5. Bob LindDon’t Be Concerned
There are some records where, before you play them, you have to take a deep breath and ‘Drifter’s Sunrise’ [on the A side] is one of them. It’s heartbreaking; I could weep now, just thinking about it. Bob was one of probably a million folk drifters. I know him personally now and he is, by his own admission, the biggest kamikaze pilot of his own career; he really fucked things up for himself. But, for a very brief time, ‘Elusive Butterfly’ was a monster hit and number one in a gazillion countries, and that leap from zero to hero in point one of a second can just do things to a person’s mind. One minute he was literally busking for his next meal and the next he was hanging out with The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. The production on Don’t Be Concerned is really over the top, but I love it because of that. The saccharine production is a perfect foil for the darkness in his lyrics. The latent power in Bob Lind’s lyrics is of enormous scope, but they’re just these little vignettes and observations. That aside, he continues to make great music and he’s got a new record that isn’t out yet. He’s matured as a writer very well. I love the man and I wish him nothing but well.
