Staff Reviews

Lou Bond - Lou Bond

Review by Will Metcalfe

While his peers saw fit to fill their records with bombast and bravado, Bond is mired in the realms of reality. »

Buy now from:

oud bond is street poetry of sixto rodriguez and isaac hayes' hot buttered soul rolled into one. all you need to do is listen to his 10-minute plus 'to the establishment' to understand. with it's hypnotic strings, rocksteady backbeat, and 'tell it to the people' lyrics, you may find insight into the world in which we live. it seems, that thirty-six years after its conception, not much has changed in our socio-political climate. but brothers and sisters, we are ready to make change happen and lou's debut album is the ideal soundtrack for both living and loving. despite working for some of the biggest names in the music business, lou bond is still regarded as an outcast. early 60s material on landmark label chess stayed on the shelves. even 1974's self-titled lou bond - released on the groovy yet little-known stax imprint we produce - was left to languish in cutout bins and vinyl graveyards across the us. why did soulful black hippie, troubadour, acoustic guitar slung over his lanky frame, keep on trucking, rocking and rolling after so many professional disappointments? without overstatement, lou bond is simply a lost masterpiece that due to music business bullshit never had its proper chance to shine. until now! it not only combines a heavy-duty slice of memphis orchestral soul with a deep dose of 60s protest folk a la dylan and richie havens, but transports the listener via lou's unique, tender, and impassioned vocal delivery. light in the attic records is proud to announce the first cd release and vinyl reissue for the album which not only features the aforementioned underground classic 'to the establishment,' widely sampled on platinum hits by such artists as outkast and prodigy (mobb deep), but never before heard bonus material spread across all formats that provides a greater understanding of the mysterious artist himself. acclaimed memphis writer andria lisle (mojo) presents a comprehensive and engaging set of liner notes featuring bond's first interview in decades and a breadth of interviews from key stax alumni which gets right to the heart of the artist's bittersweet backdrop.
description from www.roughtrade.com