October's Hill

by Bill Staines

Overview

Combining beautifully crafted originals with a handful of well-chosen covers, Bill Staines' 22nd album is rife with the kind of warm vocals and endearing tales that we've come to respect from the folk master. Staines has always been the author of songs that quickly grow on his listeners, and tracks like "Old City Jail" with themes of hard labor, trains, and prison life give it a quality that makes it seem much older than it actually is, the delicate "Dear Friend," and the poignant "When I Hear the Music Play" are all welcome additions to the Staines canon. The mandolin and fiddle on the cover of Guy Clark's "Virginia's Reel," the excellent vocal contributions by Jeanie Stahl on the Carter Family classic "Gold Watch and Chain," and the violin and fiddle of the traditional gospel tune "All Things Bright and Beautiful" fit perfectly beside the new Staines compositions. In the end, October's Hill is a work of endearing songcraft and lyrical depth that can only be the product of a longtime master of the genre. ~ Matt Fink

Product Details

Release Date:	02/08/2000
Label:	Red House Records
UPC:	0033651013921
Rank:	130349

Tracks

1. Dear Friend
2. On the Road Again
3. Some Distant Hill
4. Games People Play
5. Virginia's Reel
6. Love's Been Good to Me
7. Ghost Towns
8. Old City Jail
9. Gold Watch and Chain
10. When I Hear the Music Play
11. An Afternoon at Cohan's
12. All Things Bright and Beautiful

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bill Staines   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Choir Conductor
Stingy Lapel   Percussion
Hillary Foster   Violin
John Curtis   Guitar (Electric),Mandolin
Jeanie Stahl   Vocals
William Russell   Oboe
Larry Luddecke   Organ,Piano,Recorder,Keyboards
Guy Van Duser   Guitar,Mandolin
Brian Wood   Guitar
Stuart Schulman   Fiddle,Violin
Mike Walsh   Bass
Nadine Trudel   Cello

Technical Credits

Larry Luddecke   Engineer,Mixing
Rod McKuen   Composer
Larry Marcus   Photography
Bob Feldman   Executive Producer
Bill Staines   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes,Choir Arrangement
Pat Garvey   Composer
Joe South   Composer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Guy Clark   Composer
Eric Peltoniemi   Executive Producer
Cecil Frances Alexander   Composer
Victoria Garvey   Composer