Hang Onto A Dream:the Verve 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.