G3G3D4
Vocals - Bobby McFerrin

07 Out on the Parkway
(Michael Hedges) 2:58
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
E2G#2E3F#3B3B3
Fretless bass - Michael Manring
Wine glasses - Hilleary Burgess

08 Holiday
(Michael Hedges) 5:14
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3A3A3
Harmonica and synthesizer - Michael Hedges

09 All Along the Watchtower
(Bob Dylan) 3:01
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2E3E3A3A3

10 Running Blind
(Michael Hedges) 4:54
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3B3D4

@320 - 89801 KB



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Michael Hedges - Live On The Double Planet {1987}



Michael Hedges hardly needed to prove that he was an astonishing performer in person as well as in the studio, but Live on the Double Planet does the job nonetheless. Hedges features a number of songs from his brilliant Breakfast in the Fields release, including that album's title track and the acrobatic "Silent Anticipation." He throws a few vocal numbers into the mix as well, including standard-issue covers like Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," the Beatles' "Come Together," and one from far out in left field, Sheila E's (courtesy of Prince) "A Love Bizarre." The album shows off Hedges's sense of humor as well, as he interpolates a vocal riff from the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" into "The Funky Avocado."


TrackList:

01 All Along the Watchtower
(Bob Dylan) 2:59
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2E3E3A3A3

02 Because It's There
(Michael Hedges) 3:13
Instrumental Track
harp guitar - Michael Hedges
G1Bb1C2A1D2 E2A2D3E3A3D4

03 Silent Anticipations
(Michael Hedges) 3:01
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4E4

04 Ready or Not
(Michael Hedges) 3:52
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3G3G3

05 A Love Bizarre
(Sheila E./Prince) 4:30
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3G3G3

06 Breakfast in the Field
(Michael Hedges) 2:17
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3D3A3E4

07 Rikki's Shuffle
(Michael Hedges) 3:09
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2E3G3B3B3

08 Woman of the World
(Michael Hedges) 4:28
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3E3B3A3

09 The Double Planet
(Michael Hedges) 3:23
Instrumental Track
harp guitar - Michael Hedges
G1F#1C#2A1D2 E2A2D3E3A3C#4

10 The Funky Avocado
(Michael Hedges) 3:20
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3G3A3D4

11 Come Together
(John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 5:10
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2G2D3G3G3D4

12 Two Days Old
(Michael Hedges) 4:34
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2G2D3G3Bb3C4

@320 - 98482 KB



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Michael Hedges - Taproot {1990}



As Steve Vai, once said: "No one alive plays an acoustic guitar better than Michael Hedges." It may very well be true. Although his recorded musical legacy is sometimes uneven, his brilliance and virtuosity on the guitar cannot be denied. On this mostly insatrumental album, Hedges slaps, taps, pokes, and cajoles his instrument - even employing a special guitar synthesizer for dynamic tonal adjustment - until it begins to take on a life of its own as a completely new musical entity. His polyphonic technique on the acoustic guitar is literally without peer, and his sense of melody and adventure is well-served on _Taproot_. The music is generally on the softer side of things, with traditional nature-worship-type mystical new-age themes. This is not his most energetic performance, yet it is mesmerizing and frequently jaw-dropping. And as it posesses only one complete vocal track - the excellent "I Carry Your Heart" (with backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash) it will be his most accessible album to those who have little tolerance for some of his more ordinary endeavours into pop songwriting (like on _The Road To Return_). Sadly Michael has left us, far before his time, but his instrumental offerings are challenging examples of "new age" music, and some of the most amazing virtuoso acoustic guitar work ever recorded.

01 The Naked Stalk
(Michael Hedges) 1:43
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3E3A3B3

02 The Jealous Tunnel/About Face
(Michael Hedges) 4:20
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3E3A3B3
Snare drum, bass drum, cymbals - Bryan Lanser

03 Jade Stalk
(Michael Hedges) 3:55
Instrumental Track
Clarinet - Mike Moore

04 Nomad Land
(Michael Hedges) 1:54
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3G3G3
Saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet - Mike Moore

05 Point A
(Michael Hedges) 1:33
Instrumental Track
transtrem guitar - Michael Hedges
E2A2D3G3B3E4

06 Chava's Song
(Michael Hedges) 3:14
Instrumental Track
harp guitar - Michael Hedges
G1F#1B1A1D2 E2A2D3E3A3D4

07 Ritual Dance
(Michael Hedges) 2:17
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4C4

08 Scenes (on the road to shrub 2)
(Michael Hedges) 4:23
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3E3A3B3
Saxophone - Mike Moore

09 The First Cutting
(Michael Hedges) 3:02
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3A3D4
Snare drum - Bryan Lanser

10 Point B
(Michael Hedges) 1:57
Instrumental Track
transtrem guitar - Michael Hedges
E2A2D3G3B3E4

11 Song of the Spirit Farmer
(Michael Hedges) 4:45
Instrumental Track
Flutes, effects - Michael Hedges

12 The Rootwitch
(Michael Hedges) 2:29
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3E3A3B3
One half-step low

13 i carry your heart
(Michael Hedges/E.E. Cummings) 4:55
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
Bb1F2C3Eb3F3Bb3
Harmony vocals - David Crosby & Graham Nash
Bass - Michael Manring

@320 - 96496 KB



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Michael Hedges - Strings Of Steel {1993}



A compilation created for release only in South America to accompany a tour there, this 1993 retrospective includes selections from Michael's Windham Hill albums through 1993 (both instrumental and vocal), plus three previously unreleased covers*: a live recording of "Gimme Shelter," a tongue-in-cheek live rendition of the Fine Young Cannibals' hit "She Drives Me Crazy," and a studio version of The Who's "Pinball Wizard."

01 Pinball Wizard
(Townsend) 2:45
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3E3A3A3

02 The Unexpected Visitor
(Michael Hedges) 2:42
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2E3G3B3D4

03 Rickover's Dream
(Michael Hedges) 4:49
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3G3B3C4

04 All Along the Watchtower
(Bob Dylan) 2:57
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2E3E3A3A3

05 Scenes (on the road to shrub 2)
(Michael Hedges) 4:22
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3E3A3B3
Saxophone - Mike Moore

06 Ragamuffin
(Michael Hedges) 3:15
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3A3D4

07 She Drives Me Crazy
(Steele-Gift) 3:36
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2C3D3F#3A3D4

08 Silent Anticipations
(Michael Hedges) 3:01
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4E4

09 The Streamlined Man
(Michael Hedges) 3:45
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
F2G2D3G3G3D4
Vocals - Bobby McFerrin

10 Aerial Boundaries
(Michael Hedges) 4:39
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2C3D3G3A3D4

11 Come Together
(John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 4:50
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2G2D3G3G3D4

12 The Funky Avocado
(Michael Hedges) 3:01
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1A2D3G3A3D4

13 Because It's There
(Michael Hedges) 3:09
Instrumental Track
harp guitar - Michael Hedges
G1Bb1C2A1D2 E2A2D3E3A3D4

14 Ritual Dance
(Michael Hedges) 2:16
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3C4C4

15 Gimme Shelter
(Jagger/Richards) 3:57
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
C#2E2B2E3E3B3

16 Breakfast in the Field
(Michael Hedges) 2:15
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2D3D3A3E4

@320 - 128644 KB



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Michael Hedges - Road To Return {1994}



True to its title, Road to Return is a bit of a musical and spiritual homecoming for virtuoso acoustic guitarist Michael Hedges. At the time of this 1994 release's creative inception, Hedges was becoming deeply involved in yoga, and committed himself to expressing in his music the personal discoveries made through the Eastern exercises and philosophy. Attention to melody and rhythm (elements of music that Hedges claimed to associate more with the heart than the head) became the focal point of these new compositions, while the head-centered technical and harmonic elements were given a lowered priority. Fans of the musician's stunning two-handed, alternate-tuned guitar innovations were a little disappointed by the relatively minimal Road to Return, with its accent on Hedges' newfound vocal stylings. It might seem ironic that, after recording the seminal Taproot with its natural and organically slanted mythology, Hedges felt inclined to "reconnect with the earth," but it's perfectly logical that fewer notes and more specific melodies would in fact lend a purity to Hedges' dynamic new age groove.



TrackList:

01 Prelude
(Michael Hedges) 3:05
Instrumental Track
Vocals - Pipa Pinon
Saw - Janeen Rae Heller

02 Road to Return
(Michael Hedges) 6:03
Vocal Track

03 Communicate
(Michael Hedges) 4:09
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
E2A2D3E3A3D4

04 Sister Soul
(Michael Hedges) 4:34
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C#2G#2C#3F#3G#3C4

05 Guardian's Trust
(Michael Hedges/Cate McNider) 3:48
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track

06 India
(Michael Hedges) 3:55
Vocal Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
A1E2B3D3E3A3

07 A Midwinter Night's Dream
(Michael Hedges) 5:36
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3B3E4
Vocals - Pipa Pinon

08 Follow Through
(Michael Hedges) 3:43
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3F#3F#3F#3

09 You Can Have Anything You Want
(Michael Hedges) 3:49
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
G1F2Bb2Eb3G3C4

10 Road Music
(Michael Hedges) 2:15
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
E2A2D3G3A3C4

@320 - 91396 KB



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Michael Hedges - Oracle {1996}



Michael Hedges's last album before his untimely death is one of his best. The 1996 album opens with "The 2nd Law," a quietly intense and introspective piece, and moves on through the percussive "Ignition," the sprightly "Gospel," and two variations on the same piece, "Jitterboogie" and the playful "Jitterboogie (Family Version)." The sole vocal piece on the album is a nice turn on the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," with Hedges backing himself on guitar and fretless bass. There are two other interesting cover choices, Henry Mancini's "Theme from Hatari!" and Frank Zappa's "Sofa No. 1." Oracle won the 1998 Grammy for Best New Age Album, and the award was richly deserved.


TrackList:

01 The 2nd Law
(Michael Hedges) 3:07
Instrumental Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
A1A2D3G3B3D4

02 Ignition
(Michael Hedges) 3:28
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2F2C3G3A3D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

03 Baal T'shuvah
(Michael Hedges) 2:10
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
Bb1F2Bb2C3F3Bb3

04 Dirge
(Michael Hedges) 3:29
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
B1F#2C#3D3A3D4
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

05 Jitterboogie
(Michael Hedges) 2:37
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
Db2Ab2Db3Gb3Ab3B3

06 Oracle
(Michael Hedges) 4:08
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2E3F3A3E4

07 Gospel
(Michael Hedges) 2:22
Instrumental Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
A1A2D3F#3A3A3
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

08 Tomorrow Never knows
(John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 4:01
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Vocal Track
low-strung guitar - Michael Hedges
A1A2D3F#3A3A3
Fretless bass - Michael Manring

09 Theme from HATARI!
(Henry Mancini) 3:19
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C#2G#2D#3E3G#3D#4

10 Aura Muunta
(Michael Hedges) 2:58
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
C2G2C3F3G3B3

11 Jitterboogie (family version)
(Michael Hedges) 2:09
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2A2D3G3A3C4

12 Sofa No. 1
(Frank Zappa) 2:42
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
D2G2D3E3A3C#4

13 When I Was 4
(Michael Hedges) 3:50
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

14 What Child is This?
(Traditional) 3:09
Arranged by: Michael Hedges
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

@320 - 104524 KB



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Michael Hedges - Torched {1999}



Torched is the album Michael Hedges was reputedly working on when he was tragically taken from us in a car wreck in November 1997. It reveals Hedges exploring his fervent desire to be a singer/songwriter, rather than the virtuoso guitarist who influenced a generation of string-pickers. Hedges played the whole guitar, not just the strings, turning it into a tribal orchestra that rendered his gorgeous and often quirky melodies. That Hedges is rarely heard on Torched. Instead Hedges's vocal side prevails. Torched is a scattered collection of nearly completed songs and rough tracks, all highlighting his spiritual search and romantic yearnings. As a singer/songwriter, Hedges was influenced by the 1960s and '70s Jackson Browne-James Taylor axis of earnest proclamations. He's even joined by '60s veterans David Crosby and Graham Nash, who added their harmonies to "Spring Buds" after Hedges passed. On the title track, he sings of spiritual transformation by fire, adding some distorted fuzz guitar to scorched effect. On "Promised Land" he waxes biblical. There are a few instrumentals as well, including "Fusion of the Five Elements," an early, triple-speed demo for the song that wound up as the title track to Oracle, Hedges's last official album. Other pieces like "Dream Beach," "Arrowhead," and "Ursa Major" would have fit comfortably on Oracle with their wistful melodies and arrangements that have Hedges playing flutes, percussion, and keyboards in addition to guitar. Posthumous albums are always problematic. We'll never know if Hedges actually wanted these tracks to be released, and over all the vocal songs don't match his more carefully articulated Road to Return vocal album from a few years back. With Torched we're left with embers from a musician who usually gave us bonfires of brilliance.

Michael Hedges once told writer John Stropes, "If anyone wants to lock me into the guitar pigeonhole, I'll make like a pigeon and crap on their windowsill." While Hedges brought a new sonic architecture to the acoustic guitar that stunned even his fellow guitarists, he also loved to sing. The posthumously released Torched presents the late, much-loved musician in both roles, with moving results. In progress at the time of his 1997 death from a car accident, these tracks are largely unfinished home recordings of Hedges'. In many cases though, Torched presents realized compositions, not just promising sketches; a clarity of purpose is communicated that feels whole. Many of the 14 tunes reveal what must have been a tremendous amount of work on Hedges' part. There are beautiful, overdubbed vocal harmonies on "Rough Wind in Oklahoma" and "The Holy Flame," wonderful keyboard coloration on "Sapphire," and, on "Ursa Major," a mix of gentle chords, harmonics, and sampled wind that sounds like Redwood trees strung with guitar wires, resonating in the breeze. With the sinewy power of his guitar and the direct appeal of his singing, Hedges also put grit into a singer/songwriter genre (for lack of a better term, let's call it sensitive, mystical folk) that's often characterized by a fey superficiality. He had the ability to frame emotions so they glowed with both sophisticated intelligence and primal passion, and his lyrics offered a penetrating vision that struck at the heart of meaning. this guy was truly tuned into something else.


TrackList:

01 Torched
(Michael Hedges) 4:51
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

02 Spring Buds
(Michael Hedges) 4:20
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

03 Fusion of the Five Elements
(Michael Hedges) 3:59
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

04 Promised Land
(Michael Hedges) 3:52
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

05 Phoenix Fire
(Michael Hedges) 3:40
Vocal Track

06 Dream Beach
(Michael Hedges) 3:51
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges
Flute - Michael Hedges
Percussion - Michael Hedges
Synthesizers - Michael Hedges

07 Arrowhead
(Michael Hedges) 2:17
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

08 Shell Shock Venus
(Michael Hedges) 4:14
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

09 Ursa Major
(Michael Hedges) 3:45
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

10 Free Swinging Soul
(Michael Hedges) 4:19
Vocal Track

11 Rough Wind in Oklahoma
(Michael Hedges) 4:17
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

12 Sapphire
(Michael Hedges) 3:48
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

13 Gospel of Mary/The Holy Flame
(Michael Hedges) 5:34
Vocal Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

14 Java Man
(Michael Hedges) 3:44
Instrumental Track
six-string guitar - Michael Hedges

15 Free Swinging Soul
(Michael Hedges) 5:29
Vocal Track
Bass - Michael Manring

@320 - 100431 KB + 46243 KB




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Michael Hedges - Studio Misc




Tracklist:

Fantasia Michael Hedges
In Dulci Jublio Michael Hedges
Suite Violoncello 1 [Bach] Michael Hedges

@320 - 21718 KB




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Pass:

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