Bob Carpenter came close to being a major star. He received a glowing mention in Rolling Stone in 1970, recorded an album for Warner Brothers and had his songs recorded by Emmylou Harris, Billy Joe Shaver and others. However, ‰Û÷Silent Passage‰۪, his lone solo album recorded in 1974, was pressed and ready to ship when contract negotiations shelved the record indefinitely. By the time things were resolved it was the end of the 70s singer-songwriter boom and Warner had moved on. He died in 1995 and the last decade of his life was spent in religious devotion. He joined a Buddhist monastery shortly before his death. The album saw release on the Canadian Stony Plain label in 1984 but has been out of print until now. It‰۪s a tragic story of one that got away: if things had gone differently perhaps ‰Û÷Silent Passage‰۪ would be considered a country-rock classic - slotted somewhere between, say, Gene Clark‰۪s ‰Û÷No Other‰۪ and Neil Young‰۪s ‰Û÷Tonight‰۪s The Night‰۪. Perhaps it‰۪s not too late for that - Carpenter's songs are timeless, magical and waiting to be discovered. There‰۪s a talented backing behind, featuring a lot known session players from the era and soon to be famous singers (Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray) but it's Bob Carpenter's voice that takes the lead here and it soars. LP comes with a digital download.åÊ
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