Just Another Diamond Day

Product Information

Cut directly from the original analog master tapes, through our unique all valve 1965 Ortofon vinyl cutting system in stereo. No equalisation, compression or any other processing was added during the cutting process.

Ladened with the joys and woes of a young woman navigating an extraordinary life, Bunyans songs depicting the delicate balance between hardships and day-dreams have proven to not only stand the test of time, but triumphantly grow stronger. Shortly after the release of "Train Song", Bunyan found herself without a record label, and with the help of her brother organized a showing of her songs to Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl. Bunyan recalled the meeting did not impress the two; however, their suggestions for her inspired Bunyan to pursue the solemn atmosphere present in her music. [5] Hearing word of Donovan's intention to establish a musical commune, Bunyan and fellow bohemian student, Robert Lewis, travelled through Scotland on horse and carriage. Donovan's project never developed; however, the nearly two-year journey gave Bunyan the opportunity to pen an album's worth of material. [6] These songs so impressed record producer Joe Boyd, whom Bunyan happened upon on her travels, that he left her a standing invitation to record them when Bunyan concluded her wandering. Writer Keith Wallace has stated Boyd's affluence of experience producing exotic musical acts and expert mixing abilities would prove invaluable as Bunyan came off a long hiatus from recording. [7] Young, Rob (2010). Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music . Faber and Faber. pp.44–45. ISBN 9780865478565. Just Another Diamond Day is the debut album by the English folk singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan, and was released on Philips Records in December 1970. Much of the album is a musical reflection on Bunyan and travelling partner Robert Lewis's experiences while travelling by horse and wagon through Scotland in 1968. It highlighted Bunyan's vocals with minimal instrumental accompaniment that was arranged by contemporary musical artists supervised under record producer Joe Boyd. Vashti Bunyan Interview | Features | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 18 January 2010 . Retrieved 12 August 2014.

Versions

The presentation is quite full sounding with a nice spectrum utilized. And thats probably really all you need for this music. But then when Just Another Diamond Day finally came out in 1970, you decided to abandon your musical career altogether. Why? She soldiers on, laughing apologetically through the farting, beginning with Here Before. Inspired when an old Gypsy woman looked down at Bunyan’s firstborn and declared that he had “been here before”, it dates from her second album, Lookaftering, which took as its theme Bunyan’s long, cloistered exile indoors, away from music. As a mother’s song to her children, it could easily be nauseating. But there’s no coochie-coo to Here Before. Bunyan regards her offspring as fully formed entities, wild and outside her ken. A circular motif unobtrusively carries the spare vocal melody.

Even when she’s unwell, the 74-year-old’s voice sounds feathery and wan, sort of as if someone had pumped it full of clouds. It was a voice I knew well; a voice that has remained virtually unchanged for 50 years. The fragility and domesticity of Bunyan’s music masks a story of steel, outsiderdom and technological enabling, a fable straddling two centuries. Bunyan’s work has been rediscovered for over a decade now, when Just Another Diamond Day resurfaced as a lost classic, but her tale bears retelling. When I came out of the studio, I was literally walking on air. I remember phoning my daughter and saying, ‘I want to make an album. I want to make another album. I want to do some writing. I want to do some more.’

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Murphy, Matthew (27 October 2005). "Lookaftering Album Review - Vashti Bunyan". Pitchfork . Retrieved 16 December 2022.

Blossoming once again in her own time, it has taken another 20 years for Bunyan to write her story down in spare, often luminous prose. “Berneray [in Scotland, where Bunyan lived for a time] held its ancient history near to the surface. With no trees, the only verticals being the new electricity poles, Viking days hung in the air with nothing to absorb them.” And also: “We were two idiot dreamers who chose the wrong island to carry out those dreams upon.”

What was your voice like when you returned to making music in the early 2000s? Was it out of shape? Did it sound differently? Leach, Jeanette (2010). Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk . Jawbone Publishing. pp.120–121. ISBN 9781906002671.