Wednesday, April 13, 2016

MIKE KONSTAN - MY LOVELY ONE / THIS TIME, OCTOBER 1966


This pair of beautiful folk ballads by singer/songwriter Mike Konstan have really been digging deep into my mind lately.  I became aware of this forgotten hero by the inclusion of his song 'This Time' on Fading Yellow Vol. 11.  I slowly became infatuated with the tune and had to track down a copy for closer inspection.

The slightly upbeat and catchy 'This Time', though sunny on the surface, contains a melancholic longing that creates some heavy reminiscing if you have the mind for it.  I really dig Mike's vocals and the guitars are just perfect.  A fantastic piece of songcraft that I couldn't praise enough.

The flipside 'My Lovely One' slows down the tempo, but proves to be just as endearing as the aforementioned gem.  Listening to the opening verse might be a bit off putting at first, and you may initially pass it off as old fashioned, perhaps cheesy.  You soon realize you have a tune on par with any mid period McCartney ballad.  The execution is just stunning, and I find it every bit as good as 'This Time'.

Information on Mike Konstan is rather scarce, but he did eventually record a solo LP in 1973 on RCA records.  I happened to pick up a copy recently and will be sure to reflect on it at a later date..

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