Rob Carr & Bill Kahl Communication 1 Grotesque 1970 Michigan Loner Psych Folk
  $   77

 


$ 77 Sold For
Apr 9, 2012 Sold Date
Apr 2, 2012 Start Date
$   50 Start price
3   Number Of Bids
  USA Country Of Seller
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Description

Artist: Rob Carr & Bill Kahl
Title: Communication 1
Year: 1971
Format: LP
Label: Grotesque

Very rare and excellent private LP by two fine acoustic guitarists, this has a feel similar to Davy Graham’s Decca-era work to my ears, and Jorma Kaukonen is referenced as well with a fine instrumental version of “Today” (credited to Carr-Kahl… oops!). Vocals are scarce on this LP but one track has a stunning multi-tracked wordless female lead. This LP is quite a gem, and very rarely offered. 

Track Listing

  1. Skipper
  2. Daphne
  3. Johnny’s So Long At The Fair
  4. Melanie
  5. Chocolate Kchilp
  6. Joy
  7. RNB
  8. Teddy Bear’s Jig
  9. Sweet Willie Jean
  10. Runny Nose Blues
  11. The Great Wall Of China
  12. Potato Salad King
  13. Today
Born in 1947 and raised amid the mundane track housing that had sprouted across post-war Detroit, Rob Carr felt a strong pull toward the rural from a young age. His self-taught acoustic guitar style reflected this pastoral nature, drawing influence equally from John Fahey’s American Primitive and Peter Walker’s flamenco-tinged raga. At nearby Michigan State, Carr advanced quickly with the help of learned dormitory peers, eventually joining the local folk music club. There he met Bill Kahl, a talented guitarist just a few years older, though miles more experienced both in life and in song. For Kahl, their initial 1967 encounter was a blur of codeine-rich cough syrup and spiraling guitars, a confused haze that birthed a confident songwriting duo.

In and out of school, Carr remained diligent about music while nurturing a passion for wildlife photography. When his induction notice arrived in 1969, Carr entered an antagonistic exchange with the local draft board. He was spared, thanks to a technicality, and life in East Lansing resumed its orderly pace. Plans were made for Carr and Kahl’s debut LP, which would focus heavily on their intricate, interwoven guitar work. Communication 1, issued in 1971 as a one-off on the duo’s Grotesque label, caused no greater stir than a passing mention in Guitar Player Magazine. Hidden amongst the record’s playful sketches, with provincial names like “Teddy Bear’s Jig” and “Potato Salad King,” is “RNB II”—short for “Runny Nose Blues II.” Only two of the album’s songs feature vocals, and even the “RNB II” lyric is a petulant afterthought at best. As Bill Kahl’s problems with drug addiction took over, so did Rob Carr’s fascination with the camera. Save for a few unissued sessions taped in the wake of Communication 1, Carr neither wrote nor recorded again.


So this is where it gets interesting Kahl and Carr produced this album in Lansing Michigan,  I found this copy in a blank sleeve with a sticker affixed to the top left hand corner reading:

Property of 

Recording Equities

Bob Hurwitz

15621 Chandler Rd. 

Bath, MICH 48808

PHONE  641-4391


This leads me to believe this is some sort of promo possibly a test pressing but the vinyl is identical to the originally issued LP it is also in Near Mint condition.  So nonetheless the story behind this remains a mystery what I do know is this a an extremely rare record in this condition.




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