Barefoot Jerry (1974) If There Were Only Time for Love - LOST 70s GEMS

Barefoot Jerry's Watchin TV Album(1974) is a positively hopeful set full of beauty such as Fuzz driven textures, Pastoral synths, Jazzy interludes of acoustic guitars and heavily twangy pedal steel shifting in and out. Check out Hay Queen's extremely syncopated discofied pedal steel and hard rock guitar phrase; with a swaggering Moog synthesizer part overlaid on top sounding like Mike Post's theme for the Rockford Files.

Pig Snoots and Nehi Red features a rich horn section reminiscent of Chicago, there is also great banjo driven lick alongside a squelchy disco swagger that was quite prescient for 74, two years before this disco sound exploded. The title track is indicative of the album with it's rock n roll laden content, angelic southern rock harmonies and funky swagger all wrapped up in one. While Two Mile Pike is a fantastic rip roaring, innovative instrumental with the distinctive feature being a tricky pedal steel slide where the huge gliding tone of the pedal steel plays alongside some frenetic picking to create one unique smooth, virtuoso part.

The highlights are There Must Be a Better Way with it's robust piano and deep confessional gospel spirit, the lap steel whirls so faintly to sweeten the edges of this dry tune, it takes on a Hawaiian aura before the final refrains pick up the tune.
Violets and Daffodils start with spindly Andalusian picking with a circular folk melody describing his love in corny terms but the murky 'sweet guitar' wails and the chorus ed folk guitars swiftly swiping chords and noodley note based turnarounds are my favourite musical techniques.

If There Were Only Time for Love is the best with an oscillating acoustic guitar descending in key to breezy, masculine and old times chorus vocals. It's a mixture of 70s singer songwriter with Disney tune and a tick-tocking guitar progression and even some more spacey, pedal steel.



Fuzz synths also make an additional appearance showing the bands' cutting edge credentials as well as their exquisite taste for instruments; from twinkly vibraphones, a sea of fuzzy keyboards to that fabulously distorted pedal steel whining dissonantly or gliding in bass heavy slides. Check out the ending phrase as the pedal steel graciously winds down, the acoustic finishes it's last notes of the scale, harmonies coo, and a synth let's out one last soft pulse wave before a smattering of piano touches bring it to an end. The lyrics are a fine but a little too jesusy for me, theres a portion of "he died for our sins' in the song but the sleepy almost dreary vocals master the tone of how to make more time for love in life.