Richie Havens Résume: 12 Of His Best Songs
Richie Havens Résume: 12 Of His Best Songs
Richie Havens (Richard Pierce Havens, January 21, 1941– April 22, 2013) was pure creative genius, who didn’t quite get the recognition that he deserved during his lifetime. His music was pure, spiritual, & real. His albums consisted mainly of songs that he covered: songs by artists The Beatles & Bob Dylan, as well as songs by Fleetwood Mac,Jefferson Airplane, The Who,& others. His originals were just as good. He performed at Woodstock. This list is dedicated to him and his legacy of profound musical genius.
Richie Havens (Richard Pierce Havens, January 21, 1941– April 22, 2013) was pure creative genius, who didn’t quite get the recognition that he deserved during his lifetime. His music was pure, spiritual, & real. His albums consisted mainly of songs that he covered: songs by artists The Beatles & Bob Dylan, as well as songs by Fleetwood Mac,Jefferson Airplane, The Who,& others. His originals were just as good. He performed at Woodstock. This list is dedicated to him and his legacy of profound musical genius.
Mixed Bag (1967)
The 1966 debut album features Richie's cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman," and a song written by Billy Edd Wheeler entitled "High Flying Bird" which was also performed by Jefferson Airplane.
High Flying Bird:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5aZdeHsIQ
Common Ground (1983)
A unique album with a relaxed pace, Common Ground was recorded at Stone Castle Studios in Carimate (Como) Italy.
It features several songs written by Havens and Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Pino Daniele: “Moonlight Rain,” “This Is The Hour,” “Leave Well Enough Alone,” and “Things Must Change.”
Moonlight Rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pWyoVPUXfs
Electric Havens (1968)
An “unauthorized” release by Douglas Records, Electric Havens features material that had been recorded during the Mixed Bag sessions, including solo demos overdubbed with electric instruments.
Perhaps the best track is Havens’ cover of Bob Dylan’s “Oxford Town.” The track "I'm A Stranger Here" is classic Havens.
Oxford Town:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAVPJH7IQxc
I’m A Stranger Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivgc7qi5_mk
Connections (1980)
An eclectic album, and one of his best, Connections features an amazing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s song “Dreams,” as well as a song by Lamont Dozier based on the ABC-TV miniseries, Roots, (based on the Alex Haley novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family) entitled "Going Back To My Roots."
Dreams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKlOdvNu8uQ
Going Back To My Roots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDtxG9FBLQ&list=PL0P-lEyq5nJhOhJKEpk-oF6ebMqlva6TP
Something Else Again (1968)
Featuring an interesting mix of original songs, Something Else Again was the first album to appear on Billboard Charts, peaking at 184 in 1968. It includes two of Havens’ characteristic songs “No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed,” and “Run, Shaker Life,” the later based on a Shaker dance song by 19th century Shaker poet and song writer, Issachar Bates. These were included in later compilations, such as Universal/Motown Records Group / Universal Music Company’s 2000 Release, 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Richie Havens.
Run, Shaker Life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSneyM8BDUk
Cuts To The Chase (1994)
His first solo release in a period of years, Cuts To The Chase features an incredibly soulful and profound cover of “Darkness, Darkness” – The Vietnam War era anthem to soldiers, written by The Youngbloods’ Jesse Colin Young. This song has been covered by many musicians, most notably Golden Earring, Robert Plant, and a spontaneous instrumental version by The Grateful Dead.
Darkness, Darkness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od43DBHz_Ig
Sings Beatles and Dylan (1987)
As the title suggests, this album is comprised entirely of songs that Richie covered. However, it does not, in any way, disappoint. In classic Havens style, he provides a poignant rendition of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” made forever famous by Jimi Hendrix in 1968.
All Along The Watchtower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDEfw0HeEF8
Richie Havens, at Woodstock Music & Art Fair Festival, 1969.
Richie Havens performed at Woodstock Music & Art Fair Festival on August 15th, 1969. Among his set list were a few Beatles’ covers, the aforementioned “High Flying Bird” also recorded by Jefferson Airplane, and an impromptu performance of what is perhaps, his all-time best, the song, “Freedom.”
"As the festival's first performer, he held the crowd for nearly three hours. In part, Havens was told to continue playing, because many artists scheduled to perform after him were delayed in reaching the festival location with highways at a virtual standstill. He was called back for several encores. Having run out of tunes, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual "Motherless Child" that became "Freedom". In an interview with Cliff Smith, for Music-Room, he explained:
"I'd already played every song I knew and I was stalling, asking for more guitar and mic, trying to think of something else to play – and then it just came to me...The establishment was foolish enough to give us all this freedom and we used it in every way we could." - wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Havens
Freedom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rynxqdNMry4
Autographed Woodstock Poster.
A fan of his music since I was a teenager, my only regret is that I never got the chance to see him perform in person. I had one opportunity to do so and decided at the last moment not to go that day as I wasn’t feeling well. I regret that. I do however, have a poster of a snapshot of his performance at Woodstock, that he autographed, that I will treasure forever.
**I apologize for the poor quality of the photograph. I will eventually upload a different photo.**