Linda Perhacs - Parallelograms

LIMITED EDITION 180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL

"An album whose depth and beauty is, nearly five decades on, still utterly staggering."- MOJO 

Released by the Kapp label in 1970 and produced by the Oscar-winning Leonard Rosenman, Parallelograms was the first and only album by American psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs until the release of The Soul of All Natural Things in 2014. Discouraged by the lack of commercial attention and the label's reluctance to promote the album, Perhacs returned to her career as a dental hygienist. In the 30 or so years that followed, this record gradually developed a cult following. Combining fragile and ethereal melodic acid folk with perfectly rendered electronic effects, Parallelograms consists of what Perhacs herself described as "visual music." The spotlight is placed clearly on Linda's guitar and voice, where echoes of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and even Grace Slick (lead singer of Jefferson Airplane) can be traced. As was common in his work, Rosenman's production ends up shaping a soundscape located somewhere between jazz, classical music and the avant-garde. All Music reviewer Richie Unterberger gave it 4 ½ out of 5 stars, stating that "Perhacs' cult favorite Parallelograms instantly evokes the spare and isolated feel of the songs and the production on Joni Mitchell's first albums.

Perhacs is adept at dropping unusual effects and arrangements into the mix, that on occasion have a mildly disquieting and psychedelic vibe. Not all of the record is unusual, though; much of it's just attractively wistful, moody singer/songwriter folk, sometimes with an engaging folk-jazz backup, sometimes just with a guitar, sometimes enlivened by creative smudges of organ and electric guitar." 


Tracklist

Side A

1. Chimacum Rain
2. Paper Mountain Man
3. Dolphin
4. Call of the River
5. Sandy Toes
6. Parallelograms

Side B

1. Hey, Who Really Cares?
2. Moons and Cattails
3. Morning Colors
4. Porcelain Baked Cast Iron Wedding
5. Delicious


Personnel

Linda Perhacs – vocals, guitar, electronic effects, arranger
Leonard Rosenman – electronic effects, arranger, producer
Steve Cohn – lead guitar (6-string, 12-string, electric), arranger
John Neufield – flute, saxophone
Milt Holland, Shelley Manne – percussion
Reinie Press – electric bass, Fender guitar
"Tommy" – harmonica
Brian Ingoldsby – amplified shower hose for horn effects