Geoff & Maria Muldaur

Geoff & Maria Muldaur – “Pottery Pie”

I first heard (of) this record by a track appearing on a Warner / Reprise “loss leader” double sampler LP (sorry, can’t remember which one, as my LP’s are not in front of me). At the time, I was unaware of Joe Boyd – the record’s producer. I had probably seen his name on an Incredible String Band LP and thought he was British. Took years for me to understand that he was an American in England, producing records etc. It literally took until I got to read Boyd’s wonderful book, “White Bicycles – Making Music In The 60’s” to get that Boyd went from the U.S. east coast to England – to Burbank.

It’s likely Boyd knew Geoff Muldaur from Muldaur having been in Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band – remember ‘jug band music’? The Lovin’ Spoonful, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks etc.? That funny wave of nostalgia for the 20’s, 30’s that came towards the end of the 60’s? One can even lump Ry Cooder’s debut album (Reprise 6402) in with the finely honed / produced U.S. nostalgia camp.

With groups like The Doors and Love – U.S. bands were encouraged (by sales, fan appreciation) to be loud, write hit singles etc. It took some time before the ‘hippie ethic’ transmogrified into ‘gentle hippie nostalgia’ – long hairs playing bluegrass music, hippie couples singing 30’s ballads in coffee houses etc.

One must wonder – was “Pottery Pie” produced (i.e. made) before Warner Brothers got involved? Even though it typifies a “Warner Brothers” album of that early 70’s era – it was made in Boston – likely where both Muldaur (and Boyd) were ‘comfortable’, and ‘established’. It’s a wonderful collection of songs – as though Muldaur was ‘hippie Tony Bennett’ – Catch It (by Eric von Schmidt – an old cohort of Bob Dylan and Richard Farina), I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (from Dylan’s then-recent “John Wesley Harding” album), New Orleans Hopscotch Blues (which is the cut that I heard on the Warner/Reprise sampler album), Trials Troubles, Tribulations (listed as ‘traditional’, arr. By Maria Muldaur, Geoff’s wife – who went on to fame as the singer of “Midnight At The Oasis” in a few short years)…the list of great songs goes on and on.

The true acknowledgement of this album not being a “lost classic” was when Terry Gilliam used Muldar’s version of “Brazil” in his film of the same name, as the main theme. After this album, Geoff and Maria began making solo albums for Warner Brothers – I do not know the details as to why it was solo albums and not collaborations.

“Pottery Pie” sounds glorious in the new century – wow, they really don’t make them like this anymore, do they? I keep half-an-eye on the McCabe’s Guitar Shop live schedule, where it is not uncommon to see Geoff Muldaur perform on occasion. One of these days, I will go check him out, 35+ years hence from “Pottery Pie” – I never really got into his solo albums of the 70’s, but I bet they’re good records. Popular culture took care of Maria Muldaur. Joe Boyd wrote his story down, for all to read – just glorious. Man, when the art meets the aesthetic – just magic.