Sit Down Old Friend/You're Not Alone

by Dion

Overview

Dion's early-'70s albums have been quite overlooked, even in comparison to his similar late-'60s folk-rock records, and even by many Dion fans. This single-disc CD pairs 1970's Sit Down Old Friend with 1971's You're Not Alone, both records showing Dion continuing to mature as a singer/songwriter and blender of folk, rock, and blues stylings. Sit Down Old Friend was a change of pace even by the standards of his mellower, folk-rockish late-'60s comeback records. This was Dion unplugged: just him on acoustic guitar (both classical and steel string), and no other accompaniment, with all but three of the songs written or co-written by the singer. There's an intimate warmth and vulnerability here that you associate with demos that tend not to be issued in this original form, instead being embellished and worked over into something slicker. For whatever reason, in this case Dion was able to slip the material through to the consumer in this unadorned format. It's a wistful and reflective set, as unplugged acoustic guitar albums tend to be. But the inherent mellowness of the format is given a harder and more emotional edge by Dion's blues leanings, and the sense of a man emerging from hard times into something better. His voice has rarely been more expressive than it is on "I Don't Believe My Race Is Run" and the cover of Jacques Brel's "If We Only Have Love." It's a quality overlooked effort of the early singer/songwriter era, though it's missing any classic or hitbound tunes that might have made it a major work. You're Not Alone was a low-key record in which Dion continued his explorations into introspective music that bridged the folk-rock and singer/songwriter styles. Whereas Sit Down Old Friend was solo acoustic, though, Dion did revert to full-band arrangements for the follow-up. Fortunately, the backing -- including notable session players Paul Griffin on organ and Hugh McCracken on both electric and acoustic guitar -- was tastefully understated, which would not often be the case the further Dion moved into the 1970s. It's respectable, yet not as good as Sit Down Old Friend and his best late-'60s folk-rock records, with a slight slide in the quality of the material, and less of the near-naked atmosphere that made Sit Down Old Friend stand out. Sometimes the slow and introspective tenor of the tunes gets sluggish, rather in the same way as Bobby Darin's folk-rock records of the 1960s, though Dion was always a better and edgier folk-rock singer than Darin was. Most of the set is self-composed, and it's fair but not exceptional singer/songwriting, with covers varying from effective (Melanie's "Close to It All") to unimaginative (the Beatles' "Let It Be"). There's just one outing into the rootsy blues that Dion had developed a flair for from the mid-'60s onward, "The Stuff I Got"; "Attraction Works Better Than Promotion" has to qualify as one of his most offbeat song titles. The CD also adds a 1973 track, "Doctor Rock'n'Roll," as a bonus cut. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	06/12/2001
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667179126
Rank:	139156

Tracks

1. Natural Man
2. I Don't Believe My Race Is Run
3. Jammed Up Blues
4. Little Pink Pony
5. You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
6. If We Only Have Love
7. Sweet Pea
8. Just a Little Girl
9. Let Go, Let God
10. King con Man
11. Sit Down Old Friend
12. Close to It All
13. Sunnland
14. Windows
15. The Vistor
16. Peacefule Place
17. Let It Be
18. The Stuff I Got
19. Blackbird
20. Joise
21. Attraction Works Better Than Promotion
22. Doctor Rock'n'Roll

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dion   Primary Artist
Dion DiMucci   Primary Artist,Guitar (Classical),Guitar (Steel),Guitar
Hugh McCracken   Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Electric)
George Devens   Percussion
Paul Griffin   Organ
Al Rogers   Drums
Victor Brady   Drums (Steel)
Joe Macho   Bass

Technical Credits

Phil Gernhard   Arranger,Producer
Melanie Safka   Composer
Rudy Hill   Engineer
Mort Shuman   Composer
John Abbott   Arranger,Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Davin Seay   Liner Notes
Bill Tuohy   Composer
(Ex) Cat Heads   Engineer
Ron Johnsen   Engineer
Tony Fasce   Composer
Dick Holler   Composer
Eric Blau   Composer
Dion DiMucci   Composer,Arranger
Jacques Brel   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
John Lennon   Composer