Sunday, April 12, 2015

Huckle reissues hit Vancouver...

I first heard of Huckle from Todd at that Davie Street record store that's not around anymore. He had a first press of Upon a Once Time - cover pictured above - come into the store and was telling me it was worth hundreds of dollars to collectors of rare private press Canadian folk. He wasn't exaggerating, either; it's a seriously rare record, which came out in 1974, with roots on Gabriola Island, where Huckle had relocated from Ontario. It's very pretty stuff, and surprisingly solid in its craft and playing for private press material. It's good enough that it's kinda hard to believe no labels picked him up back then, it's really good. Anyhow, those first two Huckle albums - the other is Wild Blue Yonder, which I'm told is even stronger, and leaning more towards folk-rock - have just gotten a very limited repress through Mapache Records; I picked mine up at Audiopile just now. Even more surprising than the repress is that Huckle - in his 70's now, I guess - has a website where you can check out his music, with lots of streaming capacity. I'm not sure how much this music is going to grow on me but I don't want to risk the chance that I end up in love with it, to find out that it's back out of print again; there were only 500 of either of these represses done. So act now!

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