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Top | Songs MLH Vignettes | Ordering | Album | Reviews | Credits | Photos |
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The first two solo albums on one CD |
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| 1999 - Vignettes Media VM7881-2 (CD) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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About the Songs—Marie-Lynn Hammond |
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| 1. Calico Cat 2:49 Lyrics A jazzy, witty description of a confident and self-reliant cat who just might be a role model for the songwriter. Music by Doug Bowes, and a slinky soprano sax solo by Jane Fair. 2. Maverick Gleam 3:27 Lyrics A mid-tempo ballad for an absent lover that includes some revealing self-examination as well. 3. Distant Early Warning Line 3:58 Lyrics More rock than folk, may well be the only song ever penned about the chilly and lonely world of the arctic DEW Line stations during the Cold War. Told from the point of view of a young man who “hasn't seen a woman in five or six months.” 4. Houdini and You and Me 2:58 Lyrics Sound Clip Featuring lovely acoustic guitar work, this song is a fresh look at people who are adept at “vanishing up in smoke” while involved in a relationship. 5. But for the Timing 4:09 Lyrics A moving ballad about love and fate and “the times we hear, the times we turn away.” Music by Jacqueline L. Hammond (Marie-Lynn's youngest sister). 6. Minitoken Sunrose (Nobody Loves You) 2:59 Lyrics A fun, swing-type tune that celebrates a lover who loves better than anyone. Music and lyrics by Graeme Card; features a jazz fiddle solo. 7. Leaving 4:01 Lyrics A bluesy, blackly humorous look at the end of a relationship perhaps the one in Minitoken Sunrose that burned itself out. Music by Doug Bowes. 8. Être libre 3:49 Lyrics « Être libre » means "to be free." Marie-Lynn's mother, Marie-Thérèse, wrote the lyrics to this soaring ballad. Sung in French, translation on the lyrics page. 9. Black Cat, Stephen, and the Popcorn Man 3:49 Lyrics Sound Clip This track features an upbeat melody and wistful lyrics about one of those “nowhere days” of winter, as the singer wonders if the companionship of an ex-lover can ease her “blues without a name.” 10. Lights in the Windows 3:21 Lyrics A haunting acoustic ballad. Its poetic images evoke the transforming power of love, even when that love is at a distance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Top | Songs MLH Vignettes | Ordering |
Album | Reviews |
Credits | Photos
About the Songs—Vignettes |
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11. Woman with the Radio Mind 3:14
Lyrics
This song quotes liberally from a flyer sent around Marie-Lynn's neighbourhood by
a fortune-teller seeking new clients. Marilyn Lerner (who later produced
Marie-Lynn's album Black & White and
Shades of Grey) wrote the music.
12. All the Horses Running 3:03
Lyrics Sound
Clip
Related story
An up-tempo hymn to the mystical power of nature (“Let this day be my
religion/in the hills alive and living”) as well as a coming-of-age song.
13. La tête anglaise, le coeur français 4:06 Lyrics Sound Clip Related story This piano ballad describes Marie-Lynn's bicultural dilemma: being “caught in the gulf between two worlds” and the conflict between her “English head” and her “French heart.” Sung in French, translation on the lyrics page. 14. Elise cherche dans le ciel 2:35 Lyrics A delicate tune with intricate harmonies about a young woman looking in vain for earthly love. French lyrics and translation by poet Paul Savoie on the lyrics page. 15. Flying/Spring of ’44 4:38 Lyrics Sound Clip A very powerful song with an unusual structure chronicling, from the woman's point of view, a wartime marriage and its tragic after-effects. This is loosely based on Marie-Lynn's parents' story. Quoique les détails de « Flying/Spring of '44 » sont tirés de diverses histoires varies typiques de l'époque, c'est la vie du fils d'Elsie et de la fille de Corinne (c'est-a-dire, mon père et ma mère) qui m'inspira d'abord à écrire cette chanson. 16. La jeune mariée 2:36 Lyrics Sound Clip Inspired by traditional French Canadian chansons, this song is a lively tribute to Marie-Lynn's maternal grandmother, Corinne Clairoux Vaillant Allard (1887-1979). Widowed at age 23 with two young boys, she remarried a man of 54 who gave her eight more children. Sung in French, translation on the lyrics page. « La jeune mariée » est dédiée à ma grand-mère maternelle, Corinne Clairoux Vaillant Allard (1887-1979). Veuve à l'âge de vingt-trois ans, avec deux bébés à élever, elle maria, en secondes noces, un homme de 31 ans son aîné, et donna naissance à huit autres enfants. 17. Elsie 3:34 Lyrics Sound Clip “Elsie” celebrates the fascinating life of Marie-Lynn’s paternal grandmother, Elsie Kohl Hammond (1890-1960). She appears again in “Over Queen Charlotte Sound,” flying with Ted Dobbin, her companion and lover of twenty years, and a man now recognized as one of British Columbia’s pioneer bush pilots. The original “hand-tinted photograph” mentioned in the lyrics is reproduced in black and white in the CD booklet. « Elsie » fut écrit pour ma grand-mère paternelle, Elsie Kohl Hammond (1890-1960). Elle est mentionnée aussi dans « Over Queen Charlotte Sound, » où elle survole le détroit avec Ted Dobbin, son compagnon et son amant de vingt ans, reconnu comme étant pionnier du pilotage de la brousse en Colombie-Britannique. 18. Loving and Losing 3:28 Lyrics This beautiful waltz-time melody complements the lyrics which poignantly articulate the pain and confusion of an out-of-sync relationship. 19. Over Queen Charlotte Sound Where The Grey Sky Meets The Sea 4:34 Lyrics These two complementary songs are combined in one cut. The first song is about Elsie (Marie-Lynn's maternal grandmother) and Ted Dobbin, her companion and a pioneering bush pilot, exploring the wilds of British Columbia. The second song is a poem by Elsie that Marie-Lynn set to music. 20. Le coffre à jouets 3:54 Lyrics This heartrending ballad began as a poem that Marie-Lynn's mother wrote about sorting through a chest of old toys after her daughters had left home. Marie-Lynn added lyrics and composed the music. Sung in French, translation on the lyrics page. En tout dernier lieu, « Le coffre à jouets » est fondé sur un poème écrit par ma mère, Marie-Thérèse, en 1973. Ensemble, nous l'avons formé en chanson, et je lui suis reconnaissante de sa patiente collaboration. All music and lyrics by Marie-Lynn Hammond except 1. Music by Doug Bowes 5. Music by Jacqueline L. Hammond 6. Music and Lyrics by Graeme Card 7. Music by Doug Bowes 8. Lyrics by Marie-Lynn Hammond and Marie-Thérèse Hammond 11. Music by Marilyn Lerner 14. Lyrics by Paul Savoie 19. (“Where the Grey Sky Meets the Sea”) Lyrics by Elsie Kohl Hammond 20. Lyrics by Marie-Lynn Hammond and Marie-Thérèse Hammond |
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Top | Songs MLH Vignettes | Ordering | Album | Reviews | Credits | Photos |
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About the Album |
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Marie-Lynn Hammondis Marie-Lynn’s first solo album.
It was originally released on LP in 1978. Prior to striking out on her own, she was
lead singer (and cofounder along with Bob Bossin) of the seminal Canadian folk
group, Stringband. While pleased with Stringband's success, Marie-Lynn wanted to
explore other areas of musical expression and fine-tune her creative and
performance skills. This album takes the listener on an eclectic but satisfying
survey of music in the singer-songwriter genre. Vignettes includes many of the songs that ultimately became part of Marie-Lynn's critically acclaimed play about her family, Beautiful Deeds/De beaux gestes. The story of how this re-release happened The original pressing of the CD comes with a 20-page booklet. Subsequent pressings may or may not. |
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Top | Songs MLH Vignettes | Ordering | Album | Reviews | Credits | Photos |
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Critical Commentary |
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“It’s a wonderful CD...great lyrics complementing a gorgeous voice.” - Steve Jerrett, KOPN, 89.5 FM, Columbia, MO “The maturity in Hammond’s songwriting is reminiscent of elements of Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Judy Collins and Lisa Ekdahl.... The sound quality is exceptional.... [It] is highly recommended.” - Norman, Oklahoma, Transcript 24 Dec 1999 Honored as #23 of the Top 40 albums on Thursday Breakfast Jam for 1999. - Susanne Millsaps, KRCL, Salt Lake City “Neatly crafted elegance...a very special album.... [Vignettes] deserves the attention of a major label.” - Vancouver Province |
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Top | Songs MLH Vignettes | Ordering | Album | Reviews | Credits | Photos |
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Credits—The Re-release |
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Executive producers Richard L. Hess, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Mary Elizabeth Hess Tape restoration and digital mastering Richard L. Hess Design Richard L. Hess & Marie-Lynn Hammond Original ink drawings (especially created for this CD and included on the lyrics pages on the Web site) Marie-Lynn Hammond |
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Credits—Marie-Lynn Hammond |
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Arrangers and producers Marie-Lynn Hammond, Doug Bowes, and Chad Irschick Musicians: Marie-Lynn Hammond, Doug Bowes, Chad Irschick, Jay Alter, Bucky Berger, Don Bowes, Elizabeth Bowes, Tony DesMarteaux, Jane Fair, Jack Grunsky, Julie Grunsky, Terry King, John Lang, Brian Langill, Marilyn Lerner, Ben Mink, Allan Soberman, Bill Usher, Olga Van Kranendonk LP originally released on Black Tie Records (1001) in 1978 |
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Credits—Vignettes |
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Producer Ben Mink Arrangements Marie-Lynn Hammond, Ben Mink Executive producers Mark D. Goldman, Marie-Lynn Hammond Vocal arrangements Marvin Dolgay Musicians: Marie-Lynn Hammond, Ben Mink, Aaron Davis, Martin Deller, Cameron Hawkins, Marilyn Lerner, Allan Soberman, Jane Fair, Chad Irschick, Geddy Lee, Sharon Keates, Jack Grunsky, Danny Greenspoon LP originally released on Black Tie Records (1002) in 1983 |
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Marie-Lynn Hammond
Vignettes
Marie-Thérèse Allard
Arthur Barnard Hammond
Marie-Lynn's grandmother
Marie-Lynn's mother Marie-Thérèse
Marie-Lynn's grandmother Corinne with her second husband, Moise Allard,
Marie-Lynn's grandmother Elsie Kohl Hammond
Arthur Barnard Hammond and friend
The original “hand-tinted