The Seekers- A World of Our Own

DSCN2502This was a dollar.  The Seekers, to me are a lot like Long John Silver’s.  You drive by and can’t remember the last time you went, you eat there, and you remember why its been so long.  You don’t eat at LJS’s again until a year goes by and the process starts again. But when it does, I completely forget and buy another Seeker’s record.fff

Despite my feelings, The Seekers were a hugely talented and successful group.  Forming in Melbourne, Australia in 1962, they were discovered in the UK in 1964.  The would have a string of Top Ten Hits in their short span.  They also had the first single to reach the Top Five in Australia, the UK, and the US.  They would disband in 1968, but have been reuniting here and there.  The last tour was to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  It ended with two performances in Royal Albert Hall, London.  Currently, there is a musical being staged in Sydney and Melbourne called “Georgy Girl” based on the female singer, Judith Durham.

The Seeker’s Webpage

Georgy Girl- The Musical Info

I really, really, really like “Georgy Girl”, both the song and the movie.  But sadly, the Seeker’s songs are hit and miss to me.  Granted, they are talented and have lovely voices, but I prefer my folk music with a bit of edge, a bit of imperfection, a bit of me against the world, etc, etc.  And in this respect, I just can’t truly get into their records.

 

This album, in particular, was their fourth.  Looking at the back cover, it had a great songlist.  Two Bobby Dylan songs, one Ian Tyson, one Woody Guthrie, a traditional song from the UK (“Leaving of Liverpool”) and one from the US (“Just a Closer Walk With Thee)” and one of my favorite songs written for the Seeker’s by Tom Springfield, “A World of Our Own”.  In the case of the latter, I thought it was a Sonny James tune originally.  I was wrong.  But Sonny James knocked his version out of the park.  Same with the rest of the tunes, there is just something lacking for me to latch on to.  To offer a contemporary opinion, in the words of my friend Tracy, this is “truly horrible music”. It should be noted, as a point of counter-opinion, the album went #2 in Australia, #3 in the UK, and #19 in the US.DSCN2503

The only number that had any punch was the spiritual “You Can Tell the World”, which I thought was much better than the rest of the album. They really cut loose with the vocals.  I use it now as the sample.  If the rest of the songs were played the same way, I would really like this album.art-seekers-20anniversary-620x349

Meh.  I know I bought at least one better Seeker’s album recently.  This one just does not do it for me.