Tim Hardin - Hang on to a Dream: The Verve Recordings (1994)

Recorded between May, 1964 and August, 1966. Includes liner notes by Colin Escott.

This is part of the Chronicles Deluxe Anthology series.

HANG ON TO A DREAM collects every studio recording Tim Hardin made for the Verve/Forecast label. It includes 30 selections originally released on his four self-titled albums, as well as 17 previously unreleased recordings.

Along with Bob Dylan, Eric Andersen, and a host of others, Tim Hardin changed the public's notion of songwriting in the '60s with innovative, idiosyncratic compositions and recordings that furthered the burgeoning folk-rock movement. Hardin was more closely aligned with the Fred Neil/Tim Buckley school of jazz- and blues-inflected folk rock. He didn't venture as far into improvisation and extended form as Neil and Buckley (most of his songs were extremely concise and even minimalistic), but his jazzy phrasing and lightly swinging rhythms were a revelation in the world of folk music.

This definitive collection compiles all the studio recordings Hardin made for Verve in the '60s–the prime period in his recording career–plus a wealth of previously unreleased tracks that offer heretofore unavailable glimpses into the career of this mysterious, mercurial artist. Hardin's smoky voice had a weariness and sadness that was mitigated by a breathy gentility, as on the quiet, samba-inflected "Misty Roses." Though countless artists covered Hardin's tunes, he was his own best interpreter, navigating the knotty pathways of unconventionally structured compositions such as "You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie" with deceptive ease, and delivering the now-standard "If I Were a Carpenter" with passion and urgency.



Entertainment Reviews:

Rolling Stone - 10/6/94, p.90
No Depression - p.102
"A wispy-voiced jazzy/bluesy singer who played mostly to folk audiences….[His songs] are intimate and introspective, with a certain spare semi-poetic flair; he doesn't waste a word."

New York Times - 2/20/94, p.30
"…HANG ON TO A DREAM is more than a hits sampler; it also reminds us that no one ever sang those songs like the writer himself…[Hardin's] songs were terse and economical…and the arrangements foresook traditional folk-rock instrumentation…Hardin is still waiting for everyone to catch up…"

Tracks of Disc 1:

1. Don't Make Promises
2. Green Rocky Road
3. Smugglin' Man
4. How Long
5. While You're On Your Way
6. It'll Never Happen Again
7. Reason To Believe
8. Never Too Far
9. Part Of The Wind
10. Ain't Gonna Do Without
11. Misty Roses
12. How Can We Hang On To A Dream
13. If I Were A Carpenter
14. Red Balloon
15. Black Sheep Boy
16. Lady Came From Baltimore
17. Baby Close It's Eyes
18. You Upset The Grace Of Living When You Lie
19. Speak Like A Child
20. See Where You Are And Get Out
21. It's Hard To Believe In Love For Long
22. Tribute To Hank Williams
23. While You're On Your Way - (previously unreleased, alternate take)
24. It'll Never Happen Again - (previously unreleased, alternate take)


Tracks of Disc 2:

1. Airmobile
2. Whiskey, Whiskey
3. Seventh Son
4. Danville Dame
5. House Of The Rising Sun
6. Bo Diddley
7. I Can't Slow Down
8. Hello Baby
9. Rolling Stone - (previously unreleased)
10. You Got A Reputation -(previously unreleased)
11. Keep Your Hands Off Her - (previously unreleased)
12. Nobody Knows You (When You're Down And Out) - (previously unreleased)
13. Hootchie Kootchie Man-(previously unreleased)
14. So Glad You're Mine - (previously unreleased)
15. You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover - (previously unreleased)
16. She Ain't Home - (previously unreleased)
17. You Say You Love Me - (previously unreleased)
18. How Time Flies - (previously unreleased)
19. You Can Ruin A Man - (previously unreleased)
20. If I Knew - (previously unreleased)
21. She's Up To Something New - (previously unreleased)
22. Who'll Be The Man - (previously unreleased)
23. First Love Song - (previously unreleased)